Morning Practice, Warming Up

Your guitar playing of the day will very much depend on the quality of your warm up session with the guitar. If you have made up your mind and are pursuing improvement with your playing, then you must have a little bit of that famous "athlete mentality". There is a lot of physical work involved in guitar playing and I am amazed to know hat many players do not even take a minute to warm up bu get into their playing cold handed.

Musicians hurt their playing apparatus more frequently than you can imagine, RSI & Focal Dystonia can easily be kept at bay with simply incorporating a 10 minutes warm up session before your morning practice. As a matter of fact, warming up is an essential part of your practice and will define the quality of your daily practicing and overall playing.

Start your warm up with movements that ease your hands and body into being with the guitar more intimately. It is also important to incorporate a warm up that prepares your body. If you plan to practice 2 hours, for example, you can warm your hands muscles playing scales (The Chromatic Scale is my favorite) .

It is also a good idea to stretch your hands muscles before heading full force into the playing. Play for at least 3 minutes before attempting 5-notes speed burst. Warming up and stretching the muscles, tendons and ligaments regularly will prevent you from being prone to injury.

The middle section of the warm up is usually the most strenuous portion (6 minutes into the warm up). This is where you start feeling warmth building up in your hands. When your muscles are warmed and stretched, you will experience greater blood circulation and agility to help you perform at an optimal level. That is when you know you are ready for your daily guitar practice. Read the complete article on Guitar Practice here →

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