Help me find a primary picking motion that does not cause pain

Description

I’m looking for feedback on my picking motion, mainly from a pain-prevention standpoint. I’ve been dealing with pain on the ulnar side of my picking hand — the pinky side of the hand, around the 5th metacarpal / “boxer’s fracture” area. The pain tends to flare up after a few minutes of picking exercises. I saw a hand specialist and had an X-ray. The doctor did not see any major red flags or bone issue. He thought it may be related to old scar tissue from a previous break being irritated by certain movements. He said I probably won’t do damage by playing, but recommended occupational therapy and possibly further imaging later if the pain persists. The pain mostly went away when I stopped playing guitar for about two weeks, but it has started to come back slowly now that I’ve resumed playing. The motion that seemed to set it off was a slightly outward-rotated picking motion, almost like turning a doorknob away from the body of the guitar. That motion felt faster and more efficient at first, but after a few minutes of exercises it seemed to irritate the pinky-side area of my picking hand. I’ve completed the Pickslanting Primer and uploaded a few clips. I included three licks from the Primer, plus a short solo clip to show how I naturally pick when I’m not thinking too much about mechanics. I can alternate pick around 175 bpm, but I’m not trying to become a shredder. My main goal is to find a reliable primary motion that lets me play country / chicken-pickin’ type lines, light rhythm, and general lead parts without irritating my hand. What I’m hoping someone can help me with: Do you see anything in my motion that could be contributing to ulnar-side hand pain? Am I using too much wrist rotation, deviation, finger motion, anchoring, or pick grip tension? Which motion family does my playing seem closest to? What primary motion would you suggest I try instead? Are there any obvious setup changes I should test, such as pick grip, edge picking, wrist position, arm position, or pick depth? How would you recommend I rebuild this without flaring the pain back up? I’m mainly looking for a second opinion on whether my current motion looks mechanically stressful, and what lower-stress alternatives I should try.

Lesson Category

Primary Motion

Videos

Status

Open

Comments