“These bones don’t have the cartilage any more, so they’re very painful. Rather than roll over, I’m like, ‘No, I still want to play’”: Steve Morse is plagued with pain when playing guitar – so he innovated a new string mute to help him adapt his technique

Steve Morse with his own string mute device.

A full-on, decades-long career playing with the likes of Deep Purple and Dixie Dregs – as well as a genetic predisposition to arthritis – has meant electric guitar virtuoso Steve Morse has been playing through considerable pain in recent years.

A particular problem area can be found in the picking hand. Specifically, at the top of the right-hand wrist, which has been the driving force behind Morse’s virtuosic picking style – an approach defined by both its breakneck speed and multi-functionality, from dual harmonic picking to subtle single-finger string muting.