Neck Pain

Hi guys

Does anyone have any tips for getting rid of neck strain/pain when playing guitar?

I know why it's happened - leaning over my guitar so I can see my strumming hand and sometimes my fretting hand. However when I sit right back and try to have proper posture it becomes alot more difficult!

Any and all tips greatly appreciated!

Hi Matthew

I had neck, shoulder back pain etc when I started in Jan of this year. I was 55.

It was very bothersome but it did go away over time. In my case it was not bad enough to interrupt my practice.

Hopefully for you, it is a similar situation which will go away as muscles and tendons are worked and stretched.

Though bending over your guitar probably does cause back stress; what kind of strap do you have?

I find that I need a much softer strap than I used to. Matter of fact, I only use the Planet Waves woven. Much less shoulder stress and therefor, neck stress too...and I have a very heavy Les Paul!

I once heard a guitar teacher call this a bad habit to try and avoid. His suggestion for those that want to keep an eye on their hands while learning is to use a mirror. It's weird to get used to, but it did help. Not that I'm necessarily cured of this habit. Sometimes you just have to look. : )

I had the same problem, and doing neck-stretching exercises before and after I practiced helped. You'll find lots of instructional links if you google "neck stretches."