Of course your method will work for some people, and probably most but possibly not for everyone is my meaning. Everyone should give your method a try who needs it. When I had my grand I was shaving down the bottom of the belt hook to take out the twist to the right in the stick's playing position which is another option if all else fails. I was quite happy with the result. Enough people have this issue that we can think your correct playing position doesn't come naturally for a lot of people. I must admit your technique if very crisp.

A little while back I made a relatively small change that has helped avoid really bad left-arm tricep strain and hand fatigue: I started wearing my Stick a little lower.

I had previously been wearing it so that the first fret was as close to level with my chin as possible, which was what I had seen with other players. While it made fingering some bass chords a bit easier, I found that wearing the instrument 2 or 3 inches lower made for less strain and fatigue.

Most of the issues discussed here must have a lot to do with the size of your body. For me, as being a small human of normal proportions (169 cm tall), the position that works best is a fairly vertical Stick and the belt hook moved maximally towards the bridge in order to keep the instrument as high as possible on my body. This may mean lifting hands to the level of my ears for the lowest notes but it also means I can reach to play crossed poly chords at the highest pitches. I'm fairly new to Stick playing, just passed two years here, and initially had some pain in my right hand, probably because it wasn't as well prepared as my left hand was from decades of guitar playing. Or maybe my right hand was a "mouse hand" last year? I just gave my mouse away to someone and started computing only with the touch sensitive track pad.

My problem is not in my wrist, but in my elbow. Keeping it bent all the way causes pain after a little while.

I removed the belt hook and attached it backwards. It's possible without causing physical damage. This let the Stick rest on my right shoulder. That let me use the left hand on the bass, but without as sharp a bend in my elbow. It worked, mostly, but the sight lines were bad. My left hand and arm obscured my right hand on the upper melody strings. In the correct Stick position you can see past the left hand.

It was a interesting experiment, but not worth doing for real. I may give it another try someday.

These days I wear the Stick correctly and switch the hands. That solves the elbow problem and adds fingering problems. My left hand is 180 degrees from the proper fingering. My right hand is more like 90 degrees off. The sight lines are worse than the correct way and a little better than when I put the Stick on the right.

Yes, it's wrong, yes it's inefficient. It's the best solution for me. Fortunately for the musical world, learning the Stick is just a hobby for me. I am unlikely to ever subject anyone to my "talents" (except my wife ).

I respect Greg's talent and opinions. I cannot use the Stick the way he proposes. And that's my loss.

anyone who's interested can send me photos of the way they hold their Stick, and I'd be happy to tell them if I notice anything amiss.

front and left side views are the most helpful. to stickist@aol.com

or, you can post them here for the benefit of others who may also be having difficulty.

What Per said about the size of your body is also a big factor, but the adjustability of the belt-hook height and shoulder strap usually make it no problem.

How broad your shoulders are and how long your forearms are compared to your upper arms are also important details.

Happy to help. I think The Stick is an incredibly comfortable instrument to play, and I'd like to make sure you do, too.

Greg worked with me a lot on these issues early on in my lessons this year. Still has to remind me. Last month I had a small breakthrough moment when he pointed out how I was twisting my left wrist. I think that tendency was from my violin and guitar experience.

Having my left hand inline from elbow to fingertips made an instant impact. It relieved fatigue and made movements a lot more relaxed. Still working on overall left hand strength and breaking that right hand dominance. New habits take time.

You still have to sometimes rotate your hand to reach some chords. But that's different from how I was stressing my hand and wrist before.

One more thing (sounding like Columbo now)...

Emmett provided me with a non-angled belt hook setup. I also use a lifting belt above my waist for easier positioning.

As a bigger guy those two mods helped quite a bit. I have chronic lower back issues. The weight belt helped that too.

Thanks for the kind comments, Dave!

lots of people having breakthroughs these days. Three new students this week, too.