Yes. I feel like my pinky is a wimp. But it's not for lack of effort, I swear. My wife just read your post and said " If he only knew!" I spend a lot of time on trills and arpeggios right now and I can really hear my wimpy pinky there. I will double the effort though. My wife will be so happy :)

Regarding the trills. The 2-4 and 3-4 are beasts for me. I'm months into practicing them with little if any improvement. I've got my fingers curved but it seems like I just lose mobility when I do that. I'm actually better with 3-4 than 2-4. I'm looking for any advice on finger tip placement. Should the pinky tip be hitting straight down in the center of the tip or at an angle where the outside corner of the tip is pulling down off the string? Ive tried both ways and suck at both haha. When I come down in the center of the pinky tip I can get right behind the fret for good articulation. When I angle the pinky and come down on the outside corner of the pinky tip I get a more fluid motion (seems more natural) in the trill, but it lands further behind the fret and I lose articulation.

Slashiepie,

I think i was also applying way to much thumb pressure. I tend to do that when I am making long stretches with the pinkie. When I heal up I'm going to make a conscious effort to adjust my technique there. Thanks for the input.

I'm taking it VERY seriously. I've always stopped playing whenever there is any pain. Luckily, I've always been able to tell the difference between a hand thats sore from a workout and one thats sore from trauma. I'm trying to evaluate what, if anything, went wrong and caused the condition. Pebber, if you're telling me that you got it back in '99, I'm going to assume that poor technique wasnt the main reason for its onset. Did you ever determine the cause? (lack of warmup/stretching, overplaying, too much thumb pressure?) Was it in the same location as mine (below the thumb and on side of wrist?)

I have excellent health insurance but I'm not a fan of doctors/physical therapists/chiropractors. I think that 99% them phone in their profession. I had a chiropractor who made my backpain worse. I went to a hand specialist once for a consult on a ganglion growth. He blew me off and lucklily it went away on its own anyway. Bunch of arrogant pricks in my opinion.

For the last week I've been ice dipping, massaging, and taking anti-inflamatories. If I don't see at least SOME relief in 4-6 weeks I'll bite the bullet and see a 'professional'. Thanks again.