Geni Swing Guitars

Guitar Shoulder

Musicians aren't generally known for their athletic prowess, but it is physical exertion all the same. In fact if you weigh 150 pounds and play guitar for an hour, you'll burn 136 calories. More fun than running! But you can also injure yourself too if you're not careful. Let's discuss some of the injuries that are possible and how to avoid them.

First off, please don't consider this the be all, end all of medical advice. I'm a guitarist, not a doctor. My bank statements are plenty of proof on that. If you're in pain, go see a doctor. The techniques we'll discuss here will help avoid that pain in the first place.

Most guitar-related injuries fall under the heading of Repetitive Stress Syndrome. That can include Carpal Tunnel Syndrome, Tendonitis, Bursitis, Tennis Elbow, and others. I've had a couple of these myself and they're no fun.

Some symptoms:

- Shooting pains through your wrist

- Numbness and tingling in your hands (during playing or sometimes in the morning when you wake)

- Sore tendons in your hands

There's two key items to avoiding this stuff. Moderation and stretching.

You can't play guitar for 4, 5, 6 hours straight a day without hurting yourself. You should take a short, 2 minute, break every 20-30 minutes while you're playing. If you're playing a lot on stage, make the singer talk to the crowd for a couple minutes. Every 45 minutes you should take a slightly longer break of at least 10 minutes. Those little breaks will also help your concentration.

Before, during, and after, you'll want to do some stretches. Here's some good ones to relieve the strain in your hands, wrists, arms, shoulders, and neck.

1. Hold your left hand out in front of you with your palm facing the floor. Now grab your fingertips from the side with your right hand. Gently pull back and you'll feel the stretch on the underside of your arm. Release back to the starting position. Again, grab your fingers with your other hand and, this time, gently pull them down towards the floor. You'll feel the stretch in the top part of your arm this time. Repeat with the other hand.

2. Hold your left arm out straight in front of you, palm towards the floor. Now cross it over your chest and hook your right forearm underneath it. Gently use your right arm to pull your left towards your chest, keeping it straight. You'll feel the stretch in your shoulder. Repeat with your other arm.

3. For your neck, bend your head down until your chin touches your chest. Then slowly roll your head to the left, stopping at your shoulder. Return to the starting position and then roll to the right.

Do each of the exercises 3-4 times and you'll be well on your way to warmed up. Part of warming also involves playing. Work some simple scales and finger patterns, but keep it slow at first to get your tendons moving smoothly.

Next, make sure that your playing position is correct. If your guitar is too large or too small, or set up incorrectly you'll start to hurt. If you're sitting, make sure that you sit up straight and don't slouch too much. Also make sure that the headstock of your guitar is near shoulder level. You may have to raise the leg the guitar is sitting on to accomplish that. A guitarist's footstool or even just leaning your heel up against the leg of the chair can work.

If you're playing standing up, same thing with the headstock and the posture. Also, be sure to use a good wide strap to displace as much of the weight of the guitar as possible.

Lastly, the basic things. Exercise regularly, drink lots of water. The better shape you're in, the more your body is able to deal with strain. There's even little finger strength exercisers you can buy at some guitar shops. My advice? Go to a sporting goods store and visit the tennis section. There's a little foam thing they use to strengthen their hand muscles. And it costs a fraction of what the guitar ones does.

Take care of your body parts and they'll take care of you when you're shredding in front of thousands of fans!

Get your free Get Hot On Electric Guitar report for the best guitar practice techniques to make you the hottest six string slinger in town! http://www.GetHotOnElectricGuitar.com

Planet Waves Gel Guitar Strap Shoulder Pad $12.99 Planet Waves Gel Guitar Strap Shoulder Pad

Levy's Classic Leather Guitar Strap W/ Shoulder Pad & Belt Adjustment $29.99 Levy's Classic Leather Guitar Strap with Shoulder Pad and Belt Adjustment

Glaesel Violin Shoulder Pad $6.81 Glaesel Violin Shoulder Pad

Petersen Shoulder Bag For Music Stand $16.99 Petersen Shoulder Bag for Music Stand

Protec A223 Shoulder Rest Pouch $9.95 Protec A223 Shoulder Rest Pouch

Kun Bravo Viola Shoulder Rest $69.02 Kun Bravo Viola Shoulder Rest

Roland Lucina Ax-09 Shoulder Synthesizer $599 Roland Lucina AX-09 Shoulder Synthesizer

