Shoulder issues for guitarists.

Most guitar players, sitting with the instrument on the right leg, hunch over the guitar and tend to roll the right (strumming) shoulder forward slightly. A physio and another 'expert' I've heard have said that this is bad, and the right shoulder should be kept back to avoid the scapula moving up and over.

It seems to me, however, that slumping forward and rolling the shoulder (something even technical/virtuoso players like Al Dimeola do to some degree) facilitates playing by bringing the shoulder, elbow and hand in the same vertical plane, so that the hand tracks across the strings with miniumum rotation of the upper arm in the socket. If one sits, upright and shoulders back, it puts the shoulder behind the back of the guitar instead of over the strings and actually makes it harder at the business end.

What is inherently wrong with rolling the right shoulder forward?

Here's a couple of not-phsyiologically-PC right shoulder positions for your examination..

YouTube - Al Di Meola in Kaluga jamming with Roman Miroshnichenko

It's also worth noting that John Williams - often considered the most technically correct classical player - sits in a well - twisted up position leaning to the left when playing 'Spanish style' on his right knee.

Musicians who are fantastic players as in the super video, and indeed most professionals have ergonomic issues that make ones hair stand on end. And the precise repetitive finger/hand work can cause muscle dystonia. The problems can be bad enough to end careers. Is the expert and physio really expert at treating and advising musicians problems? Some people seem to get away with doing things "all wrong" for ever and have few problems and some don't. As in any specialist hobby or sport. There are physios and Alexander Teachers involved in treating musicians at music acadamies. See what you can find for more information. I think I have a contact in the Manchester area but start looking around where you are.

Points taken. But it seems to be a general piece of advice for anybody not to 'round' the shoulders but keep them back and down and the scapula flat against the ribs. I'm trying to understand why it's problematic to have the scapula in any other position. After all, any time you move the arm beyond a certain point the scapula naturally moves to accommodate that range of movement. I'd have thought that artificially holding it down would more likely cause tension in the arm because you're forcing it to the limit of its range in the joint.

Is it just a problem of tension in the muscles that hold the scapula if it's not in the right place? Or does it affect its joint with the collarbone to have the scapula rolled forward for instance? I think I've read that somewhere.