(acoustic guitar) Doublejointed Thumb , Annoying Cramping, Unbuff Pinky , and Weak Solos?

Question

got a few questions that I figure would be best to put them all together to save space..
Q1. Ive been workin on trying to gain speed by running scales but I find that while running them my hand starts to cramp up. If you take your hand face the palm towards yourself , and make a number 4 its that muscle that starts cramping what can I do to prevent this? Do I tough it out and will soon get used to it and eventually go away? My thumb is double jointed could that be causing the problem?

Q2. when ever I try hammering on strings with my pinky there is hardly any Oomph to the hammer on. It doesnt sound like a hammer on it just sounds like im killing the ring out of the string I find that im havin the same trouble with pull offs any suggestions?

Last Q. Ok so Im trying to work on solos more I can never figure out where to start my solos at and what scale to use alot of times it sounds like im just running scales and theirs nothing special too them. How does one improve the aww factor?

Answer 1

Q1-Perhaps an over emphasis on speed is a mistake for all three questions. Speed is important, but players who make it the central focus of their playing often lose on the other important ideas, phrasing, dynamics, creativity. My advice about the cramps is: slow down while you playe, and make sure at every moment that you are not pressing too hard with your thumb on the back of the neck. That usually helps. If you need more pressure on the strings, you'll find you can do it without even touching your thumb to the neck by using the strength of your whole arm.

Q2-Pinky is the hardest finger to get strength in. Try this. Make a perfect circle with the thumb and pinky, then press them together. Try to get as much pressure as you can without collapsing the thumb or the pinky. Strive for the circle. Also practice finger strength by drumming on a table top. Make sure every finger hits at the same pressure. At first to do this you will need to ease up on the strong fingers. Do this and eventually they will balance out.

Q3-Forget scales. Work on intervals and arpeggios. Listen to something other than rock and roll. Seriously. Listen to players like Django Rheinhart, Chet Atkins... the good old mighty players of fifty years ago. They weren't just about fast: they had phrasing and new how to get their lines to breathe.

When constructing a solo, try this:

Play an interval, either inside or outside the current chord.
Take a breath and listen to how that feels as the music unfolds. Try moving the interval up or down the neck... don't add any extra notes at first. Then play a three note phrase, using the interval and adding a new note.... breathe, listen, don't rush. Really focus on how the notes you are playing feel in the progression. Add notes gradually and keep listening.

Work on the idea of phrase & counter-phrase. The first statement should have a pause after it... the second statement should continue the feeling of the first, the third statement can insert some new material, the fourth should try to bring the original idea back into play.

Really: listen to lot's of famous improvisors in all styles. Don't get stuck in just the style you most like. Be adventurous.

And here's a crazy idea: try finding an older musician to sit and work with. You'd be surprised how much you can learn once you dump the agism out of your musical quest.

Answer 2

As to Question 1 I'd recommend that you see your family doctor because I cannot answer it any other way.

Question 2: Perhaps this problem stems from a physical liability that is shared with your thumb. Usually, hammer-ons are detected sufficiently on acoustics and electrics.

Question 3: While running your solos and using the scales you may focus on slowing down and throwing some good accent chords like dominant 7ths, diminished 7ths, minor 6ths, sliding major sixths, and so forth. Also, don't overlook the importance of using the blues scales wherein the third and the seventh note is flatted and then raised.

Try those two suggestions and see how they improve the awe factor.

Good luck with the medical problem.

Added: Other than the pain you experience, a double-jointed thumb may be a blessing in attaining chords. I use my thumb all the time in completing chord formations, much as was used by Chet Atkins and Merle Travis in years gone by.

Answer 3

Univee gave some good advice, to add to it, it sounds like the problem with your hammer on and pull off with the pinky (which everybody deals with) isn't just the force at which you hammer on, but also how fast. The finger has to hit the fretboard and bounce right back off quickly. Work on speed too when doing the exercises Univee gave you. Try doing it quickly with just the pinky.

When learning how to solo it helps to copy other peoples solos to see how they did it. Find some of your favorite players in the style you like, and see if you can do a search for some of their tabs (even better - try to figure it out by ear). Learn a few solos and you'll start to see how they do it. Incorporate some of their licks, the add a few runs of your own. With enough of your own embellishment, it will be your solo more than theirs. Another good trick is learn how to play the vocal line from the song. It will help your ear, but you can also take that vocal part and embellish it to use as the basis for your solo which is what Univee was talking about. Jazz players do that a lot, but it's a good trick for any type of music, and it makes the solo really fit the song. You hear it more in rock with the ballads.

Answer 4

Q1: Which hand? Assuming it's your left (fretting) hand and you use a flat pick: try stretching exercises, try moving your thumb position more towards the middle of the neck - don't have your thumb extending past the neck, and try to relax the hand itself - it sounds like you are "gripping" too tight.
Q2: Almost everybody has trouble with this - try putting your ring finger a fret behind where the pinkie is - kind of like making both fingers act like one.
Q3: Start on the root - you can't go wrong. Try putting "air" in - vary the length of notes and add space - like a horn player putting in breaths. Also, vary the intervals - don't play the scales up & back, skip around. Keep the melody of the tune in your head so you're playing variations on it, not just going off into space. Less is more.

Answer 5

Answer to question 1; SLOW DOWN. Seriously, take it slower. You won't get any faster with your hands that tense. You need to work on relaxing. Then once you can play without tension in your hands you will get faster. Do you play with a metronome? You need to if speed is a concern. Practice licks, scales, passages, etc. very slowly with a metronome on a low setting. Once you can play the line without tension, without thinking about it, and without mistakes, then bump it up only one or two clicks. Don't jump ahead too fast. Speed comes from relaxation and discipline.

Question 2; You should have enough strength in your pinky to hammer on any string. If you don't I would be willing to bet its one of two things. First, your strings are too heavy. Second, and this is more likely the case, your hand position needs to be improved. If you have your thumb up over the top of the neck you won't have the strenght that is needed to hammer with your thumb, because your hand position has robbed you of leverage. Check this out. http://www.chaddukes.org/2007/05/starting-out-with-left-hand.html

Question 3; there are books, schools, etc. devoted to this entire subject. So, whatever anyone says here it will only be part fo the answer. But, start by paying attention to the solos that you like. Learn to play them. What is it about them that makes them special? Take a given lick. What note does it start on? What degree of the scale is it? Is it a chord tone? If I'm speaking Greek to you then you need to study up on your theory. Learn the basics of thematic development, call and reponse, repetition, etc. This is a good start.

Answer 6

#1 As the old saying goes, "No Pain, No Gain." It's like exercising, if you play even while it hurts your muscle gets tougher.
#2 The double jointed thumb could be causing this. Try putting more pressure and bringing the pinkie down harder.
#3 Practice, Practice, practice. I find that when I'm using the blues scales, and when someone is playing background chords, it sounds good even when I pick random notes. That's actually how I learned, by plucking random notes.