Before you ever pick up the guitar to play or practice, there are some great hand and finger stretches you should be doing to limber up your hands and get blood flowing to the finger tips. Playing the guitar requires a lot of repetitive motions and injuries could happen if you don’t take care of your hands.
Starting up at your shoulder, cross one arm over your chest, place the other hand on the outside of that shoulder and gently stretch the arm. This should relieve tension in your back near your shoulder blade. Repeat the same action for the opposite arm.
Next, bend one arm at the elbow and touch your back between the shoulder blades. Your elbow should be pointing in the air and you can grab it with the opposite hand. Gently pull the elbow toward your back which will allow you to reach further down your back. Hold for a few seconds and release and then repeat with the other arm.
Now, grab your bicep and wipe down your arm as if you were wiping water off the skin. Do this right down to the finger tips and be sure to do it 3 or 4 times on each side.
Moving onto the actual hands and fingers, reach your arm straight out in front of you with your fingers together and pointing straight up. Grab the fingers with the opposite have and VERY gently pull them back. This will stretch the muscles and small tendons in your forearm.
After removing any rings you may have on, wring your hands out a few times like Mr. Burns from the Simpsons. You can even say aloud “Smithers, release the hounds” if you like, but it’s not a requirement. Each time you wring the hands, end up by going down a finger or thumb as if wiping water off. This will bring blood to the surface and warm up the finger tips.
Finish up by washing your hands in warm water with soap and drying them off. This removes sweat and oil from your hands which will make your strings last longer and it helps to warm up the core of your hands.
You can repeat any or all of the exercises part way through your practice session or gig and should take frequent breaks to shake out your hands and give them a rest.
