Left Hand Thumb Tightness

[johnvic]

I've been playing for years but have some poor technique. One of them is that my left hand thumb is pressed hard against the back of the neck. My hand gets tired from this and it also slows down position changing.

Should I be practicing without pressing my thumb against the back of the neck or just be conscious of pressing lightly?

 

[joebar]

I've been playing for years but have some poor technique. One of them is that my left hand thumb is pressed hard against the back of the neck. My hand gets tired from this and it also slows down position changing.

Should I be practicing without pressing my thumb against the back of the neck or just be conscious of pressing lightly?

quite often, when the palm of the thumb starts to ache or become sore, it can be nerve impingement or early signs of CTS.
always use the minimum pressure when fretting notes.
I would keep an eye on your thumbs.

 

[fearceol]

Should I be practicing without pressing my thumb against the back of the neck or just be conscious of pressing lightly?

Both. Before each practice session spend about three or four minutes just gently pressing down, until the note sounds clear. You can use the thumb or not for this exercise. Lift the finger(s) off, repeat, gently press down, repeat etc. Do it once or twice during the session too, just as a reminder. In time your thumb/fingers will "get the message" as to how much pressure to apply.

 

[Fergie Fulton]

The thumb off exercise teaches you to use more of your forearm weight to in effect pull your fingers to the strings.
Your elbow position is the key.
If you pull your elbow back your hands come with it...so you need less pressure from the fingers to push down. The bigger muscle groups can do this job better, and for longer without fatigue.
Now the need to 'squeeze' with the thumb is not needed, the thumb supports the neck and allows the fingers to push against the strings and the thumb resists....the thumb does not need to help in fretting note by adding 'grip'.
The thumb off exercise just helps you better realize how little the thumb can do in fretting and help you better realize the finger fretting technique to be used.
It take time and practice and always nice to warm up with the thumb up just to 'remind' you of how it is being used.....if you are not aware of it you cannot control it.

 

[johnvic]

Thank you all for your helpful replies.

 

[Mushroo]

Make sure you aren't curling your thumb-joint into your palm. Avoid the dreaded unergonomic palm-crease!

Also a good idea to really focus practice time on those position shifts.

 

[johnvic]

I've mostly been practicing chord tones up and down the neck and I make sure I'm shifting smoothly.