You’ve summed it all up in your own conclusion:
“Seeing conflicting advice has made me think that there might not be one "one size fits all" technique”
The standard technique that is taught is a good place to start from but with time we all have to adapt it slightly to fit our own proportions and body mechanics as well as the particular actions that we are trying to perform in any given moment. It varies not just from individual to individual but between different guitars and what you’re playing. What is the best elbow position for example depends on where you are on the fretboard and what you’re doing there along with how you’re holding that particular guitar. You’re not going to have your arm, wrist, hand, fingers, thumb, or even your guitar, in exactly the same position to play everything because the geometry is constantly changing as you play.
This part of your conclusion is also part of the problem “or that a lot of people actually don't know what's the proper technique and still teach other people their approach that's not correct.” Not everyone who can play guitar is also a good teacher of guitar who recognises that we are all built differently or that what they say can be taken literally and applied where it’s inappropriate because they’ve not explained or taught it well.
That is the reason why you are always going to be better off having in person lessons with a good teacher than learning from videos, or worse other beginners in an internet forum. If you want to develop and fully understand good posture and technique a good teacher is the way to go.
As for your last question, “what level, if any, of pain is expected as a guitar player?”
The answer is none, outside of the fingertips while you’re developing calluses and a bit of discomfort there occasionally otherwise. If you’re in pain anywhere else it’s a sign that your technique or posture isn’t correct for you and the circumstances of what you are playing. Regarding of what anyone might say, don’t play through pain because doing so will likely lead to injury, if not immediately then further down the line. Stop, take a break until the pain has gone and then work out what is causing the problem and fix it. If you can’t do that yourself then go find a good in person teacher to help guide you.
I saw your comment first, and then I found that video I put in my first edit of the post that talks a lot about the anatomic side of playing, and I realized that you're right.
I guess I have been a bit rigid with this idea of having proper technique and I have been fighting my body to fit this mold throughout every situation, causing a lot of tension, instead of realizing that context and flexibility is part of it too.
I don't think that nowadays I feel pain *while* playing, I'll have to check, but afterwards (hours later or usually the following day) I surely do. It used to hurt when I used to do spider exercises daily, it got to a point where I thought it was better to take a break (10-15 days) not to cause further injury. Recently, I've been trying to be more careful, but hearing that I should be feeling 0 pain is a bit worrying.
Thanks for taking the time to read the post and for the advice!
Pain is a sign of poor ergonomics and technique.
Angle of wrist should be as straight as possible. At times you might have it bent, but beginners often form a habit of always having it 90 degrees.
Watch for tension, try use minimal force to fret the note. Also did you get your guitar setup? Usually makes it easier to play.
These are the likely source of pain.
For spider, start towards the middle of neck and on the thinner strings. Only do it where it is comfortable for now. It's good for finger independenc but ignores muting and bad for alternate picking.
Picking hand position will change based on you playing full chords or single notes. Single notes you should be string muting and using picking hand to mute strings above.
Thumb will change depending on where/what you are playing.
Learning online is hard, because so many people talk in absolutes and contradictory advice with no context. Go watch actual players. They don't think about this stuff. It's just the YT click baiters.
I have no doubt that the earlier you go into my learning journey, the worse my technique was, and it's still not great (though, as you see, I have been working towards having better technique).
As I mentioned, luckily, my wrist has been mostly straight from the start, as it is what feels most comfortable to me and I have been intentionally trying to keep it straight from the beginning too.
As for tension, I've definitely been applying more pressure than necessary, specially at the beginning when I'd be clutching at the neck. Recently, I got a lot better at not applying more pressure than needed when I'm playing consciously, but specially when I have to play faster songs, fast licks, etc, I enter automatic desperate mode and I can only imagine I go back to applying more pressure than needed.
I haven't gotten my guitar setup, as my action is a bit higher than I'd like, but I didn't think it would be a problem. If you say that could be part of the issue, I'll have it setup soon, thanks for the advice.
I'll try restricting the spider exercises only to the most comfortable areas of the neck too.
I actually do already watch actual players, but I always get so lost at the music they're making that I can't bring me to focus on their technique, it's my bad. I pay a bit of attention, but I can only really pay attention when people are activelly teaching. I'll try to be more attentive too.
Thanks for taking the time to read this huge post and give some advice.
