I've played guitar for fun for many years. I've been in a few bands, but not done much gigging. It's primarily a personal challenge to get good at it. I play as a pub session that I started last year and we do some open mic nights where I get to play in front of an audience.
A couple of years ago I noticed that something was not quite right with my right hand. The 2 smaller fingers would not straighten. I've seen a few doctors and the diagnosis is Multifocal Motor Neuropathy. It basically means that one of the nerves to my hand is not working properly. The result is a loss of strength in that hand. There's no pain or discomfort. The treatment I've had has not helped much. Other possible treatments may have bad side effects.
You may be able to see that my palm is lacking muscle. This has got worse over time. I'm trying to do more exercises to try and build some strength back.
One effect of this is that it's harder for me to hold onto my guitar plectrum/pick. I drop it more often and just struggle to play for as long. I've been trying a few alternatives. One that helps is the Pointless Pick. These circular picks glide over the strings and the raised ridge helps with grip. Good for strumming, but not so good for lead playing.
Someone gave me some thumb picks. These are not so great for strumming, but I will try them more for picking.
At this week's acoustic session I was loaned a Snake Pick. This slides onto your finger and shouldn't fall off. The pick itself was a bit thin for me, but they do other types. I may have to try some. I just don't want to have to give up playing. I see people play with much worse handicaps than mine, so that gives me hope. There are people out there who play with their feet, but I hope it won't come to that!
