Arthritis - chords vs finger style

Hi, Donblanco, I have arthritis in the fingers of both my hands, but my left (fretting hand) has been the most bothersome. That's one of the reasons I stopped playing guitar, but about a year go decided to try the ukulele. I do find that forming chords on the uke is easier for me than the guitar, and that the tenor is more comfortable also, because it requires less extreme bending of the finger joints (which is what hurts) than the soprano I started off on. Also, thinner fluorocarbon strings seem more comfortable than nylgut. A good set up, and nice low, easy action on a better ukulele also helped tremendously. I'm wondering, you take any anti-inflammatory meds? It's the inflammation that does the damage to the joints.

The suggestions to tune down, low tension strings, and fingerpicking sound like good ones. Good luck!

I think that is the part that is tricky - actual felt string tension vs. 'technical' tension. Also the trade-off between that and having enough space to fit fingers near each other. I guess now I need to figure out the difference between the feel/pain of tenor strings vs. the guitar. First set of lessons on guitar was kinda painful on the fingertips, but to be expected.

Secondly, have you thought of a slide? With a slide you put a minimal of pressure on the frets. That could help with the left hand. Obviously there are some issues with using a slide, but if it was the only way to make music, then it would be acceptable.

Would that require open tuning?
 
Definitely check out the Magic Fluke or Flea. They have a great low action (zero fret) and my Fluke is helping me lighten my touch as recommended above. The Tenor versions have the wider neck, so a little extra room for stiff fingers.
 
I have osteoarthritis in my hands. It gets a little worse every year. I play tenor exclusively. These have helped me a lot:
• Absolute must is to have your uke professionally set up.
• Lower action on my ukes. It's a trade off for getting an occasional buzz. But watching my strums and picking technique has minimized buzzing.
• Experiment to find the lightest touch you can use to get a clean note. I find myself mashing the frets when I fingerpick. Less so chords when strumming.
• Fluorocarbon strings for sure. I've found Fremont Black Line to be the bendy-est and the easiest on my hands. With Living Waters a pretty good second. I have not done an exhaustive sampling, but have tried most of the more popular brands. I want to try UkeLogic's lower tension strings.
• Different brands have different neck shapes. If possible, try several brands to find the most comfortable for your hands and playing. A Martin might feel better than a Ko'Aloha or a Kala. And it's not necessarily the price that makes the difference. Ask the dealer what they recommend. Mim is a great help.
• Always warm up and stretch your hands. Ukulele for Dummies has good suggestions as do the Late Ukulele Mike Lynch's videos on YouTube for stretching and finger exercises. Be gentle and slow with them.
• Anti-inflammatory drugs like ibuprofen help, but can be hard on the stomach. You can also use heat and cold. Cold for swelling, heat to loosen.
• Watch your posture, arm and wrist and hand positions. Especially that your fingers are curving over the strings properly for clean notes. Surprising how a little bend in your wrist can cause major pain long term. Best uke neck angle for you. I also use a strap.
• Start playing/practicing for about 20 minutes then build up to longer times.
• All of this in conjunction with your doctor's advice. RA is a whole different ballgame than OA.
 
I think that is the part that is tricky - actual felt string tension vs. 'technical' tension. Also the trade-off between that and having enough space to fit fingers near each other. I guess now I need to figure out the difference between the feel/pain of tenor strings vs. the guitar. First set of lessons on guitar was kinda painful on the fingertips, but to be expected.



Would that require open tuning?

You could use an open tuning. I frequently make use of open D and open A tunings. However in your case I was thinking of remaining in standard tuning and finger picking with the right hand and using the slide for fretting. I can, for example, play scales this way. Chords are trickier. You might be able to form closed chords with a combination of the slide and a finger or two; that would depend on your arthritis.
 
I too suffer from arthritis, in both hands. At 74, I keep wondering how much longer I have to make music. I’m hoping 100, that’s a good number. I found the flute hurt me the most. Eventually sold my collection.

My advice would be to find a uke with a neck that’s comfortable to you. If you have to fight it, sell it.
Press the strings as lightly as possible to make a clear chord.
Limit your practice time to a number of short ones.
Don’t do chores like weed eating, edging, trenching, etc. I still do but it hurts. Oh well.
Soak your hands for an extended period of time in a pan of hot water and epson salt. Like thru a Gunsmoke. Then go play.

Hey, I wish you the best. Arthritis is a terrible enemy. We can’t win the war, but we can sure corral the beast.
 
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This is what I have on all my ukes. If I cheat, and just pick up and play without the strap, I immediately feel the pain. The strap holds it for you, so you don't have to squeeze your fretting hand so hard. It also allows you to change your hand position easier.
 

