The Dreaded.. Right Wrist Tech question

[muzicfreak]

Hey all:)
Hope all is well.. I am sitting here practicing Blackberry Blossom i've finally gotten the tempo up past the 200's.. But my concern is when i plan the tempo below 200.. My right wrist doesn't seem to cramp up as much and the notes seem to be alot brighter.. When i play this song all the way through my wrist seems to go dead by the end and the notes aren't as fresh sounding.. I feel i should change my technique a little bit with the wrist rest.. I feel cramped when i start playing at higher speeds w/ almost all my songs.. Any suggestions on something to change or look into? Maybe a new instrument? Nah that would is a bunch of Debauchary! Any help would be great!

[peterbc]

So when you go faster you cramp up? Keep your wrist loose. You'll be able to play cleaner and faster and you can still get just as much power (I think). I hope this is the answer to your question!

Peter

[muzicfreak]

Hey peter.. Half way there. i know to keep the wrist loose.. but i have problems doing so.. i was looking for some suggestions to do so.. i corrected to problem a little.. i made my strap tighter moving the mando closer up to me.. But need a little more looseness in the wrist.. any suggestions or before practice workouts to correct this problem?

[Sellars]

Could it be that you are going too fast too quickly?

Maybe you have to built up the speed somewhat more gradually, such that your hands and the rest of your motoric system can adapt to the new speed.

[cam]

Cramping up is a sure sign that you're playing too fast for yourself...now wait a minute, there's gotta be a solution here....gottit! Play slower!

[mandodude]

There's a natural tendancy that makes you want to squeeze the pick harder and harder, the faster you try to play. Fingers... wrist... they're all tied together, so even though you may consciously work at keeping a loose wrist, it might actually be the fingers that are the culpret.

Next time you get to crankin' on a fast tune, try to take notice of your pick fingers - see if the ol' "Grip of Death" might be adding to your problem!

[John Zimm]

I second what mandodude wrote-relax the grip on the pick. This will really help the wrist to stay loose I bet. I have the same problems. It seems the faster I play the more tight all of my fingers and both my wrists get. Best to l;earn the song you want to play so well that you can do it by muscle memorizations, and then chill out on the grip. Sadly, it is easier said then done for people like me, but it is possible. http://www.mandolincafe.net/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/smile.gif

-John.

[John Flynn]

I have this problem and am still struggling with it. I also think relaxation is a key. There is another hint that an instructor gave me: Practice limiting your pick travel. When you play fast, inertia increases the tendency to take longer strokes and also increases the strain caused by the "stop/reversal" at the end of each stroke, even if you are relaxed otherwise. By limiting the stroke, you decrease that strain. Limiting travel can also help with increasing speed and decreasing accidental hits on adjacent strings. When you pick fast, it is helpful to learn to trust the fact that inertia will give you all the impact you need to make the strings sing out. You don't have to use muscle or take long strokes like you might choose to do when playing slower.

[Coy Wylie]

Using a heavy pick will help you too. Since it doesn't flex as much you don't have to play it as hard to get good tone.

[LilCreekster]

I know when I get sore from being tense like that and loose energy I am pushing the speed envelope to far too fast. Try backing up to where you know you sound (and feel) good, then if you want to work on speeding up, do so in small incriments to find that point of where it starts to fall apart, back up one small step to just before it falls apart... and that will tell ya where your real current max speed is.

The advice I've gotten from my 2 teachers is that pushing how fast you can play is important, but not at the expense of strain. And building speed, ironically, can't be rushed LOL. Without compromise in technique and tone.

[jamesrenz]

Make sure that you can play Blackberry Blossom or any tune that you are practicing very well very slowly before increasing speed. At a very slow pace you can take phrases apart if necessary, find problems with fingerings, wrist and finger tension, pick accuracy, positon shifts, dynamics, etc. Until you are completely relaxed at a slow tempo, you will never be able to play with ease at fast tempos. Once you are relaxed while playing slowly, ease the tempo up, trying to keep yourself relaxed at each new level. When you start to become tense, stop and work on the problems at that level before moving up another notch.

[mandough]

Gaining pick speed is like learning to play golf. #Your natural tendency to swing a golf club faster is to use all of your muscles and take a big rip directly at the ball. #This actually tenses up your muscles and makes you swing slower. #If you just let the club swing through the impact point, your swing speed will increase.
On a smaller scale, the pick momentum is similar. #You must pick though your point of contact and not concentrate on the string itself. #This will make you tense at the moment of contact. #A good method of gaining pick speed is to play the song without hitting the strings. #This will give you a feeling of free wrist movement without concentrating on the moment of impact. #Take that tempo and feeling and apply it to your instrument, trying to ignore the moment of impact. #If you do this enough and know the song well enough (without having to think "this note goes there, and these fingers go here") the instrument will become more of an extension of your body.
As in golf, thinking is your worst enemy. #Just my two cents (might be lacking sense though:) )

[Keith Wallen]

Another thing you can try is to turn your wrist a little more. This helps keep you from playing stiff wristed which I think tightens up those muscles as well. Its easier said than done though....

[POB]

Keith,

Can you clarify what you mean by "turn your wrist a little more"? Do you mean to angle your hand slightly inwards towards the body of the instrument?

Thanks.

[Coy Wylie]

I think what he means is pushing your wrist slighly out so that your hand hinges back toward the mando. This serves two purposes. First, your wrist is more relaxed and loose. Second, you are not diminishing tone by anchoring too firmly on the bridge. I find this wrist position is very helpful for improving tone in the chop.

[Merc]

I'm not sure if you're planting some of your fingers on your pick gaurd or not while playing. #I know that many great players do, but I found it restricted my wrist movement which in turn would cause me to play stiff and tense. #If you are planting while playing, try not to and see if it helps any.

[craigtoo]

Here's a technique that's working for me. #Just like we have to learn a tune, ...notes, tempos, ornamentation, etc. #I've found that I also have to learn what "relax" really is. #So put the mando down for a minute (hard for me to do....). #And try to relax your hand. #Really make it feel like a wet rag. #Concentrate on something like Gravity, feel the weight of your hand as it sits on a table in front of you. #I'll do this in meetings at work, or while at my computer. #Just practice relaxing everything in your hand, fingers, wrist all of it up through your arm and shoulder. #Then when you play fast and you notice...."hey.. I got a death grip going on here..." #and you tell yourself to relax your body will know what to do.

It's working for me...slowly

craig

[billkilpatrick]

it's a curious question, this. i'm so terrified of getting arthritis that i stop playing as soon as i feel even a twinge in my fingers - stress of any sort in the joints is something to be avoided at all costs.

another consideration stems from a cd i have of bill monroe playing extremely - i mean very, very - fast. while it's interesting to know that someone can do it, as music, it's almost noise.

my granny used say that nothing good ever came from forcing it, and when it come to tendons, wrists, finger joints, etc., i think it's especially true.

slow as you go - bill

[Billy Mack]

another consideration stems from a cd i have of bill monroe playing extremely - i mean very, very - fast. #while it's interesting to know that someone can do it, as music, it's almost noise.

that ain't noise...that's angels sending down their grace from heaven.

[billkilpatrick]

sorry, that must have seemed arrogant of me - i meant no offense.

what i have is cheapy cd compilation of old radio broadcasts, the type you find in service stations and discount shopping malls, that were not meant to be recorded. on some numbers i get the feeling he was more interested in the next gig than the one he was doing. i remember reading somewhere that he took elvis down a peg because he didn't like his speeded up version of "blue moon of kentucky." what's good for the goose is good for the gander...

let's just say that while he was tracing her little foots steps in the snow he might have missed a few...

regards - bill