Meeting the physical demands of playing guitar

Playing guitar is harder than you think.

Every day we hear the same complaints. My fingers hurt, my wrist hurts, my shoulder hurts or my arm hurts. Playing guitar is more demanding than most people realize. In the beginning you're going to have aches and pains, much the same as if you were starting an exercise program. Let's take a look at what the causes the pain and some solutions.

• Posture. Whether you play sitting down or standing up, the correct posture is important. When sitting down, put both feet on the floor, don't rest your fretting arm on your leg, and try to relax the muscles. Standing requires having a comfortable strap with the guitar positioned where you an easily reach the strings. Again, be sure you're comfortable and can reach the strings easily.
• Warming Up.  Before you start working on songs, do some stretching and picking exercises. Start out slowly and work your way up. 
• Pressing too Hard. In the early stages of learning guitar you pretty much have to use lots of pressure to hold the strings down. Once you've been playing for a month or so, you'll find that since the tips of your fingers have toughened up you don't have to press as hard. This is a common mistake and it can cause pain in the fretting hand wrist as well as fatigue in the fingers.
• The Wrong Strings or Even the Wrong Guitar. Guitar strings come in different gauges or thicknesses, and one way to not have to push so hard is to try some lighter strings. There are also silk and steel strings which have a softer core. A classical guitar has nylon strings which are softer, but the trade-off is usually a wider neck. Guitar bodies also come in different sizes, so try one out before you buy.
• Spending Too Much Time Practicing. While it's a good idea to practice every day, keeping the practice sessions short in the beginning is a good tactic. You don't want your fingers to be so sore the next day that you can't practice. Usually 10 to 15 minutes at a time is a good guideline until you get used to playing.

Follow these suggestions and you should get off to a smooth start. Feel free to leave comments in case you have any questions.