Mando Death Grip!

[jlebans]

Greetings all,

Just wondering if anyone has any advice or exercises for remedying my death grip issues. I'm still a newbie - playing less than a year and I can't find a way to ease up with the left hand - especially the louder I play.

If I pick extremely softly, the my fretting hand relaxes, speed and accuracy increase. The more I turn on the power and intensity with my picking hand, the more I seem to be trying to push the strings through the fretboard with my left. And this slows me down, and leads to mistakes - and hand cramps!

Any suggestions?

Thanks,

JL

[bradlaird]

You might enjoy reading this little thing I wrote called "How to Spend an Hour Playing 16 Notes."

http://www.bradleylaird.com/playthem...lesson-12.html

Also, are you sure your action is low enough to suit you? Nearly everyone I see who is starting out has their strings too high. That just adds to the difficulty. Check that...

[billhay4]

Play very softly and see if this doesn't prompt you to lighten up.
Bill

[Grommet]

Also, make sure you are not trying to support any of the mandolins weight with your left hand. All of the mandolins weight should be supported by some combination of your right arm/heel of the right hand, and perhaps a strap as well. This will leave the fingers of the left hand free to press the strings with just enough tension to get clean tone. The death grip can waste a set of frets in less than 1 year (yes I did my first fret job 9 months after purchasing my first mando). EVI Gold fret wire is great stuff, but you will outgrow the heavy grip in time.

Scott

[DavidKOS]

Also, make sure you are not trying to support any of the mandolins weight with your left hand. All of the mandolins weight should be supported by some combination of your right arm/heel of the right hand, and perhaps a strap as well. This will leave the fingers of the left hand free to press the strings with just enough tension to get clean tone.

Scott

I don't use a strap, and even as such, what Scott says is to the point. The left hand just helps with the barest of support, which really feels to me more like slight counterforce, to the pressure of the "combination of your right arm/heel of the right hand".

It's hard to describe, it's not that the left hand holds the neck, it just keeps the balance between the two hands and your abdomen. I still play a lot of bowlback mandolin, and it's even more obvious on the older form of mandolin. To some, that makes bowlbacks "hard to hold", but if you're used to that (oud and Greek bouzouki players will understand) it makes it easier to hold!

One needs enough tension in the fretting hand to get a clean tone, and no more tension that that, since that will be fatiguing and any excess tension will slow anyone down.

[SincereCorgi]

You've got to 1) get your brain to understand how lightly you can touch a string to fret it, and 2) get your brain to disassociate the powerful motion needed from you right hand from the delicate gentle motions needed from your left hand.

Most beginners press very hard because they don't have calluses and they're far behind the fret. Experiment with how lightly you can press a string and still get a clean note. Aim for the spot just behind the fret. Press, and then less, and then less, until it finally sounds buzzy, at which point you've got too far. If you're doing it right, you're basically just touching the strings rather than pressing on them. You may want to start your practice sessions with this exercise for a while to remind yourself.

Another thing you can do is set a time to go off every few minutes while practicing. When it goes off, check to see if your left hand is tense and gripping too hard. Adjust your posture accordingly, set if for a few more minutes, and go back to your regular practice. This is a annoying, but it forces you to maintain awareness.

[Toycona]

Ditto on the volume. I was a 'crusher' (in the wrong sense of the word), and daily quiet/soft noodling helped a lot with my touch. Practice slides too, and listen earnestly to your own playing. How does it sound? My wife called my tone 'pinched', so I worked on a less pinched tone. Don't get caught up on how fast your are now. Speed will come over time.

I've heard it said, and I believe it - the left hand is your vocabulary, but your right hand is your voice. So I've tried to get the two to work together.

[DavidKOS]

I've heard it said, and I believe it - the left hand is your vocabulary, but your right hand is your voice. So I've tried to get the two to work together.

The way I heard it is "the left hand is the mechanic, the right hand is the artist".

Same-same.

[jlebans]

Some great suggestions - just what I was hoping for.

My frets and carpal tunnels thank you!

JL

[DavidKOS]

Some great suggestions - just what I was hoping for.

My frets and carpal tunnels thank you!

JL

They really will later on, my friend!

[stevedenver]

i wont bore you with my own dealing with trigger finger
and this IS meant as an alarmist response,
about something that you may not know about, which is real.


but
take this to heart please
I am fit, in my mid 50s, never had any issue playing guitar, lifting (gripping) weights or tools, rock climbing, biking (all gripping type activities) etc

ease up on your grip and read about trigger finger and what causes it
take breaks -

I can tell you that if you get trigger finger, which simply comes form over gripping and is common among musicians, you will regret it. it takes either a really really long hiatus, or, surgery to overcome.

mine came from an intense 3 hour jam playing too loud and aggressively, and trying to make my mando ring like a piano. first time in my life my hand felt unusually tired at the end, but I felt it coming and didn't realize I should stop. I run and often keep going when im tired. not with this!!!! as well as playing a 2-3 hours daily for a few years to get better, and gigs and jams......never ever had this issue when playing guitar as intensely.

I have almost recovered a second time, (different fingers) . its a drag, and it takes 6 months easily and up to a year of rest.

ease up. strectch, take breaks, stop when your hand feels a little tired. read about TF.

[belbein]

I'm with Stevendenver. I spent a while earlier this year doing physical therapy for a similar problem, ultimately related to my grip. For me, it was forearm, hand and even neck pain.