Any ways to reduce thumb strain while playing?

[Darren Martin]

So sometimes when I play certain parts in songs my thumb begins to hurt a lot, it’s almost like I’m gripping too hard or something along those lines. It really happens when I’m playing the clean part in “I Wont See You Tonight Part 1”. I can play through the clean bit once with no pain then on the second round of the riff my thumb starts hurting and makes playing that part tough becuase I keep having to flex my thumb to stop the pain. I can play most songs with no pain at all but only in certain parts of songs I feel the pain.
I was just wondering if this will go away after my hand has gotten used to playing in an odd position or is there like an excersize to help reduce the strain on my thumb? Or maybe I should stop putting a death grip on my guitar…
Thanks for any help!

 

[idssdi]

Could you show how you place your thumb? What’s comfortable for one person might not be comfortable for someone else.

 

[Ed Seith]

I’m working through this (among other things) right now. The problem is likely that for those certain parts, you’re tensing up a little (or you just plain GOT USED TO playing those parts tense), and you’re gripping the pick too tightly. Get your metronome (or Amazing Slow Downer software) and slow it down, and play a long with those parts again. LEARN them again, careful to get used to keeping a more relaxed grip on your pick. Slowly build up speed again, ALWAYS being aware and careful that you’re not increasing your grip on the pick.
I’m doing this and several other things to manage relaxation while I play, and after 35 years of doing a lot of shit wrong, I’m finding it somewhat revelatory.

 

[Noah Berends]

Ed’s got the real stuff. As with any other muscle in your body, endurance is a built thing, so while the strain could be attributed to a mildly flawed technique, at the same time you may just need to build endurance slow and steady. As with everything else in guitar, play as relaxed as possible, with minimal tension. Once you’ve ruled out any possible errors in technique, and if you still get the tension pain after that, keep playing through the pain (but don’t injure yourself of course), and simply build the endurance. After a while, you’ll probably find you can go longer and longer before it becomes painful, and at one point the pain may simply disappear and you’ll be set.

 

[Calvin Phillips]

I played a song yesterday I haven’t played in a while and I had this same feeling. You’re muscles arent used to the flexibility you are putting them to. Just keep at it like ed said. Could be a positioning thing but I’m willing to bet its just odd positions you’re not used to doing all the time.