Otto Musica Fitsall Shoulder Rest 4/4-1/8 $13.5 Otto Musica FitsAll Shoulder Rest 4/4-1/8

Roland Lucina Ax-09 Shoulder Synthesizer (Black Sparkle) $699 Roland Lucina AX-09 Shoulder Synthesizer (Black Sparkle)

Kun Super Violin Shoulder Rest 3/4-1/2 Size $19.89 Kun SUPER Violin Shoulder Rest 3/4-1/2 Size

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Kun Super Viola Shoulder Rest 15+ Inch $21.89 Kun Super Viola Shoulder Rest 15+ Inch

Kun Collapsible Violin Shoulder Rest 3/4-1/2 Black $22.89 Kun Collapsible Violin Shoulder Rest 3/4-1/2 Black

Wolf Viola Shoulder Rest Viola 15+ Inch $28.95 Wolf Viola Shoulder Rest Viola 15+ Inch

Dynasty M845 Tuba Left Shoulder Clamp Set $39.99 Dynasty M845 Tuba Left Shoulder Clamp Set

Kun Collapsible Violin Shoulder Rest 4/4 Black $23.89 Kun Collapsible Violin Shoulder Rest 4/4 Black

Knilling Viva Violin Shoulder Rest 4/4-3/4, Purple $22.79 Knilling VIVA Violin Shoulder Rest 4/4-3/4, Purple

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Roland Ax Synth Shoulder Synthesizer Black Sparkle $1182.09 Roland Ax Synth Shoulder Synthesizer Black Sparkle

Director's Showcase Shoulder Pad Cover White $3.99 Director's Showcase Shoulder Pad Cover White

Kun Voce Violin Shoulder Rest 4/4-3/4 Size $59.89 Kun Voce Violin Shoulder Rest 4/4-3/4 Size

Knilling Viva Violin Shoulder Rest 4/4-3/4, Green $22.79 Knilling VIVA Violin Shoulder Rest 4/4-3/4, Green

Roland Ax-Synth Shoulder Synthesizer Keyboard $1299.99 Roland AX-Synth Shoulder Synthesizer Keyboard

Slider Straps Dual Shoulder Strap Black $19.99 Slider Straps Dual Shoulder Strap Black

Ashley M Elvis metallic guitar shoulder bag $66 Elvis metallic guitar shoulder bag Color: Gold

Knilling Viva Compact Violin Shoulder Rest 4/4-3/4, Purple $23.89 Knilling VIVA Compact Violin Shoulder Rest 4/4-3/4, Purple

Knilling Viva Compact Violin Shoulder Rest 4/4-3/4, Green $23.79 Knilling VIVA Compact Violin Shoulder Rest 4/4-3/4, Green

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Toca Djembe Bag And Shoulder Harness 14 Inch Black $59.99 Toca Djembe Bag and Shoulder Harness 14 inch Black

Kun Bravo Violin Shoulder Rest Standard 4/4-3/4 Size $57.16 Kun Bravo Violin Shoulder Rest Standard 4/4-3/4 Size

Wolf Forte Secondo Viola Shoulder Rest Viola 15+ Inch $31.5 Wolf Forte Secondo Viola Shoulder Rest Viola 15+ Inch

Kun Replacement Legs For Shoulder Rests Long, Original And Super, 1/4 And Smaller $5.99 Kun Replacement Legs for Shoulder Rests Long, Original And Super, 1/4 And Smaller

Otto Musica Muco Easy Model Shoulder Rest For 3/4 Violin $11 Otto Musica Muco Easy model shoulder rest For 3/4 violin

Otto Musica Muco Easy Model Shoulder Rest For 1/4, 1/8 Violin $11 Otto Musica Muco Easy model shoulder rest For 1/4, 1/8 violin

Otto Musica Muco Easy Model Shoulder Rest For 1/2 Violin $11 Otto Musica Muco Easy model shoulder rest For 1/2 violin

Kun Collapsible Viola Shoulder Rest Standard 15+ Inch $24.89 Kun Collapsible Viola Shoulder Rest Standard 15+ Inch

Wolf Forte Secondo Violin Shoulder Rest Violin 4/4-3/4 Size $28.95 Wolf Forte Secondo Violin Shoulder Rest Violin 4/4-3/4 Size