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Q: Great work on the site, keep up the great work. I have a question that 99% of pros avoid answering or beat around the bush when I approach them.

Hand pains or soreness when practicing a lot. I studied physiology and know that there’s no chance in hell a person can practice for long periods and not experience any type of pains or soreness. It’s just not possible but there are always exceptions. What do you do when you experience this? Most pros tell me the same thing..”stop playing”. they don’t tell me how long to stop for and if it takes 3-5 days sometimes. So that’s my question how long to stop when you get pains and soreness. I progress at satisfactory speed with all (yes, I must be lucky) techniques I practice but the catch is, eventually I get sore and some strains after 5 days or so to the point that the top of my hand over the 3rd and 4th finger feels very fatigued and also my wrist. If I rest for 3-4 days I’m good again but is that normal for most pro guitar players or are they hiding it? I don’t want to rest for more than 1 day or 2 but it’s not enough when I’m really fatigued.

A: I wish I had the answer for you, but I don’t. Everyone has a different body. You need to honor yours. I have tendinitis myself. A combination of guitar playing and drum editing in the studio (clicking 10,000 key commands a day) for years. It only really bothers me when I play for too long or with too much tension. If it starts flaring up, I back off and play things that don’t irritate it. The most important thing is to not play with tension. That tension accumulates and is at the root of all these things. Tension can be relived with breathing techniques and massaging. Find what works for you, honor your body. We are only human after all, not machines.