My left hand fingers lock up

[Screw]

Anybody have suggestions - lead players - my left hand fingers tend to lock up sometimes when doing some fast improvin'. it seems to become worse when i have been moving positions and doing a lot of bends. really bad above the 15th frett. i am playin a guitar with jumbo frets which helps greatly.
any suggestions? I use a metronome and practice slow and often.
i tend to use a lot of natural minor, minor and major pent, dorian, phrygian modes. those are my favorites.

[Harmony Blitzer]

might seem funny but-i would do finger exercises and warm water messages to keep the joints in your hands freed up before playing and after [like bedtime]. you might want to work some soothing lotion into your hands when not playing. vise type hand squeezes really work but you can over do them. these work for me.

[mctriple]

Are you playing in the most comfortable position? Is your guitar comfortably balanced by itself? You may be using your frethand to hold the guitar more than you're realizing? Or playing at the angle that the upper frets require isn't working well with the position you play in? It's a bit more nerdy, but I like playing the "classical" way with the guitar sitting on my left leg (right-handed). It's far more comfortable to reach everywhere on the guitar that way.

[JimBarrington]

Hi there Screw,

Don't forget that if you are playing a lot of hours, you are using your hands like a top notch athlete would use his body. It'll become top sport!

And you'll not be the first who seriously damages his hands/arms/back to the point of disabillity.

Warm up at leats 10 minutes, shake your hands calmly, stretch your arms (carefully!) and take at least a 15 minute break every hour.

Take it from an axeman who's had every injury in the book

Plus: I spent 1/2 my life trying to learn to play fast. The rest of my life I'm learning to to play slooooooow.

Cheers,

Jim

[Screw]

Thanx for the advice guys-- My hand position is usually pretty textbook. i usually only have the problem in band practice-- i don't wear my guitar low-- and i do use the classical position when i play at home sitting---

AH, though, i'll have to pay attention to if this happens when i warm up before rehearsal and when i don't..



Thanx to ALL!!

PS i'm a big advocate for finger exercises-- sometimes i can't play at all unless i warm up with 123412341234 etc...

[jimifan]

Does this only happen when your standing? I found that if I practice standing playing at band practice is much easier. Otherwise you get so used to playing sitting when you get together and play standing up it's just not as comfortable and you can't play as well.

[Screw]

Usually makes no difference standing or sittiing.
I usually try to practice both ways..
thanx though......
!!