Hand stretching before playing etc.

LotusCarsLtd52 · #1 12-10-2009, 10:34 PM

Because of school my practicing usually consists of several <10 "pick up the bass and fool around" sessions throughout the day, only occasionally doing longer sessions. Sometimes the short 10 minute sessions turn into longer ones if I really get into things.

My question is this: I know to stretch before longer playing sessions but what about for those short ones? It might take 5 minutes to stretch even when I'm only going to be playing for a maximum of 10 minutes per session.

Is it still necessary to stretch before these sessions or is it largely unnecessary?

Thanks.

Thunderthumbs73 · #2 12-10-2009, 10:44 PM

I never stretch. I play slow tunes and ballads which are not going to be technically demanding or stressing. In this way, I warm up both my hands, and also my brain and musicality all at the same time.

Occasionally, I will noodle around on some exercizes and just pluck around, depending on my mood. But stretching? Never.

Thunderthumbs73 · #3 12-10-2009, 10:51 PM

Ps- I've never had a moment of ache, injury, pain, or discomfort in 15 years of playing. But... ...you have to do what is right for YOUR body. If you need to stretch so that you don't clamp up or put yourself at risk for CTS, then by all means, stretch, stretch and then stretch some more. Be your own expert on you.

Fergie Fulton · #4 12-11-2009, 02:04 AM

Make up a stretch routine and a playing routine for a warm up.

Even if you cannot play the stretch and warm up routine will keep your hands in order. The overlapping benifit of this is you have a bench mark to gauge how your hands are. If for example you struggle one day doing this routine that has never giving you a problem, you know something is not right, so carry on with caution and see if you can play it out, but with caution.

On the other side the routines function is to warm up muscles, get blood flowing and engage the brain in what is to come. It also helps retain what has be gained from all the practice that has gone before, in effect it sustains what you have rather than improve it.

Feel free to adjust and improve any warm up or stretching to suit you ability and fitness, check in the health sticky for some links and ideas.