The Steel Guitar Forum

I had the day off of work and the house to myself, practiced about 6 hours, my right hand was cramping pretty bad..is this normal for a new steel player???

Chuck Hayes wrote:I had the day off of work and the house to myself, practiced about 6 hours, my right hand was cramping pretty bad..is this normal for a new steel player???

Six hours?? Sounds like you're addicted. Like most of us here Yes, I would say that cramping would be normal if you're new to playing steel and doing it for that long in one day.

After you've played a while you'll be able to play for hours on end without cramping. You'll learn to hold the bar with a gentler touch -- and those previously under-used hand muscles will be built up.

Cramping can be due to physical condition, age, or an improper hand position. New players who start out with a "stressed" hand (sometimes called a "claw" or "flat hand" position) are more susceptible to this kind of problem, since the muscles are working even when the player is not actually picking.

Try relaxing your hand between notes. It sound as if your hand is trying too hard. Very typical for new players.

I've had hand cramps and foot cramps for about 10 years and tried all the remedies I could find. The best for any type of cramp I have I take a table spoon if mustard and swallow it down and in 3-5 minutes no more cramp. You can find the small packets of mustard in a box of probably 200 at Sam's or Costco.
For the 2 months I have been eating a piece of cheese and a banana before going to bed and have not had a cramp since the third night of the bedtime diet. Some friends say to eat a Tums when you have a cramp..I haven't tried it . Mustard is cheap and works fast so you can get back to your obsession we all share....jr