Why do my arms get tired so easily when I play guitar?

Question

I can't make it through the first rhythm part of Johnny B Goode because my arms and my wrists just give in.

Is there anyway to give my arms more stamina? I play everyday for the past 2 years and I can solo pretty decently, but my fingers and my arms keep getting tired.

And when they get tired, I resort to learning slide until it recovers then I start playing conventionally again.

Answer 1

The reason your arm gets tired is because you are not suppose to use the arm when you pick. You have to use wrist with an up and down motion. As for the left hand, if you have been playing for 2 years, there's no reason the arm should hurt. As for the wrist, make sure it is straight and in a straight line with the forearm. The palm has to be parallel to the fingerboard and NOT twisted. That way, you will have more ease to finger the notes.



One last thing you should consider is to put a lighter gauge set of string. Maybe your strings are medium gauge and not easy to play on some guitar. Get light gauge or extra light. This will require less pressure to finger the notes.

Answer 2

You could be getting a flare up of pains that musicians get from practicing a lot some days, and not practicing other days. But new musicians are known to get sore because their wrist and hand muscles aren't used to the movement they're now experiencing. It'll go away. The pain might be sudden, but trust me. When I took off with my cello practicing I had tones of aches.

Answer 3

You have to push yourself harder, practice harder, at least in short bursts.



Also - breathe! Breathing properly would help a lot.



Sometimes, you just have to be in the right mood to play that fast and good. But practice should make it mostly fullproof.