Left hand thumb/index squeezing

I've been playing for some months now but I've noticed a habit and not sure if it's good or bad (I'm assuming bad). When I play I notice that I tend to squeeze my thumb and index finger on the knuckle closest to my palm together to help grip the concertina. I've had to tighten the straps recently but I keep doing it passively. Should I keep focusing on relaxing my hand? I'm on a standard anglo.

By holdyourponies, October 9, 2025
4 replies

This video I recorded a while back seems relevant. I'm exaggerating things for the sake of demonstration, so I'm squeezing harder with my thumbs than I normally do. With the normal amount of pressure, it usually looks more like my thumb is just resting on the strap, not pushing it down. My thumb is also not pushing directly against the rest of my hand. Sometimes I'll also lightly curl my thumb down a bit around the hand rest when I need some extra stability. Y