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Strenghtening The Plucking Fingers

jlerner

jlerner

Sep 12, 2009
32
0
Arlington, VA
#1
TB'ers:

I've come to the conclusion that my plucking fingers (and hand?) need strengthening. I can play tough technical exercises for around a half-hour, and then...I can't--my plucking fingers just sort of stops working nicely.

Other than playing the bass, anybody have any good exercises to strengthen my plucking fingers?

Thanks!
 
#2
Getting one of those grip excercise things can help, or squeezing a rubber ball. Using a heavier gauge will make you strengthin your attack too. You could also switch to a lighter gauge set of strings so your hand doesn't get fatigued as soon. Hopefully someone else has some other ideas you could try too.
 
#5
There aren't many experiences like playing bass out there besides playing bass itself ;) So I suggest you build stamina on the bass itself. And really, a half hour without a break if you're playing really fast isn't bad stamina at all.
 
#8
I agree with the stamina vs strength comments and the suggestion to avoid the grip device. I will also agree with Jimmy as to a half an hour at your max is pretty good if you are there for that long consistently. My question would be what does your wrist look like while you are in that position for a half an hour? Is it possible that the lack of stamina might be related to an unfavorable bent wrist position or a pressure point on edge of the body that might be restricting good blood flow to the fingers that just takes it's toll around a half an hour in?
 
#9
Sound like to me you have good stamina aready, so try this, feed your muscles, drink water and lots of it and foods like energy bars or a banana ( few bites here and there) in between songs will work wonders for any stamina problems. Before shows foods with high carbs like pasta are a good way to stock up, and foods like oatmeal are a great slow release of their energy. Basically feed your playing muscles good food and they will look after you, no point tuning the engine if it keeps running out of fuel.:)

Oh and stay away from those grip trainer, no good for you.
 
#11
If you do your half hour every day, you will see it increase every week or two.
Also, you can practice plucking on various things, like the seams of your car seat.
Also, just air plucking or tapping your fingers on something soft like the couch as you watch TV will build up endurance.

Don't tap on something hard, that can irritate or even injure your knuckles.

Typing is actually good practice for building a fast, light, accurate touch with good fingertip posture.

There are slow twitch (strength) and fast twitch (speed) muscle fibers. I don't know if people have both types in their fingers, but you want to build speed not strength. Train like a marathon runner, not a weightlifter. That is to say, keep your fingers busy doing something light all day long, not something heavy for just a few minutes.

Also stretching your hands before you practice helps prevent injury and fatigue.

If they get tired during practice, shake them out, as if you were flinging water off them. This will get new blood with new oxygen in there and refresh them so you can play longer.
 
#12
Where is the bass on your body? If it is too high that can cause a bad wrist angle. I find that having a relaxed wrist and fingers allow me to play for hours without a problem.
Mark King used to wear his bass up very high but never seemed to have a problem with playing a 2 hour gig every night.

I think you need to play more. If you can I would suggest a minimum of a hour a night.

What do your fingers feel like when they are fatigued? Is it soreness, tingling, aching or sharp stinging?
 

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