my thumb is a hurtin'

1.after i play full bar chords my thumb knuckle starts to hurt, is this normal? am i doing something wrong or will it go away after i do it more?

2. after playing repeated sliding licks such as

e|-2/5---|

B|-2/5---|

G|-2/5---|

D|-------|

A|-------|

E|-------|

played bar-ed with one finger. my knuckle starts aching. same question, doing something wrong or just need practice?

3.im having problems playing Minor bar chords starting on the low E string, i can usually get all the notes to ring except the G usually gets damped out. anything i can do besides playing them over and over till i can get it?

Bonus Unrelated Question!
what album is Life by the Drop by SRV on? i cant find it anywhere =(

Well, you mention the repeated sequences trigger it, does that also mean that you've been playing for a while by the time it hurts? When i have long band rehearsal (for church i'm usually chording along with barre chords) my hands ache. So, it could just be your body telling you that you need to take a breather.

However, i have no expertise in the area.

(on another note, i heard that cracking your knuckles can give you arthritis, is that true or an old wives' tale?)

ahahha BBT fekken A man i had (and to a small degree still have) the same exact problems.

1.I think you're putting to much pressure in the wrong places like I used to do. try to see if you can play a bar chords without using your thumb as leverage(might not be the correct term :/ )if you cant then youre prob relying too much on your thumb to hold down a chord. Just try to relax it a bit more. I sometimes continue to have the knuckle pain when playing on steel string acoustics with the high tension of the strings. My classical guitar teacher told me this the other day and pointed out how many guitarists have wrong thumb placement and tire their hands out often.

2.Ive had this also and it might be too much pressure, try to find an angle of finger placement where it doesn't require much discomfort.TBH I still have this problem but i find cracking my knuckles and finger joints works immensely but im not sure if thats bad.

3.ahaha man i still have this problem and no matter how hard I try i still mute the G string every other chord or so. I have to hold down really hard on the chord and that just tires my hand. so no help there man, sorry.

oh and the SRV album is a live one idk the name but its the last song on that album. I think. lol.

Sounds like you are pushing down to hard. if your thumb is down towards the bottom of the neck then maybe the top of your thumb is what you are applying all the pressure with. That would seem to bend your thumb backwards.

I think the G mutes in a full minor barre chord because of your knuckle on your index finger. Does that string go right where all the wrinkles are on your finger? I had trouble with that too, but one day it just went away. Just a thought.

i've never had a problem with muting the g string but whatever. just wondering, are you playing these bar chords on an acoustic or electric?

Completely normal man. If yer NOT used to barring a full chords, and suddenly toss them in en-mass you will get sore, and cramp etc.
STRETCH + warm up & cool down (lol where have i heard THAT before lol)

Full Barrwe chords are best practiced/learnrd on an Acoustic with 'less than average' high action: this builds STRENGTH, I've seen it happen with my students for years.

keep at it!

and, as always

RAWK!
Cs

@nater, on the electric i can usually get it, but on an acoustic it usually doesnt go as swell when i switch chords

ill try moving my thumb about, i normally play with my thumb kinda sticking up over the fretboard, but my hands arent big enough to do this with barre chords. so i place the whole top half of my thumb on the back of the guitar neck, so its a little bent back. which im guessing is causing the pain. as for the slides i think im just putting too much pressure on the strings

yea, whenever you switch bar chords (depends on how fast your strumming) release the pressure of the strings. and yea, if it's an acoustic then it's just gonna be harder

I'd like to re-emphasize the value of first learning bar chords, etc. on an accoustic. They are hard to 'fudge'...if your are not making them correctly your ear knows it immediately. One can't fool oneself.

In contrast, on an electric you'll often get a'passable' sound that might be 'ok'...you might keep doing the same thing and reinforce a bad hand or finger position...it gets hard to break the bad habit.

yeah i first learned them on an acoustic way back when i started, then i kinda stopped playing guitar for a bit. then i started electric, and then i pretty much just used power chords, so barre chords are like learning all over again

Put your thumb in the middle of the neck [on the back of it of course lol]. Kind of hook it a wee bit. Idk, that's what I do. I've been doing barre chords forever so it kind of just flows.

dont press so hard with your thumb. use it as a guideline. if you press hard with it you will develop tendonitis. so ive heard.