I’ve just started trying to learn to play the guitar. After a couple of weeks I’ve noticed that it’s constantly itchy in the crook of my right elbow, right where it normally touches my guitar.
What could be going on? Is it an allergic reaction? Would regular guitar polish/cleaner help remove whatever’s irritating my skin?
(The guitar is a wooden hollow-body electric. I bought it refurbished and whoever refurbished it removed all markings that would identify its original manufacturer.)
I would be more worried about irritation from polish or cleaning chemicals than from the wood of the guitar.
I suggest playing in long sleeves for awhile to see if it’s not just a contact-irritation thing. If it’s an allergy your arm shouldn’t get itchy that way, and then you can start worrying about chemical products to try. I’m guessing its just that your arm isn’t used to being rubbed in that particular way, and that your body will just adapt if you play long enough.
Also, someone might be able to help you identify the guitar if you’re interested enough to post a picture of it!
You didn’t mention the over all condition. If the surface is so worn you’re touching wood, you could be getting micro splinters. That’s pretty unlikely. The finish on manufactured guitars is very hard and cured. I suppose if it were homemade you could be reactng to the finish. If that were the problem you’d be reacting everywhere your skin touches the wood.
The most likely answer is that you’re sweating and the guitar rubs and causes irritation.
Try putting a hand towel over that spot.
Or, take a single tube sock and cut the toes off. Wear this on your plucking arm whenever you play your guitar and see if the irritation goes away. Probably just a reaction to the finish.
I think you guys are right about the sweating and general friction. I’ll try the sock thing. (It doesn’t have splinters.)
Meanwhile, let me ask a learning question. There are certain chords that absolutely kill my fingers. G or G7 are easy, but, say pile up three fingers on the second fret in an A chord, and it’s excruciating! Am I doing something wrong?
Okay, I’ll see if I can do that. Can anyone recommend an easy-to-use photo posting site?
Actually, I’m having trouble keeping the damn thing in tune. I took off the whammy bar, thinking that might be screwing things up, but …
… But maybe I just need a new guitar!
What would you guys recommend for a beginner?
I’m kind of lusting for something like this, but I think it’s probably too extravagant for someone at my stage.
Ha, just wait until you get to barre chords! No, that’s completely normal. The G and G7 bend your fingers in natural ways. It is difficult to get the muscle memory to learn where they go, and your fingers must get a little callused, but that’s it. For the A your fingers are indeed cramping into a small space which is harder to learn.
FWIW, I do a non-standard fingering on the A. I switched the middle and index fingers, so my middle finger is on the D-string. This gives my fingers more room. It also allows me to easily switch to the D and E chords by sliding the appropriate finger - and these are the two most common chords you move to from the A. However, it is harder to get the strings to ring true with this fingering, the middle finger can easily dampen or buzz on the G string.
Strangely enough, it’s not the squeezing together that’s causing pain. I’m kind of used to that from playing the violin. The pain is in the tips of my fingers, somehow, there seems to be a lot more pressure on my fingertips in the A position than in G. It makes me wonder whether I need softer strings or whether my strings are set too far from the fingerboard.
Look at the angle of how your finger are hitting the fretboard. Perhaps with the A you’re getting more of the “flat” of the end of your fingers, rather than the “tip” of the fingertip?
You raise a good pint about the strings being too far from the fingerboard. That’s called “action”. Particularly as a beginner, if the action is high it will take a lot of effort to get the string cleanly on to the fretboard.
Do you have a SO? What has been his/her reaction to your trying to learn? Would he/she put itching powder on your guitar to get you stop playing?
just a thought.
Don’t rule out an allergic reaction to the wood. I know rosewood is often used in making guitars, and rosewood is notorious for causing contact dermatitis, or worse (up to and including anaphylactic shock). Maybe a picture of your guitar would be in order after all.
A-ha! So you’ve found a way to give yourself a rash in order justify buying a new ax? 
Seriously, though: what brand are you playing or more importantly, where was it made? So much stuff coming out of China these days is suspect…maybe they used lead paint on it or something.
This may have been a dumb-ass way to have done this, but I ended up responding to this question here in this thread . I went on for much longer than I think is permitted in GQ - apologies if I have misbehaved or offended.
Picasa is my personal favorite, and Flickr is second pick. There’s also Yahoo pictures and MSN Live.
Keeping it in tune for how long? During a single playing session? I’d suggest trying different strings. When you put them on, you need to tug them and then re-tune a couple of times.
If you mean from one playing session to another, well, that happens with all stringed instruments. The longer the strings, the more noticeable the effect. Especially if the instrument gets warm and then cool between the sessions.
Epiphone’s version of Gibson Les Paul. The Epiphone version is much less expensive, so if you decide you don’t like it after a few months, it wasn’t a huge investment.
I just played one of those models at my store. Very nice. If you like the jazz hollow body style Ibanez makes some great models.
I also like Reverand guitars {pdf} for moderately priced guitars. The Flatroc is a good model. It also depends on what kind of music you’d like to play.
as for the itching I’ll just throw this out there.
Any chance your guitar gave you the crabs??
Heat rash for the arm?
As for the A chord, once you master barre chords, you’ll be able to make the A with just one finger. No shortcut just practice.
Your axe has fleas?
(little joke, there)
That neck looks like it could be rosewood, or cocuswood or one of those tropical woods that sometimes cause rashes, but the body is pretty heavily lacquered.
I got an electric guitar for Christmas 3 years ago, and I still consider myself a learner; my fingers still ache, and I cherish the callouses on my fingertips and try to forget the blisters as I cry myself to sleep at night because barre chords just hurt so … dam’ … MUCH! STOOPID BARRE CHORDS! My aching thumb!
I play an A chord as a sort of barre, btw. I plant my index finger firmly and then raise my hand slightly to allow the high-E string to resonate. I have odd, flexible fingers, though, so ymmv.
On review, I see that Hypothetical has described what I’m able to do know. So, yay for me!