Pain In Left Arm, Overworked, What do I do Options

[ElHombre]

People tell me different.
I kind of got carried away over the legato excercises I recieved from my teatcher.
A certain stretch that im getting used to.

Playing fingers 1-2-4 instead of 1-3-4 och for example a g major scale 3 note per string starting on root 6th string

This has now caused a pain in my left arm
Excuse my language but u know the "wank muscle"

I can feel little pressure when i open doors and stuff.
It bit me once, the pain when playing thats when I stopped

Should I stop playing for, how many days?
How do I avoid this in the future?
And what music training can I do without the guitar.
Well ear training and such but, I know but fill me up with somth cheers

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[Darius Wave]

Good legato same as alternate picking is a technique that involves some strength. This is why it does happen to abuse Your muscles. There are no rules of how long would it last or how often it happens. One and only truth is...IF IT AIN'T GO AWAY, GO AND VISIT DOCTOR.

Sometimes it's a matter on lack of magnesium (Drinking too much coffe etc). Some of the muscles issues are caused buy this. IT's important what You eat and do You rest well. It relates to every aspect of Your life - Guitar too.


It might also happen when You try to increase intensity of Your practice too fast.

Being at Your poin I would not leave playing for a week but just minimize it to very relaxed and harmless type.

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[Gabriel Leopardi]

Hi mate, as Darius said, you must go to the doctor and check what is happening. Things can become worse if you don't stop in the case that it's necessary.

Once you get back to practice, remember always to do stretches, massages and some warming up before you start your guitar routine. This is a video that I always share:




Regarding what to do while you don't play guitar. Here are some ideas:

- Ear training: There are many software to train your ear to recognize intervals, scales, chords, melodies, etc.
- Learn theory: Check our theory board!
- Analyze music: Analyze your favorite songs, check the structure, chord progressions, production and write down what's happening.
- Compose using a midi controller: You can use any daw and a midi controller to compose music that comes to your mind.

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[Cosmin Lupu]

Mate I think you need to cool down a little bit. Stay one or two days, even three. Nothing will happen in the bad way of things. If the problem persists, maybe you can see a doctor, but as Gabe says, it may be a warmup problem. Take it easy and see what's happening and if the pain persists after you start playing again and WARMING UP properly before that.

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[ElHombre]

Hmm i think need to get back to physical training as well which I have not done when I moved abroad.

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[Darius Wave]

That is always a good idea

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[Todd Simpson]

Yes Do add some stretching and activity in to your routine. And as was mentioned GO SEE A DOCTOR ASAP

Hmm i think need to get back to physical training as well which I have not done when I moved abroad.

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[Ben Higgins]

I find the most common causes of injury are a lack of warming up. Or just going for too long when the muscles are already tired.

Good blood flow is what will warm your muscles up. The key really is in the word 'warm'. Also, stop every now and then. In the course of practising you are going to build up lactic acid just as you would if you were exercising. That's normal and ok. But it's also good not to let the lactic build up last too long. So after you get the burn for a while, just stop and let it ease off again. Use your other hand to rub your muscles and move the lactic acid away. Flex your fingers, shake your hands etc.

Legato is notorious for demanding a lot from the fretting hand and it is easy to overdo it. Just the other day I was feeling that my left hand was at the limit and I had to tell myself 'enough.' If you're trying to build up your legato chops don't worry about hours of practise. Instead try the 'little and often' approach. Keep the practise repetitions moderate.. enough to get a mild burn but then leave it alone after a while. You could come back to it another time, same day or just do a bit each day. It will still progress and your body will start adapting to this.

Hmm i think need to get back to physical training as well which I have not done when I moved abroad.

This too. Exercising your body in other ways will help contribute to a stronger overall body structure. I think people underestimate the benefits of it. If you're only using the same muscles day in, day out then the rest of your body is weak. If your triceps, shoulders, back and everything else is underused then you don't gave much muscular support for the rest of you. At least that's the way I look at it. It could be pseudo science but I know I feel better for keeping active.. it seems to benefit my guitar playing

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[Cosmin Lupu]

Legato is notorious for demanding a lot from the fretting hand and it is easy to overdo it. Just the other day I was feeling that my left hand was at the limit and I had to tell myself 'enough.' If you're trying to build up your legato chops don't worry about hours of practise. Instead try the 'little and often' approach. Keep the practise repetitions moderate.. enough to get a mild burn but then leave it alone after a while. You could come back to it another time, same day or just do a bit each day. It will still progress and your body will start adapting to this.

Regarding the last phrase - yes indeed, Ben has a great point here which I want to underline

The body will be able to take more and more if you feed it with the right amount often. You will look back and realize that you can do a lot more than before But do not push 5 hours of legato playing and expect your body to be happy about it without prior rigor.

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