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Definitely check out the Magic Fluke or Flea. They have a great low action (zero fret) and my Fluke is helping me lighten my touch as recommended above. The Tenor versions have the wider neck, so a little extra room for stiff fingers.

Those look very nice. Not opposed to the unique shapes to be honest. Thanks for the tip.

You could use an open tuning. I frequently make use of open D and open A tunings. However in your case I was thinking of remaining in standard tuning and finger picking with the right hand and using the slide for fretting. I can, for example, play scales this way. Chords are trickier. You might be able to form closed chords with a combination of the slide and a finger or two; that would depend on your arthritis.

I can see this working on barre chords...

I too suffer from arthritis, in both hands. At 74, I keep wondering how much longer I have to make music. I’m hoping 100, that’s a good number. I found the flute hurt me the most. Eventually sold my collection.

My advice would be to find a uke with a neck that’s comfortable to you. If you have to fight it, sell it.
Press the strings as lightly as possible to make a clear chord.
Limit your practice time to a number of short ones.
Don’t do chores like weed eating, edging, trenching, etc. I still do but it hurts. Oh well.
Soak your hands for an extended period of time in a pan of hot water and epson salt. Like thru a Gunsmoke. Then go play.

Hey, I wish you the best. Arthritis is a terrible enemy. We can’t win the war, but we can sure corral the beast.

I'm no expert, but pretty sure I have OA. Couple of fingertips are no longer perfectly straight, and remind me of my grandmother's fingers. And I haven't even hit my 60th birthday yet! :(
 
I have osteoarthritis in my hands. It gets a little worse every year. I play tenor exclusively. These have helped me a lot:
• Fluorocarbon strings for sure. I've found Fremont Black Line to be the bendy-est and the easiest on my hands. With Living Waters a pretty good second. I have not done an exhaustive sampling, but have tried most of the more popular brands. I want to try UkeLogic's lower tension strings.
• Different brands have different neck shapes. If possible, try several brands to find the most comfortable for your hands and playing. A Martin might feel better than a Ko'Aloha or a Kala. And it's not necessarily the price that makes the difference. Ask the dealer what they recommend. Mim is a great help.
• Anti-inflammatory drugs like ibuprofen help, but can be hard on the stomach. You can also use heat and cold. Cold for swelling, heat to loosen.

Thanks for the string info. I'm sensitive to this after yesterday's guitar session. :eek:ld:

Trying out ukes is a big problem at this point. Hopefully soon...

I've never had issues w/ ibuprofen but like to limit my reliance. Thanks for the heat/cold suggestion though, always forget those options.
 
I'm no expert, but pretty sure I have OA. Couple of fingertips are no longer perfectly straight, and remind me of my grandmother's fingers. And I haven't even hit my 60th birthday yet! :(

My arthritis started in my early 40s. Osteo can just be from overuse, and in my case I think was caused by years of scrubbing animal cages outdoors with cold water. Surprisingly enough, there are times when the pain has subsided over the last 20 years, and barely bothered me at all. But the joint damage is permanent. I was surprised when I went to an orthopedic surgeon for a hand injury one time, he said to me "you have arthritis". I asked him how he could tell that. He showed me the ends of my finger bones on the ex-ray, where the bones had actually widened out and were squared off instead of thinner and joint-shaped. I had no idea that it changed the bones themselves, though it makes perfect sense, if you consider deformed hands and fingers. A light bulb went off in my head that this arthritis thing is causing permanent damage. It's the inflammation that causes the changes to the bone, and when there's inflammation there's pain. So taking some kind of anti-inflammatory, or possibly using cold or other natural methods, is key to preventing bone damage.

Not yet 60? You're still a youngster! Hopefully there's plenty of music left in those fingers! Don't get discouraged because of the guitar. I find the uke to be gentler on my fingers. I only look at and admire my guitars these days (and humidify them :uhoh:).
 
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I'm no expert, but pretty sure I have OA. Couple of fingertips are no longer perfectly straight, and remind me of my grandmother's fingers. And I haven't even hit my 60th birthday yet! :(

Have you considered lap steel guitar or dobro? No issues with fretting - all you have to do is slide a steel bar around. I know a number of people with severe arthritis who are great lap steel players...
 
Follow-up:

Yesterday the wife and I compared the guitar and her soprano uke (basic Flight model) and concluded:

1 - Guitar required significanly higher pressure to achieve clear tone. My fingers are still sore, but I could get good tone on the ukulele without pain. Not so on the guitar.
2 - A soprano is definitely too small for my fingers. I can rearrange them to an extent, but if the fret spacing is soprano-sized, uh, nope. They just don't fit! Some of this is general finger size, some is the slight swelling in the last joint.
3 - So we definitely need to get a tenor uke. Decent one this time, not entry-level. And if I don't end up enjoying it enough, the wife will snatch it from me before I know it. Win-win!

