Today I was learning Scuttle Buttin by SRV. I have been practicing the main riff with the slides all day today but I started getting some moderate pain in my left hand around the knuckles. I am no beginner, I have practiced fast intense licks for long periods of time before but i've never felt pain in my knuckles. Any idea whats goin' on? I've stopped playing for now anyway.
Btw: Im using .11 strings if that could be a factor.

Well it could be the onset of arthritis or tendonitis,a doctor could tell you.
I have arthritis in my hands and everywhere else for that matter,that makes it tough to get through the day at times....what I have the most trouble with in playing is doing a lot of rhythm work,holding barre chords for awhile,anyway,you're doing well in backing off,don't push it,things will only get worse if you do...play something else less strenuous for awhile.

I've never had painful knuckles, but I often cramp up on my fretting hand near the meaty part at the end of my thumb.

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OK thanks I'll keep up the rest, I hope its not arthritis im only 17 . Il work on the vocals for now!
PS: like the user name!

Ah yeah I've had that cramp as well, it's more annoying than anything really, this knuckle pain is more worrying than annoying

well seeing that your 17, probably not arthritis (i'm no expert though...)

what type of pain? like, stabbing pain, muscular pain?

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riley

Hmm i find it hard to describe pain. Its not really a stabbing type, its more like an aching type pain like my knuckles have been worn out or something but its more painful than just the cramp type pain you get after playing for a while. It must be just this particular riff thats doing it because its never happened before.

never had pain in the knucles from playing guitar. i get cramps alot these days but i'm used to it. still annoying.
have it checked out by all means. catch it while you are young.

I'd drop the string gauge to 10's and see if it persists. I was stressing my joints in my fingers at an early age too. The whole fatter the string the better the tone is really overrated. I was using 12's at the time. You can always use a light top heavy bottom set of strings to maintain the bottom end if you think it's necessary. Too heavy of a gauge string will destroy your joints pretty quickly especially if you just made a jump from say 9's to 11's without working up to it.

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Life...... It's sexually transmitted and always fatal

there are over 150 forms of arthritis, many are not uncommon starting in childhood and teen yrs.

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63supro
"The good thing is in a club situation, most of the patrons are trashed and really can't tell the difference."

+1 I've had arthritis in the joints in my feet since I was 11 years old stemming from a congenital birth defect. By the time I was 21, I had to have one of my feet reconstructed so I could walk. Arthritis isn't just for the Geezers. I've met 9 year olds with it.

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Life...... It's sexually transmitted and always fatal

Thanks for the replies, latest is I woke up this morning and started playing and felt fine. I think it was really important that I stopped playing when I felt it yesterday you really have to be careful. Even now that I dont feel it I will be taking it easy. I play football(soccer) and got an injury a long time ago, I didn't rest it and now I think I'm stuck with a dodgy knee for life. Seriously guys if you start feeling strange pains just STOP and give it time to recover.

I can tell you there is such a thing as playing too much-I learned the hard way.Take rest stops while you are practicing and do stretches and massage your hands every so often while playing and always do some hand stretches after you finish playing.Just simple aspirin or acetaminiphine(Tylenol)can reduce minor swelling and pain but if this pain persists or worsens go see a doctor.Switching to a lighter gauge like 8s or 9s may be all the rest that you need-it's a fallacy that heavier strings give you a heavier sound. Tony Iommi,Jimi Hendrix and Billy Gibbons all used extra and even super light gauge but they all got heavier tones than most.

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'65 Strat,65 Mustang,65 Jaguar,4 more Strats,3 vintage Vox guitars,5 Vox amps,'69 Bassman with a '68 2-15 Bassman cab,36 guitars total-15asst'd amps total,2 vintage '60s Hammond organs & a myriad of effects-with a few rare vintage ones.

+1...I'm only 26 and I have many different issues with my joints. I was told I had osteoarthritis in my shoulder when I was like 15.
I suggest going with some lighter gauge strings and seeing if that helps to ease the pain a little; it could just be a case of too much resistance from the strings.

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I have severe osteoarthritis in most of my joints now at age 58,it started in some places in my early 30's...it affects my daily life now and restricts activity,I never thought I would end up in this condition,but that's life.
When I was younger I used to hear oldtimers complaining about their "rheumitism" and how they could tell it was going to rain and I thought "it can't be that bad"...it is.

I worked with physically disabled kids for over 30 years and a large number of arthritic kids were born with it and consequently never knew what it was to be without pain.

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'65 Strat,65 Mustang,65 Jaguar,4 more Strats,3 vintage Vox guitars,5 Vox amps,'69 Bassman with a '68 2-15 Bassman cab,36 guitars total-15asst'd amps total,2 vintage '60s Hammond organs & a myriad of effects-with a few rare vintage ones.