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Hello, friends! I just recorded a video with a helpful 5 minute hand warmup without the guitar. Works well if you don't have a chance to play before performing. Start with 10-20 reps of each of these exercises for he initial warmup and then go back and do everything again this time with 50-100 reps each. The first 3 exercises are the most important ones. Do them at a fast tempo for best workout.
Posts: 56
Joined: Sep. 27 2009
From: Long Island NY
RE: Hand warmup without the guitar (in reply to Grisha)
Awesome! Thanks for that Grisha. you're extremely fast with opening and closing the hand! I can tell your arm is really muscular, do you lift weights also? If so, does that help with endurance? Also, do you so similar warm ups with the left hand? Thanks again, you're great and are an inspiration!
RE: Hand warmup without the guitar (in reply to Grisha)
Thank you, friends! I try to stay away from weights because I feel that while helping the stamina, they slow me down and take some of the musical receptiveness out of my playing. Please do these exercises with BOTH HANDS at the same time.
RE: Hand warmup without the guitar (in reply to Grisha)
Thank you so much your vids are the best and the most beneficial ones ever I always enjoy learning from them. yea I've been told that lifting weights will affect my ability to play the guitar :S Grisha I hope you don't mind my question but I want to ask you how do you warm up "with" the guitar ? thank you so much again.
RE: Hand warmup without the guitar (in reply to Grisha)
Thank you, thank you...
DarkElieDraven, the warmup routine really depends on how much time you have at your disposal. There are tons of exercises. However, one of the best things you can do before performing (and it's not obvious) is play a piece of music very softly and very slowly.
RE: Hand warmup without the guitar (in reply to Grisha)
Grisha, you ROCK! Are you telling me that you got to having such forearms SOLELY out of playing guitar? Never ever done any weight lifting?
Here is something I think you will enjoy (as well as everyone else). I saw these when I was studying for my final exams, and I wanted to start doing them but forgot. Your video reminded me.
RE: Hand warmup without the guitar (in reply to Grisha)
quote:
DarkElieDraven, the warmup routine really depends on how much time you have at your disposal. There are tons of exercises. However, one of the best things you can do before performing (and it's not obvious) is play a piece of music very softly and very slowly.
RE: Hand warmup without the guitar (in reply to Grisha)
Thanks, Ramzi! I used to do weight lifting. That's how I know the way it affects the playing. But right now my muscles are primarily a result of hours of playing.
By the way, those are some interesting videos in your link! Thanks a lot!
RE: Hand warmup without the guitar (in reply to Grisha)
I like these exercises. They are very helpful. I also notice that having a small glass of wine a half an hour before a performance is good too. I do occasional private parties and that is what i do but these are very good as well. Before a performance as opposed to playing in a bedroom, house, couch, etc.., the blood goes towards the center of the body and the hands get cold. So the wine helps alot with of course warming up if you have a chance. If you do not have an instrument, these are great.
RE: Hand warmup without the guitar (in reply to Grisha)
I found alcohol to be a very unreliable source of warmup and stage fright suppressor. Sometimes at a party I would drink some and feel relaxed, pumped and musical and it's a great feeling. But more often my fingers would simply become lazy and fatigued, and in those cases I really sound my absolute worst. But that is just me.
RE: Hand warmup without the guitar (in reply to Grisha)
Just an update. Make sure that you relax between the exercises to prevent muscle overwork. You don't have to do 50-100 reps for the thumb exercise, that may be to exhausting. Mix these exercises with stretches. A stretching video is coming shortly.
Posts: 1531
Joined: Nov. 7 2008
From: New York City/San Francisco
RE: Hand warmup without the guitar (in reply to Grisha)
Thank you so much, Grisha. Is this a routine you structured yourself, or are the exercises sourced from any specific authority?
I ask because I find it interesting that you open-stretch your hand and fingers and then quickly fold it with your fingers reaching outside your palm, as opposed to folding/rolling into your palm, in a fist formation. Also you recommend that such movement be repeated in quick successions. The orthopedic surgeons I saw about my condition, recommended a slow stretch, holding the extend fingers out and later, slowly folding them into a fist.
