[mandocaster]

The cramps and soreness are like tj said from muscle fatigue.

Be careful! There are NO MUSCLES in the fingers. All movement is through tendons attached to muscles in the forearm. YES stretching before and during playing is important!!!!!! It limbers up the tendons and their fulcrum points. Soreness in the back of the hand is from those tendons which OPEN the grip fighting against the ones which ultimately get "trigger finger" or stenosing tenosynovitis. There is tons of literature on that condition.

I will eventually require injections or surgery to combat trigger finger, caused, I find out now, by not being careful to warm up before playing, and by playing mandolin, which scrunches up my hand unnaturally.

GET INTO GOOD HABITS NOW before it gets out of control!!

 

[mandocaster]

Another thing to watch out for is to not have your guitar slung too low. If it's your index finger bothering you, one of the main compression points is in the wrist (carpal tunnel). Having your guitar raised helps keep your wrist straighter when playing chords and allows that tendon to move freely.

Like this :rockon2:

Not thisevilGuitar:

....The old conflict between looking cool and still being able to play after 30 years of age.......

.....especially important for those who practise in a seated position (good) and then wonder, as the guitar bangs their knees (bad), why they can no longer play the lick they practised while sitting down. Sooner or later the ergonomy of the instrument dictates the posture, not the cosmetics.

Being able to play well will always win out over all that fluffy stuff.