hi...two points in addition to those already discussed: 1) quoting from memory Segovias' introduction to his book of guitar studies, "The greatest and most common problem for the beginning guitarist is UNNECESSARY MUSCULAR TENSION". This cannot be emphasized too strongly. Using only the exact amount of force necessary allows us to play more fluidly and with greater agility, preserving our bodies while freeing us to be more musically expressive. If you can look at video of segovia or rory block, do so. With Rory, in spite of the truly crushing power of some of her playing, at every moment (down to the 1/4 second) that her hands and arms aren't actually punishing the strings, they appear to be utterly limp. With Segovia it's truly amazing. His hands appear to be completely motionless as torrents of crisply articulated notes pour forth. Pay attention to your shoulders, your spine, your hips, legs, feet. Get your whole body into a comfortable, well-supported position, breathe naturally, and remind yourself over and over, at every opportunity, to relax and enjoy. 2) with a nod to bert, two things to do or not when your hands begin to hurt. DON"T FLICK THEM! The goal is to increase blood flow without inflicting additional stress. Let your arms hang limp at your sides for 5-15 seconds. Raise your hands to slightly above your breast for 5 seconds. repeat. research suggests that restriction of blood flow and consequent stress of tendons,etc occurs within 20-30 minutes of "tense" playing, and that normal blood flow and muscular relaxation can be recaptured with as little as 30 seconds of the above exercise. so: play for 20 minutes. Exercise relaxation for one minute. Do that acouple more times, and then watch that Rory Block video again. Finally, here's help for emergencies, ie you've hurt yourself but you have to play more. Aspercreme. Topical analgesic. Rub it on the pain and the pain goes away, without having to swallow half a bottle of aspirin and get indigestion and kidney damage. Not only that, but it is genuinely therapeutic, as it doesn't just mask pain but actually improves blood flow. I hope this helps. Whether your music is driven by heart, soul, brain, libido, anger, love, pride, or joy, it needs your body to be smooth, calm, confident, relaxed, comfortable, and well-taken-care-of in order to reach its' true power. good luck... yrs, kc