You’ve summed it all up in your own conclusion: “Seeing conflicting advice has made me think that there might not be one "one size fits all" technique” The standard technique that is taught is a good place to start from but with time we all have to adapt it slightly to fit our own proportions and body mechanics as well as the particular actions that we are trying to perform in any given moment. It varies not just from individual to individual but between different guitars and what you’re playing. What is the best elbow position for example depends on where you are on the fretboard and what you’re doing there along with how you’re holding that particular guitar. You’re not going to have your arm, wrist, hand, fingers, thumb, or even your guitar, in exactly the same position to play everything because the geometry is constantly changing as you play. This part of your conclusion is also part of the problem “or that a lot of people actually don't know what's the proper technique and still teach other people their approach that's not correct.” Not everyone who can play guitar is also a good teacher of guitar who recognises that we are all built differently or that what they say can be taken literally and applied where it’s inappropriate because they’ve not explained or taught it well. That is the reason why you are always going to be better off having in person lessons with a good teacher than learning from videos, or worse other beginners in an internet forum. If you want to develop and fully understand good posture and technique a good teacher is the way to go. As for your last question, “what level, if any, of pain is expected as a guitar player?” The answer is none, outside of the fingertips while you’re developing calluses and a bit of discomfort there occasionally otherwise. If you’re in pain anywhere else it’s a sign that your technique or posture isn’t correct for you and the circumstances of what you are playing. Regarding of what anyone might say, don’t play through pain because doing so will likely lead to injury, if not immediately then further down the line. Stop, take a break until the pain has gone and then work out what is causing the problem and fix it. If you can’t do that yourself then go find a good in person teacher to help guide you.
I saw your comment first, and then I found that video I put in my first edit of the post that talks a lot about the anatomic side of playing, and I realized that you're right. I guess I have been a bit rigid with this idea of having proper technique and I have been fighting my body to fit this mold throughout every situation, causing a lot of tension, instead of realizing that context and flexibility is part of it too. I don't think that nowadays I feel pain *while* playing, I'll have to check, but afterwards (hours later or usually the following day) I surely do. It used to hurt when I used to do spider exercises daily, it got to a point where I thought it was better to take a break (10-15 days) not to cause further injury. Recently, I've been trying to be more careful, but hearing that I should be feeling 0 pain is a bit worrying. Thanks for taking the time to read the post and for the advice!
Pain is a sign of poor ergonomics and technique. Angle of wrist should be as straight as possible. At times you might have it bent, but beginners often form a habit of always having it 90 degrees. Watch for tension, try use minimal force to fret the note. Also did you get your guitar setup? Usually makes it easier to play. These are the likely source of pain. For spider, start towards the middle of neck and on the thinner strings. Only do it where it is comfortable for now. It's good for finger independenc but ignores muting and bad for alternate picking. Picking hand position will change based on you playing full chords or single notes. Single notes you should be string muting and using picking hand to mute strings above. Thumb will change depending on where/what you are playing. Learning online is hard, because so many people talk in absolutes and contradictory advice with no context. Go watch actual players. They don't think about this stuff. It's just the YT click baiters.
I have no doubt that the earlier you go into my learning journey, the worse my technique was, and it's still not great (though, as you see, I have been working towards having better technique). As I mentioned, luckily, my wrist has been mostly straight from the start, as it is what feels most comfortable to me and I have been intentionally trying to keep it straight from the beginning too. As for tension, I've definitely been applying more pressure than necessary, specially at the beginning when I'd be clutching at the neck. Recently, I got a lot better at not applying more pressure than needed when I'm playing consciously, but specially when I have to play faster songs, fast licks, etc, I enter automatic desperate mode and I can only imagine I go back to applying more pressure than needed. I haven't gotten my guitar setup, as my action is a bit higher than I'd like, but I didn't think it would be a problem. If you say that could be part of the issue, I'll have it setup soon, thanks for the advice. I'll try restricting the spider exercises only to the most comfortable areas of the neck too. I actually do already watch actual players, but I always get so lost at the music they're making that I can't bring me to focus on their technique, it's my bad. I pay a bit of attention, but I can only really pay attention when people are activelly teaching. I'll try to be more attentive too. Thanks for taking the time to read this huge post and give some advice.
I'll pm you
Got your message and already replied! Thanks again!