Finger stretching exercises?

[Myopic Squirrel]

Comes as no surprise, but as we age, the ole body parts tend to stiffen up a bit. Been a bit of an adjustment that hands over a 3/4 of a century old ain’t as flexible as they were learning those cowboy chords in 1961 *LOL*. Having a lot of fun playing a new wider neck, but need a little more reach to hit those chords cleanly, especially with a reconstructed left thumb (thanks to a driver who couldn’t see a MC stopped right in front of her). Would greatly appreciate any suggestions/sites (if allowed) for finger stretching. Thank you in advance.

[min7b5]

I'm no occupational therapist (though I've spent plenty of time as one of their clients) but I would say whatever stretches you do go very slow and gentle. My own experience has been that these are not big muscles like your leg or something, and I've done more harm than good more than once with aggressive finger stretches and the like. If anything I focus more on modest strengthening exercises. Best thing for me by far has been to literarily warm up before practice by soaking my hands in a bowl of very hot water (sometimes with epson salt) for maybe five or even ten minutes before playing.

[Dogma]

What Eric said (I think that was Eric)!

I had finger issues and after making things worse with random internet sourced info, consulted with an OT who specializes in hand issues for musicians. She said to do big muscle exercises (arms) before practicing, like windmills and some others, TO GET BLOOD/oxygen FLOWING TO THE HANDS AND FINGERS. I put that in caps because it was such a revelation to me, though so obvious if you stop to think about it! It makes a huge difference. Then start out with slow methodical playing, like scales. I specifically asked about hand "exercises" and the response was that playing guitar is exercise enough.

There were many other suggestions specific to my situation and that consultation (though less exciting than a new guitar) was the best investment I've made so far in my guitar journey!

[flatfinger]

^^ try a Prohands Gripmaster hand exerciser. I use mine 30-40 minutes every day while I’m out walking. It’s also handy for fidgeting such as when at the dentist. It’s been an excellent tool for stretching my hands and for building strength and stamina. I’m able to work on my thumb and each finger independently. Try holding it with different grips to work the fingers through their full range. To help with guitar playing, I put my hand in playing position and grip with fingertips only. Then squeeze each finger separately and in sequences. It’s been really helpful for me. They offer exercisers with different resistances so you can start with a lighter resistance and build up your strength gradually. Good luck!

[s2y]

How much does one need to stretch? People talk about adding strength. Why not making the guitar easier to play, economy of motion, etc?

[sinistral]

Bloodflow is key, but I would also try to do everything to make playing easy. A guitar with a shorter scale will require less stretching, and may be more comfortable. The trick is finding guitars with a short scale but a wide neck, so your fingers aren’t cramped. The Dreadnought Jr. is an example—it has a 24” scale length (almost an inch shorter than a OOO size and almost an inch and a half shorter than a standard size) but also a 1-3/4” neck. The shorter scale length means the frets are slightly closer together, so you won’t have to stretch as much to make chords. Or use a capo on your current guitar to get the same effect. The D-Jr. is just an example—I’m sure there are others, perhaps with an even shorter scale length.

Another thing to think about and work on is to use just enough pressure to form a chord or play a note. I know that I sometimes grip the neck harder than I need to and have to consciously back the pressure off.

Good for you for keeping at it, and good luck!

[Honkycat]

Silly Moustache has a good little video on this.

[EZYPIKINS]

Originally Posted by s2y

How much does one need to stretch? People talk about adding strength. Why not making the guitar easier to play, economy of motion, etc?

Agree with this.

[PhilFish]

Good advice here, I also find warming my hands helps. for stretching I lay my hand on my leg above the knee spreading the fingers with the contour of the leg.

[Rev Roy]

I didn’t start playing until I retired at 63. So I knew it was particularly important to keep my fingers limber. I’ve been doing these exercises twice a day ever since. I’m 70 now and no finger/hand issues. Like others have said, take it slow to start. I’ll never be as limber as this guy…

[folkmusikfan]

Having had my little and ring finger broken and ligaments torn on my left hand five years ago at the tender age of 63 I can say strength can be an issue.

I spent a lot of time with an OT doing lots of EASY stretching and range of motion. I started back on ukulele and it was about six months before I eased back into guitar.
I've found playing daily helps keep fingers limber and doing gentle stretches. As said above regular, easy movements do help.

[Mark Stone]

Originally Posted by s2y

How much does one need to stretch? People talk about adding strength. Why not making the guitar easier to play, economy of motion, etc?

Or both. Work on hand strength & stretching, and have a proper setup.

[Silly Moustache]

Originally Posted by Honkycat

Silly Moustache has a good little video on this.

Bless you Honky cat.

Try these :



https://youtu.be/sE5CJq0khyw

or an older one :



https://youtu.be/iMnrArFbkxU

[Mr. Jelly]

I have fretting hand issues from an accident some years back. and I'm old. So this is me. Doing hand stretches make my hand tired and sore. That's before I touch a guitar. So after that I don't care to play so much. What works best for me is to lightly play the guitar using only easy (for me) chords or runs. After a couple of minutes I set the guitar down and let my hand get used to the physical activity and blood flow. If I push my hand into to much physical action to fast it trashes out quickly. Then I start again and if it feels right I start getting into more chords etc. and playing harder. I basically slowly warn up. I do use my share of chord work arounds because there are some things I will never be able to do "correctly". It enables me to play things smoothly as fumbling around never sounds good. Many people to seem to be impressed with my playing though. I only wish I had their hands.

[619TF]

Originally Posted by Mark Stone

Or both. Work on hand strength & stretching, and have a proper setup.

Absolutely an "and" not an "or".