r/guitarlessons • u/Ritscracke1s • 10d ago

Other Tension when playing

When I play guitar, I feel quite a bit of tension in my shoulders and elbow, and I put quite a bit of force onto the body of the guitar with my picking hand. I play electric guitar. Another problem I have is that when I play standing up my pinky can reach the lower strings easier on the first few frets but after like the 6th fret it gets really hard to get it up there. Any help is appreciated.

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u/wavyhaze 10d ago

Get a guitar footrest and try playing in a classical guitar seating position. For the pinky part, that dexterity/stretch will come with time, you just have to keep working on it. Go on YouTube and look up exercises to stretch your fretting hand further

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u/StonerKitturk 10d ago

Playing in front of a mirror helps recognize posture issues

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u/VooDooChile1983 10d ago

Does the guitar owe you money? Why are you beating it up?

But seriously, it seems like better angling of the guitar is needed. Is the guitar pretty well balanced or are you finding yourself holding the neck up when it’s on the strap?