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I was wandering if anyone could recommend some good hand exercises to do away from a guitar to maintain strength in the right hand. I recently had a 2 week break from playing while enjoying a holiday and found that I had lost a lot of strength in my right hand and it took about 3 weeks of practice to return. On Monday I'm off to start officer training with the Navy so I will be without my guitar for at least 8 weeks. I'm more than a little concerned that I'll lose all my right hand strength. If anyone. If anyone has any wisdom to pass on I'd be much obliged.
RE: Can anyone recommend some good h... (in reply to trudgiano)
I find (and other people have mentioned it too) that practising rasgueos on your leg is very helpful. You can do it sitting or standing, even while walking (but not while marching ).
Do it slowly and deliberately with clear separation of the strokes. And you can invent patterns and combinations for the sake of exercise that you would not use when actually playing, but they can be helpful in developing independence and control of the fingers.
RE: Can anyone recommend some good h... (in reply to trudgiano)
There is a nice little 'travel guitar' which looks like just the bridge section of a nylon guitar going back to the sound hole - about 6 inches wide, with hardly any depth, with nothing else. So you can practice all right hand stuff with it. Very portable.
I can't find a link for it, but I definitely saw it in store in El Mundo Flamenco, Duke Street, London http://www.elmundoflamenco.co.uk/. It's not on their website (but neither is most stuff they sell), so give them a call, confirm the exact dimensions etc.
RE: Can anyone recommend some good h... (in reply to trudgiano)
quote:
I was wandering if anyone could recommend some good hand exercises to do away from a guitar to maintain strength in the right hand.
I know a basic one..but it only works out if you are a man. You can also switch up the hands and train with the left hand. When you mastered it you´ll have a great feeling of accomplishment. The technique is called "Aladin".
RE: Can anyone recommend some good h... (in reply to Doitsujin)
quote:
I know a basic one..but it only works out if you are a man.
Is that because men can't cross legs comfortably?
quote:
You can also switch up the hands and train with the left hand. When you mastered it you´ll have a great feeling of accomplishment. The technique is called "Aladin".
Posts: 4529
Joined: Aug. 9 2006
From: Iran (living in Germany)
RE: Can anyone recommend some good h... (in reply to Mike_Kinny)
quote:
ORIGINAL: Mike_Kinny
quote:
I know a basic one..but it only works out if you are a man.
Is that because men can't cross legs comfortably?
quote:
You can also switch up the hands and train with the left hand. When you mastered it you´ll have a great feeling of accomplishment. The technique is called "Aladin".
Is that because Aladin had a big di*k?
why always so nasty?
its because aladin rubbed his lamp and turned it on ! nothing to do with genitals
RE: Can anyone recommend some good h... (in reply to trudgiano)
Thanks for the tips. That travel guitar sounds excellent. I'm not so sure about Doit's 'Aladin' technique though. Although it has fringe benefits, I don't think it would help too much with finger strength.
Posts: 1531
Joined: Nov. 7 2008
From: New York City/San Francisco
RE: Can anyone recommend some good h... (in reply to trudgiano)
quote:
On Monday I'm off to start officer training with the Navy so I will be without my guitar for at least 8 weeks. I'm more than a little concerned that I'll lose all my right hand strength.
Congratulations on your appointment, officer. Is it the glorious and invincible US Navy you are joining?
8 weeks without a guitar isn’t very promising a time, really. I too am off for a three week long business trip and am desperate for the same absence.
3 things I do, however, when incapacitated (3 months wait after hand surgery) or guitar-deprived:
1. stretch those fingers. At least by slowly folding them into a fist and releasing them stretching-up as far as can. In fact, with the other hand you may want to lightly counter-pressure so to increase elasticity. 2. use your folded right forearm as a fret board, and run scales and shifts chords. 3. sing or hum the notes of the music you have been playing, clapping tempo and counting compas.
You could also have a wallet-size photograph of your blanca to look at nostalgically before any invasion, if you are planning one.
RE: Can anyone recommend some good h... (in reply to trudgiano)
I've got a couple of stretching exercises, but they're nothing like Doit's
One involves simultaneously extending and retracting pairs of fingers. Keep your hand relaxed and straighten index-middle and retract ring-little (curl into your hand) at the same time, then vice-versa. As one pair extends, the other retracts at the same time. Do that (slowly) a few times, then change the pairs of fingers:
Obviously, it's for both hands. Don't worry about form, the idea is to pay attention to how it feels. If your hands are like mine, you'll notice the tendons sort of grinding. It doesn't feel very nice, but after a few minutes you should notice that the movement is smoother, without the grinding. BTW, refrain from doing this in public if you live in a neighborhood with gang activity.
The other exercise works on all the tendons at the same time, and it's also for both hands. I've tried to explain it in the past, but it's not easily described. Hold your right hand over your right shoulder with the palm up, like a waiter carrying a tray. Slowly bring down your elbow as you straighten your arm, keeping your hand cocked back as far as it'll go. Again, I don't know if this'll work for you because everyone's different, but, when your arm is almost straight, you should notice a sort of burning sensation in your forearm. The idea is to exert force (so it's not a "relaxed" kind of exercise) in spreading your fingers as wide as you can and in cocking your hand back as far as possible. The exact angle of your bent arm and other details will depend on what's right for you. So, again, forget about form and look for the way to make it the most uncomfortable for you. It could be compared to putting your open palm on a wall in front of you and sliding your hand down, which would create a sharper angle at the wrist. Hope you see what I mean.
Posts: 1531
Joined: Nov. 7 2008
From: New York City/San Francisco
RE: Can anyone recommend some good h... (in reply to Ron.M)
quote:
We're talking about a proper Navy here....The Royal Navy!
(Remember, The Falklands and all that?)
Blah Blah Blah... our marines (the real marines that is, the US marines) had already cleaned the beach before your tea-sipping-curry-eating-skirt-wearing Scotland Yard strolled gingerly on the sand of a desterted Island.
Posts: 495
Joined: Nov. 27 2005
From: North Carolina, USA
RE: Can anyone recommend some good h... (in reply to gj Michelob)
As a real US Marine, I used to like going to the Royal Navy ship. THey had really good food and an alcohol ration. Of course I never had any... The Royals have it right, wherever they go, a proper bar gets set up first. Their morale is higher because of it.
RE: Can anyone recommend some good h... (in reply to trudgiano)
quote:
quote:
Congratulations on your appointment, officer. Is it the glorious and invincible US Navy you are joining?
Don't be silly gj...
We're talking about a proper Navy here....The Royal Navy!
(Remember, The Falklands and all that?)
Rule Britannia!
As Ron says, I shall indeed be joining the Royal Navy.
Thank you for the tips Esetevan, flybynight, gj and Norman. I'm sure I will be on the receiving end of some puzzled looks from my fellow officer cadets when I use these techniques.
Posts: 1531
Joined: Nov. 7 2008
From: New York City/San Francisco
RE: Can anyone recommend some good h... (in reply to trudgiano)
quote:
I shall indeed be joining the Royal Navy.
Seriously now, congratulations and good luck Trudgiano. You are commissioned into the richest naval tradition, that of Horatio Nelson’s HMS Victory and that of Patrick O’ Brian’s HMS Surprise. England confides that every man will do his duty…. God’s speed.
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