"Proper"technique/position for left thumb,plus how to adopt a lighter left hand touch

[-=johhnybravo=-]

Okay, example (non idiomatic run, thanks to Auggie speed files)

 

-----------------------------------------2-1-1-2---------

----------------------------------2-1--------------(back down)

----------------2-1--------2-1------------------

-----------2-1-------2-1--------------

------2-1-----------------------

-2-1-------------------------

 

Am i "supposed" to leave my left thumb sorta anchored in one spot in circumstances like these?

 

And secondly, how do I adopt a lighter touch with my left hand.

I know lighter strings will help, so i'll be moving to 9-42s tomorrow, but i injured my thumb at work (snapped a joint backwards) some 6-7 months ago, and it tires/hurts after a few runs of something like the above.

Even doing the 4th finger rehab "decoupling" exercise, my thumb tires out before my fingers start feeling the burn. Its exersices like these that make it REAL hard to play lighter (including 2-3rd rehab), play them and you'll see.

 

Well, thanks for reading

[Poparad]

I play on .13's on my guitar but I play with a light touch, so string guage really doesn't have that much to do with it. If it did, all bass players would be playing with a death grip.

For the thumb, it is ideal to have it just about in the center of the back of the neck at all times. By doing this, it will allow your fingers to be more upright on your fingertips, which is a big part of playing with a light touch. By playing on your fingetips (as opposed to having flatter fingers that usually happens when the thumb is off the back of the neck) you can focus your energy into a smaller point, allowing you to fret the string with seemingly less work.

For the thumb, also make sure that you are using the thick pad rather than the tip of the thumb. This will distribute the pressure more and allow your hand to ease up. Generally, the thumb will be behind your index finger, and be pointing mostly up and down like your fingers and like the frets. The thumb will naturally be leaning more to it's inner side a bit, so don't worry about it being exactly flat.


And overall, just try practicing while thinking about being relaxed. If you feel yourself working or putting too much effort into it, stop, relax, and try it again while trying to maintain a feeling of comfort and relaxation.

[335clone]

I find that one of the main reasons I apply too much pressure when fretting is stability. I am trying to 'hold' the neck in place while playing. If I can position the guitar in such a way as to keep the neck rock steady, such as using my right forearm to clamp it to my body, I dont need near as much pressure on the back of the neck with my thumb. I have to think about it while playing, and easily fall back into my 'death grip' as soon as I lose concentration. The cramping usualy reminds me, but by then it's a little late.

[BluGP56]

Hi all, my first post here. This is a bit of info I think Johnnybravo might be interested in, and perhaps others. If you prefer 0.010 strings, and need less tension, you can switch to a set 0.010's with less tension and stay with the 0.010's for the extra mass. No need to go with 0.009's unless you really want to.

Two such lower tension sets I can think of that I have personally tried are(25 1/2 scale strat):

Fender Standard Tension. Nickel plated steel wrap. They are new, I have bought them online, haven't seen them in any stores yet. They come in the 'bullet' and regular ball ends. I like them, and they last as long or longer than any other good quality string. Bending is a breeze on these strings, and pushdown tension while fretting is noticeably lower than many other strings, such as the common D'Addario XL's.

GHS Burnished Nickel, pure nickel wrap. Not the same as Nickel Rockers, these have smaller cores and are more flexible. I have these on my strat right now, and again, they are a bender's dream, and make fretting significantly easier than many other sets I have tried. Fretting is easier as well, with good tone. I can't say how long they last, as I just put them on two days ago.

Sets I have tried with more tension(harder to play):

D'Addario XL's, nickel plated steel. A pretty good string, but harder to play and bend on. Plus, I have found them to die an early death from bending a lot.

DR Pure Blues, pure nickel wrap, I really love these strings, but they are pretty stiff, but have some serious beef to the tone when played hard.

I realize this is a bit off topic, but just wanted to share some of my experiences with you on string tension. I am older, and notice that my hands protest more than they used to. So I have been conciously searching out lower tension strings that allow less stress on my hands, but still have good tone.

Poparad, do you tune down with the 0.013's? You must have very strong hands.

I think you will find that if you bend a lot of notes, you will have to alternate between the pad of the thumb on the back of the neck and thumb hooked over the top of the neck when bending, for the additional leverage.

[saturngames]

Friend of mine studied classical guitar and told me he sometimes practiced with his thumb of while he had trouble with his hands getting "overloaded" due by to much tension in his griip.
Practising with the thumb of he only focused on "finger-power". The thumb is merely to stabalize the hand, not that much for tightening the grip.

Good luck

[Auggie Doggie]

One thing you can do is take your thumb off the neck completely, thus relying completely on your finger mechanisms for the motions. Practicing like that for a few minutes a day will help demonstrate how little force your thumb really needs to exert while playing, which is to say hardly any at all.


Edit: I just now realized that the post above said the same thing.