Finger weights??

[leishan]

Has anyone used finger weights to strengthen their fingers? I saw them in the "Friend of Musicians" catalog and wondered if they work.

[JESTER700]

The problem is, they don't do what you NEED. Unless you can't press the strings hard enough to fret them, you don't need more finger strength. Even if you can't a "gripper" is a better device than finger weights.

Just practice more. Best way to get better at something is to DO it.

And remember Robert Schumann - great pianist who wrecked his HAND AND ability to play with a device to "improve his playing"!

[BrianH]

I have a specific work out routine I use for my hands. Works great. Must start slow. I wouldn't fall for gimicky stuff. I'll post my hand work out if anyone cares?

[Al M]

IMO the best way you can strengthen your fingers and tone them, for playing guitar, is to play guitar :P .



Cheers


Al

[leishan]

Thanks guys!

[Predator]

Yeah man, just play! Stop whenever you'll feel your hands or palms heat up too high (we don't want RSI now do we? )
I do have a gripper though, but that's just for periods when I won't be able to play as much guitar as I use to, for instance during school examination tests. While studying, I'll just slowly press my gripper for about 5 minutes every few hours, that's good enough.

[leishan]

Originally Posted by BrianH

I have a specific work out routine I use for my hands. Works great. Must start slow. I wouldn't fall for gimicky stuff. I'll post my hand work out if anyone cares?

Please post your workout if you don't mind-I really like to try something new!

[bryangraye]

The way I see it, finger strength and coordination go hand in hand. Try sliding those 4 (or 5) finger stretched chords around at speed - unless you have the strength, the chord shapes will just fall apart, and your hand will ache.

[BrianH]

Ok, here is my hand/wrist workout

Phase 1
Get a dumbell you can take the weights off of. Put weights on one end of it(start with like 2lbs or less).

Excercises with this dumbell. Best done while sitting.
A. Grab the end without weight on it. Put your arm on your knee. With the weight up in the air rotate your wrist from side to side.
B. Same as above except the weight is under your arm.
C. Best done while standing, Hold the weight as in A. above, but while standing let your arm hand down and just pull your wrist up(like doing wrist curls).
D. Now lay down. With the arm out, weight towards head, push the weight up and then down(like a reverse curl of C).

Phase 2
A. I do wrist push ups. Basically just standard push ups with the back of your hands on the floor.
B. Finger push ups. Start with all five of each hand. Then 3(thumb, first and second fingers). Then just thumb. And then just first and/or second.

All of this isn't necessary(I'd say phase 2 can be avoided by most) but phase one will help with guitar playing I also use a Hand Squeezer thing(not the goofy guitar thing you push with your fingers, but the hand thing you squeeze together). I use it so much I have to buy new ones every so often cause I wear them out

Disclaimer, these are tough excercises. Not to be taken lightly. Don't do what you can't do. BE CAREFUL

Brian