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My left hand arch. Ouch!

Hi, my question is how do I fix my terrible arch in my left hand. This causes discomfort and is clearly not what you should do. Theres so much tension in my hand.

I've tried raising/lowering the footstool, raising the headstock, holding the guitar closer, adjusting the thumb, slanting the guitar towards me/away from me...nothing seems to naturally get this dang arch out of my hand.

Now I know that some chords you have to arch your wrist somewhat, but for me even the most basic of chords require me to not have my wrist parallel to my forearm. Also a quick follow up question in the same vein. Is it normal to arch your wrist when playing the 6th and 5th string say in a scale? Thanks!

Hi,

It sounds a little unnatural I must say. I would suggest going to a doctor to see if there's some physiological reason this is occurring. It may be muscular or something to do with the tendons etc. As I'm not a medical professional I would advise consulting one as a first strategy.

The answer to your other question is yes, there is more of an arch in your wrist when you play the lower strings.

I hope this was of some help.

Kind regards,
Trevor M.