However, I suppose the more exercise and warm up the more unlikely the injury. Since I suffered the consequences of my lack of proper muscle preparation, I am quite sensitive to this subject.
RE: Hand warmup without the guitar (in reply to Grisha)
You are welcome! These are the exercises I discovered myself. That being said, I am not suggesting that I am the only one on this planet with the knowledge about these simple exercises. I am sure people have discovered these before me. I am just unaware of these individuals. So far, I have to say that the execises work extremely well. But I want to ask all of you to try them out and tell me if there is a flaw somewhere. These are a couple of weeks fresh and I am planning to refine them further.
gj, I just saw your addendum. These are not stretches, these are just exercises for your fingers that work in the same way as lifting weights. If you have problems with your hand muscles, I suggest that you take it easy on these, as I cannot support my finds with any research at this time. Let me know how these work for you. Thanks!
By the way, the second exercise rolls the fingers into the palm.
Posts: 1531
Joined: Nov. 7 2008
From: New York City/San Francisco
RE: Hand warmup without the guitar (in reply to Grisha)
quote:
gj, I just saw your addendum. These are not stretches, these are just exercises for your fingers that work in the same way as lifting weights. If you have problems with your hand muscles, I suggest that you take it easy on these, as I cannot support my finds with any research at this time. Let me know how these work
I am definitely incorporating these in my rotation of warm-ups, thank you Grisha. You are indeed a talented musician, but also have a remarkably altruistic disposition. Undoubtedly a great teacher, as well. With Jason, Ricardo and Todd, you are one of the four pillars of this foro –in my book.
APOLOGY: Off topic for a moment, I want to seize this opportunity and offer an apology. I once wrote that I found your musicianship lacking in passion, and overly mechanic. I later realized that such perception was conjured by my ignorance. As I learn more about flamenco and about guitar in general I find that you too have learned so much since -teasing, of course-
RE: Hand warmup without the guitar (in reply to Grisha)
gj, thank you for your words! And there is absolutely no need to apologize for anything at all, I don't dwell on such things (read my youtube comments). I am very glad you like my playing! I wish I were as important a contributor to this forum as the people you mentioned, but I am either very present or entirely absent. It has to do with my schedule. But I try to do what I can when I am available.
Shroomy, I am very glad you like these exercises. I would be very interested in getting feedback from you after you've tried them a few times. As for knuckle cracking... I used to do it a lot when I was a kid. Now they don't even crack anymore unless something is wrong. I think it gives you a bit more flexibility and ease of movement. But I would refer to medical studies before I started doing them regularly.
RE: Hand warmup without the guitar (in reply to Grisha)
Thanks a lot Grisha! Just like Shroomy, I need quite a lot warm up to get that control over my hands. I've just watched Your video, did it together with You, and feel it's great! I think I'm gonna include these exercises in my everyday routine! I've been doing 2 of them by my own so far, but not in this organized manner.
RE: Hand warmup without the guitar (in reply to Grisha)
I just couldn't stop my self from thankin you again . yesterday I had a little party or a gig I dunno wat its name is, anyway I had to perform on the stage and I didn't get the chance to touch my guitar before I go up so all wat I did is using your method and ur exercises for about 2->3 minutes and bingo my hand specially picado was on fire ¡Olé!
Posts: 907
Joined: Mar. 13 2006
From: Vancouver, Canada
RE: Hand warmup without the guitar (in reply to Grisha)
It's good stuff. Thanks. Just something to watch for if you record more like this...The volume is really low on this video. (I don't think it's just me)
Sort of related... kind of the opposite...
Some times after intense manual labour my hands will feel like big slabs of meat. Not quite swollen, but they feel incapable of doing delicate, precise quick movements.
Does anyone have experience with this and what do you do?
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I try to stay away from weights because I feel that while helping the stamina, they slow me down and take some of the musical receptiveness out of my playing. Please do these exercises with BOTH HANDS at the same time. 
:S 
hahaha 
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