So now for the next phase - hunt one down that can ship to Mexico...
 
Follow-up:

Yesterday the wife and I compared the guitar and her soprano uke (basic Flight model) and concluded:

1 - Guitar required significanly higher pressure to achieve clear tone. My fingers are still sore, but I could get good tone on the ukulele without pain. Not so on the guitar.
2 - A soprano is definitely too small for my fingers. I can rearrange them to an extent, but if the fret spacing is soprano-sized, uh, nope. They just don't fit! Some of this is general finger size, some is the slight swelling in the last joint.
3 - So we definitely need to get a tenor uke. Decent one this time, not entry-level. And if I don't end up enjoying it enough, the wife will snatch it from me before I know it. Win-win!

So now for the next phase - hunt one down that can ship to Mexico...

These were my exact findings as well, the tenor is the easiest and most comfortable to play. If I may suggest one for your consideration, my Rebel Double Cheese tenor plays smooth and so easy, and is a joy to play - and hear. It may be out of your budget, as it's not cheap. Nor does it sound cheap. It is the easiest (redundancy here? :D) instrument I have ever owned, including the six guitars I have left. With the tenor neck, there's plenty of room on the fretboard for forming chords, and the ebony fretboard helps to produce good sound with less pressure. It's not overbuilt, but is nice and light. The gloss is light. The action is nice and low - I don't know how much the setup by The Ukulele Site influenced that, because from what I've read the Rebels are known for their easy playability. The sound is wonderful, and the best part. It's rich and full for a spruce top. And the woodwork is beautifully done. I would think that The Ukulele Site would ship to Mexico.

I'm sure others will chime in with some more suggestions of easy playing ukes for you to consider. And I apologize if I sound like a Rebel commercial. But this uke got me back into playing stringed instruments with more enjoyment and less pain. The cheaper quality ukes have gone by the wayside.
 
These were my exact findings as well, the tenor is the easiest and most comfortable to play. If I may suggest one for your consideration, my Rebel Double Cheese tenor plays smooth and so easy, and is a joy to play - and hear. It may be out of your budget, as it's not cheap.

Not only is this a wee bit out of my budget range, but I do not do cheese as we're vegan...

:rolleyes: :rofl:

It does look quite beautiful though...
 
Not only is this a wee bit out of my budget range, but I do not do cheese as we're vegan...

:rolleyes: :rofl:

It does look quite beautiful though...

LMAO! :rofl: I'm sure you'll find something nice!
 
ok, so the wife was impatient to get the new uke into the family. And far be it from *me* to not take advantage of opportunities.

So, this one is purchased (from ukesmx.com) and destined for shipping hopefully tomorrow:

Ohana TK-14E

ohana-electric-mahogany-tenor-ukulele-TK-13E-front_2000x_e01318bb-ebd1-4b4b-a37a-f1f2239aa48f_20.jpg

almost forgot a case - had to chat w/ the store in Spanish - they gave me a coupon to avoid doubling the shipping. Gracias!

case.jpg

Hopefully it plays well with the wife's existing soprano:

Flight DUS322

DUS322.jpg
 

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Well that was fast! Are they going to do a set-up? Very important at this price point, and with you needing low action (without buzzing).
 
So far chords are difficult in normal beginner ways. But some are also painful, As in like old fingers with early arthritis symptoms. So I am wondering what my options are.

1 - magic position that will avoid all pain?
2 - Different size instrument or strings?
3 - electric?
4 - Mandolin or guitar?
5 - non-string instrument?

Or just practice more...

Being a beginner I know that is difficult all we need is practice. I started playing guitar too a few days ago my fingers hurt so bad then I realized my position was not optimal after searching online I find it for me.
 
Well that was fast! Are they going to do a set-up? Very important at this price point, and with you needing low action (without buzzing).

They seem to be a reseller only, not a shop with actual storefront or tools, etc. There are other local guitar, etc. shops I can take it to, after the lockdown is over May 30...
 
My suggestions for a non stringed instrument.

(Tin) Whistles - high &/or low tuned
Keyless flutes/piccolos - low &/or high tuned
Chromatic harmonicas

I have all of the above. :)

Keith, I would like to add to your list: Seydel Steel Fanfare tremolo harmonicas. Fanfares are solo tuned like chromatics, and with 12 holes, have 3 full octaves. After purchasing a stable of Fanfares, I sold all my chromatics except two. I haven’t yet met a Chrom priced under $300 that is an equal to a Fanfare.
 
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