Ben Eunson began playing guitar at age 10 and has since established his presence as a prominent guitar voice in contemporary music. Known both for his individuality as well as versatility, Eunson’s debut EP “Autumn” was released in 2015, and his debut album “ACE” was released in 2019. He has performed and/or recorded with a wide array of artists, including John Legend, Questlove, Queen Latifah, Terri Lyne Carrington, Valerie Simpson, Lalah Hathaway, Dave Chappelle, Chad Lefkowitz-Brown, Myron Walden and Dave Liebman, among many others.
He has performed extensively throughout the United States and around the world, including performances at The Monterey Jazz Festival, The Detroit Jazz Festival, The Hollywood Bowl, and worldwide in Brazil, Iceland, Morocco, Switzerland, Turkey, United Kingdom and Australia. Eunson has also made numerous television appearances, including “Christmas in Rockefeller Center” (NBC) and “Pose” (FX/Netflix).
Positivity and a nice review of medical advice that considered the strains musicians endure and prescribed a functional treatment. Electric guitar was the treatment for your ailment! How cool is that? I'm officially entertained.
Hola, tengo 43 años y nunca sentí ningún dolor serio de tocar.Ahora empiezo a notar molestias en el codo de la mano derecha, todos los días hago ejercicios,pero no tengo dinero para ir a terapia, inevitable la edad hace que cada vez toque peor, cuidate mucho Ben, ojalá hubiera tenido yo la suerte de poder tratarme, como tu
Great and important video, Ben. I have had a debilitating injury in the last two years that was very mysterious - my ulnar nerve was very irritated causing tugging and fatiguing in my ring and pinky fingers in my fretting hand. However it was very difficult to diagnose as it was not simply the nerve compression at the elbow that was causing it. What actually had happened over many years was that my shoulder had kind of "drooped" down out of it's socket, causing nerve irritation around my shoulder, which systematically caused problems further down at the elbow and the wrist. Essentially, I had not been activating the muscles enough around my left shoulder. After 2 years and over $1500 on hand therapists and cubital tunnel treatment, and many Dr's simply dismissing my problem as ulnar nerve compression, I finally saw a shoulder expert as my physio was pretty sure my shoulder was not right - Through strengthening all of the muscles around the shoulder with very specific exercises, my problems eased almost immediately. I almost couldn't play for the better part of 2 years and was devastated. Finally getting back on track now, but it was a hellish experience that I wouldn't wish upon anyone! my best advice is to never give up on it! and these problems can be very complex and hard to diagnose. I owe everything to my physio who didn't give up on me, and that amazing shoulder expert - Jake Rowe @the shoulder joint.
Hey Ben! Incredible playing, lines, ideas. Apologies for the annoying sound question but are you using some kind of amp + pedals sim/modeler for recording this, or using your pedals into an amp plug in? Please enlighten me. Trying to dial in a recording sound using plug ins and getting overly intense overdriven sound. Your sound has the right balance of sustain/drive without being too 'rock'/'metal' haha
I spent some time tying to learn acoustic guitar in the style of Nick Drake. I was a fairly dedicated amateur, playing / practicing six day a week or so. Ended up having to quit due to the pain on the back of my right hand. It took about 5 years for those feelings to go. I’d still get the pain from typing/ using a computer, which I need to do for work. I’ve restarted playing again, but on an electric guitar using a pick. Which is going OK. It’s still worth the odd break from playing and some stretching of the hand and fingers.
I had a similar forearm pain develop, but I recognised it for what it was and knew I had to leave my guitar alone for a few weeks. I could still do “off guitar” work; listening, ear training etc. With that discipline I avoided worse longer term effects. This episode caused me to look hard at my posture and hand positions, a good teacher can help here. Touch wood there has been no re-occurrence
I broke my left wrist years ago. My wrist was broken and dislocated so bad it was sitting on top of my forearm. I had reconstructive surgery and i have a plate and pins in my wrist. The doctor said I will almost certainly develop arthritis in life, and would probably never play guitar well again. Joke's on him cuz I play better now than I ever did before, and I'm in a country band . Jury's out on arthritis tho, we'll cross that bridge when we come to it.
Hello Ben, I absolutely love your playing and fantastic musicianship.im a 70 year oul professional guitarist and have giged for Manny many years.im also a model builder of base ball stadiums and have always kept in shape.many years ago when I'd be practicing I noticed a slight numbness in my left fretting hand.id shake it and it would go away.however it just got worse.i saw my doctor last year and he sent my to a hand specialist. I found out carpletunnel.3 months ago I had the surgery and it's helped greatly!!! Love your vids!!!!! Cheers steve!!!
I’ve had my own struggles with hand pain, due to over-practicing as a teenager, and it forced me to really go back to basics around the time I started learning jazz, and I had to focus on proper wrist alignment and finger placement to avoid tweaking anything. I’m not as tight as I was 10 years ago, but I can improvise more freely because I’m not white knuckling both hands aiming for speed and perfection. Legato is my friend haha.
Could you tell us about any exercise, stretching, rest routine, diet or supplements that helped you at that time? Thanks a lot! I've been struggling with tendonitis for a long time. After seeing several traumatologists and physiotherapists it is still a real hell for me. I can't even use the computer normally, in fact, writing this is already an ordeal for the pain of tendonitis.
I’ve had a bout with tendinitis in my early years of playing. When the pain was such that I couldn’t practice, I went to see a doctor. He told me to stop playing entirely for 3 months or face the consequences. Stop now or never play again. If you feel pain….STOP…and cool it until the pain goes away. If it returns….STOP….take a vacation. I’ve also been afflicted with psoriatic arthritis for the last 24 years. Until my rheumatologist got me on the right medication, I was sidelined. I’ve been playing ever since although not at the same level technique wise. But I’ve found other avenues of expression to compensate. Tendinitis if a different animal and worse that arthritis in many ways. There’s a certain threshold you must not pass. I know some musicians whose careers have been cut short because of it.
@@Faz99Master True, I don't think I was clear enough. Sometimes the way forward is to do nothing at all for a while. It's also worth mentioning that Shawn had a signature guitar built for him by Vigier that have the lowest action you can get on a guitar, where the guitar had 8 gauge strings and a completely flat radius so it took no effort at all to play. Not everybody can afford 4k+ guitars!
Thanks Ben. Always helpful, didn't know that you had this problem. Never had a full-blown injury but definitely pain at times, which I try to be aware of. Interesting discussion
Yes this happened to me... At the time they called it "repetitive strain injury" or RSI, not sure if this is still what it's called, but it raged on for a few years. Painful stuff, very encouraging to hear that you dealt with it too (and beat it!). Thanks Ben have a great weekend
Fantastic solo, but I feel like yacht rock solos are usually a bit less shreddy, more melodic. Larry Carlton comes to mind. Great playing tho, no shade at all.
