Any Harm in Palm Blocking with Elbow Out?

[Chris Cook]

Sort of a continuation of this thread about starting over with the right hand...

Is there any long-term speed penalty or health risk in learning palm blocking with my elbow out (free floating) rather than tucked up against my ribs?


I already have Dave Magram's excellent and exhaustive guide, and I'm still working through it, so apologies if he already mentions it... but I know he and others recommend tucking your right elbow right against your ribcage, Buddy-Emmons-style.

I'm still sorting out my optimum guitar height and angle, and seat height, etc... but I find it's much EASIER, cleaner, and more comfortable to palm block (and pick block, frankly) if I let my elbow wander away from my ribcage. Less extreme bend in the wrist and more "palm meat" avaliable to block the strings.

The side of my hand creates more of 60-degree angle against the strings, rather than a strict 90-degree angle at the bridge... which I can see as a possible downside as my right hand creeps up closer to the nut and away from pickup.

Do any players successfully use the chicken-wing technique with the elbow up and out, or should I stop that bad habit before it starts and keep trying to find something that works with my elbow tucked in?

Thanks in advance for all your help and wisdom.

[Sam Inglis]

David Hartley is a master of palm blocking and does not play with his elbow hard against his side. There are lots of great videos on his YouTube channel that show his technique. But it would be an exaggeration to describe his posture as 'chicken-wing'.

[Bob Carlucci]

I have been palm blocking 50 years with elbow out.. Never a problem, it was just natural for me.. If its comfortable for you its no problem as far as I can tell.. bob

[Ian Rae]

The crucial thing is to ensure that your wrist is straight, to avoid repetitive injury to the tendons. The arm angle required to do this doesn't matter.

[Lane Gray]

I think most of us could fit a folded towel or small pillow between torso and elbow. As long as you're not "flapping your wings," I don't see any harm.

[Bruce Coffman]

I think one of the things that drew me to PSG to begin with is that there are about 28 different “right ways” to do all of it — from picking to barring to blocking to posture to chording to…

Do what you do to get the results you seek.

[Donny Hinson]

Unless you have some sort of physiological issue, where your elbow is should have no bearing on your hand position/angle. If you have good mobility in your wrist, you can play with the elbow at your side, or 6"-8" out from your body with no effect on the angle of your wrist on the guitar. A lot of this can be habit, too, as some players have issues with coordination. I've seen a few players raise their left shoulder when playing certain pedal or lever combinations, or naturally swing their knee when alternately playing the A & B pedals. Economical movement, doing only what's necessary, takes practice, and it may help to put a large mirror in front of you to get a better view of what you're body's doing as you play.

[Bob Hoffnar]

Unless you have some sort of physiological issue, where your elbow is should have no bearing on your hand position/angle. If you have good mobility in your wrist, you can play with the elbow at your side, or 6"-8" out from your body with no effect on the angle of your wrist on the guitar. A lot of this can be habit, too, as some players have issues with coordination. I've seen a few players raise their left shoulder when playing certain pedal or lever combinations, or naturally swing their knee when alternately playing the A & B pedals. Economical movement, doing only what's necessary, takes practice, and it may help to put a large mirror in front of you to get a better view of what you're body's doing as you play.

Absolutely right ! Any use of unnecessary muscles only messes things up and creates tension which does not help anything. Keeping tension in unnecessary muscles also screws up intonation quite a bit.

[Ron Hogan]

A good example is to watch Tom Brumley. His elbow is way out away from his body.

[Bob Hoffnar]

A good example is to watch Tom Brumley. His elbow is way out away from his body.

Ron, I cannot find one picture or video of Tom playing with his elbo out. His shoulders are relaxed and his right arm hangs naturally at his side just like other great palm blockers. Charleton was a palm blocker and Lloyd Green is no slouch. There is absolutly no benefit to sticking your elbo out.

Chris,
The trick is to make sure your right arm and shoulder should be loose and hanging naturally.. No need to tuck it in against your ribcage or stick it out.

[David W.D. McCormick]

The best analogy is shooting a basketball. Find me one NBA player who shoots with his elbow floating out. Why? Because a floating elbow creates inconsistency in the position of the hand such that you are releasing the ball at a slightly different point every time. It’s much harder to make three-pointers without a consistent platform. Actually most sports emphasize consistent gross motor motion this way.

When I first started, I found having the elbow “out” (to the extent that my arm angled outward)was more comfortable because my hand and wrist were not used to being in a conventionally correct position.

However I found once you get over this initial discomfort there’s a lot of benefit to keeping your elbow in - not necessarily tucked against your body, but at least held such that your arm falls naturally by your side.

The biggest benefit to the elbow in position is that it causes your RH to move vertically up and down the strings consistently. With the elbow floating around, you are introducing more lateral motion which creates inefficiency and inconsistency - the floating elbow is naturally going to cause your hand to shift around on the strings.