Date: Thu, 5 Aug 2004 20:16:16 EDT
Subject: Pain in thumb

Hi Mickey,

Hi Helen,

I'm glad to assist:

I've only been playing the mando for around 4 months now, having played guitars of various kinds for 20 years or so, so the initial hardening of my fingertips hasn't been a problem. However, I have experienced some pain and stiffness in the lower thumb joint on my left hand, to the extent that I'm unable to play as much as I'd like. I wondered if this is a common problem among new players. I do tend to play at least 1 hour a day and I've tried several thumb positions.

I haven't heard of this problem to date...I suspect it could be a tension problem...here are some suggestions you might try:

1. First and foremost, give a critical eye to your mandolin's set-up. If the string action is set high, your thumb is having to work harder during the fretting process. Because of the tension required of the fretting hand, the thumb is pressing harder behind the neck than necessary.

2. Make sure that you have light gauge strings installed...a medium gauge, or heavy gauge, will add too much unnecessary tension for the fretting hand.

3. Another very important consideration is your hand position on the neck...you want to make sure that you have correct form and technique. The angle of your fretting hand, the position of the thumb behind the neck, the direction that the tips of your fingers come down on the strings, how you hold your mandolin itself, and the placement of the fretting hand on the fingerboard itself...all have a major influence on whether you're adding unnecessary tension to your fingers and thumb. A for instance in this case is placement of the fingers when fretting. By fretting directly behind the fret, not between the frets, it requires less pressure to gain a clear note; this, in turn, will save the unnecessary strain of your right hand to fret a note while releasing less muscle tension on your thumb behind the neck.

Let me know if anything here helps...and if it doesn't...maybe we can still figure out an alternative for you...


I am considering purchasing a Michael Kelly Legacy Classic, as I wondered if the radiused fingerboard would make a difference.

Sure...the radiused fingerboard is an ergonomic design that does follow the curvature of the fingers. I personally can play both a flat fingerboard and a radiused fingerboard...and, I do feel a difference if playing for longer periods of time...the radiused fingerboard seems to be less tiring on the fretting hand. I'm not sure if this will assist you with your thumb cramp...it might be worth a try. We do have a Legacy Classic in stock now of which you can try out. Call James @ 888-209-8434...

Keep on Pickin', Mickey


Regards,
Helen Ingham

Great site by the way.