Newsgroups: rec.music.classical.guitar Subject: Re: Elbow pain; Subtle use of elbow Date: Sun, 14 Dec 1997 17:39:43 GMT >I am a student of the classical guitar and find that when I play for about 1/2 >hour, I begin to get pain in my elbow (fretting arm). Am I possibly doing >something wrong? Or is it something that will pass? It is not a severe pain, >more of an annoying stiff throb. > There seem to be two typical roots for pain in a repetative activity: 1. Position 2. Tension These are absolutetly critical in the left arm with guitar. Very little movement or tension is required to fret the strings. Gravity will do most of the work. Ideally, find an instructor who has worked with Carlevaro or someone from that school. Otherwise, check your position very carefully in a mrror. Guitar neck at about 45 degrees, headpiece at about eye level. Body turned a little so that your weight is focused down the left knee and leg. You should be able to breathe freely. Settle into the position like a weightlifter relaxing before the lift. Let your left arm hang from young shoulder loose down by your side. Close your eyes. With the minimum use of muscles, still letting it hang from the shoulder, swing your forearm and hand up. to gasp the neck. You should adjust position until you reach it easily. Relax again. Do not tighten the hand. Gravity will fret the strings. Gravity holds fingers against strings to fret them. Arm hangs from shoulder and fretted strings. Thumb acts as a pivot for guiding relaxed fingers from string to string. Only enough tension to hold down the string (very little, if the fingertip is against the fret). Subtle elbow movements guide hand to position. Arm must hang free and loose. Gravity, thumb pivot, subtle elbow, relaxation. I hope this helps. Steve -- paul marxhausen ```` ``````` ````````````` ```````````` ```````````` `````````` `` ` ` ` ` ` university of nebraska - lincoln ` ` ` `` ` ` `` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` grace ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` happens `