Many people choose to learn how to play guitar in order to personally play and enjoy music. The guitar has an enormous appeal for many people, mainly due to its role in nearly all pop and rock songs recordings. Added to that, it’s a portable instrument, one that’s versatile enough to provide songs that will fit in with nearly every occasion, and can be used to accompany vocalists or other instruments.
In order to successfully play the guitar you need more than just musical ability, dedication, motivation, and plenty of practice. Guitar players also need long, agile fingers that can easily move from single strings to chord changes when playing with a group or doing a solo musical act. In addition, the fingers must be tough and strong in order to sufficiently press the strings during quick changes and ensure clean notes.
Some guitar teaching programs such as Guitar Superstars or Jamorama will include sections and exercises on strengthening fingers.
No one who plays the guitar will forget the first time they played the guitar for a long period of time. The fingertips are usually soft at the tips, with only a thin layer of skin protecting them. Beginning guitar players often press down hard on the strings against the fretboard, using all fingers but the thumb. The blisters that develop from this will slowly dry up, leaving calluses on the fingertips, if the beginner can push through the pain and continue practicing. These calluses are very important “accessories” for a guitar player, as they block pain from the fingertips. Over time, as you continue to play, the calluses will continue to thicken, leaving you with rough fingertips on your fret (left) hand. It is important to realize that when you begin to play full chords, which require the use of your entire 1st and 2nd fingers, you will have to go through the process of pain, blisters and calluses again for your two fingers. But it’s a necessary evolution for guitar players, as the end result will be toughened fingers and fingertips that can press the strings with alacrity and produce clean musical tones.
The way to get this process accomplished the fastest and to increase your dexterity, you need to practice scales and chords on your guitar. The repetition of scales and chords lead to familiarity with the various chord progressions and the musical layout of the fretboard. Ultimately, practice gives you mastery over your instrument. Once you know and can play the many chords and scales you will begin to fully understand the musical secrets of playing the guitar. This will make it easier for the guitarist to read, learn, preform, create, and write, his/her own music. Plus, by practicing you will be improving the strength and agility of your fingers. In other words practice benefits you in a variety of ways, including giving you musical training, finger strength training, endurance training, and finger agility training. Before you know it you will be able to play several full pieces or songs in a long performance.
But there is also the peril of excessive training. Tendonitis is a frequent result of over-exercising and is common in professional athletes and musicians. Tendonitis is due to the repetitive action of a finite set of muscles, creating inflammation and adverse effects on tendons and joints. This injury is common for both musicians and athletes, because a limited set of muscles are trained when practicing both activities. It is quite simple to prevent this condition from developing. Many people will over-train as they decide to ignore pain during practice and will continue to perform the exercise, leading straight to tendonitis. Guitarists who experience pain in the wrist or any other tender areas of the hand should stop playing immediately. You ought to build in five to fifteen minutes of downtime between sets of scales or chord practice. Don’t just stop playing - put the guitar down and shake out your hands. If you still feel pain after you’ve taken a rest, switch what you’re practicing; for example, if you’re playing scales, change to strumming chords - slowly. This will change the muscles you are using and help you decrease your chance of injury while increasing the strength of your fingers.
Also, similar to an athlete, when learning how to play the guitar a guitarist needs to keep his/her body in shape with exercise. Below you will find two stretching exercises which will enhance the resilience and strength of your fingers.
1. Stand erect letting your arms rest at your sides with the palms of your hands to the front. Stretch your fingers down and out as far as you are able and hold it while you count to ten. Relax and rest for a little while and then do three repetitions.
2. Stand erect and press the four fingers (not the thumb) of your left hand backwards using your right hand. Hold this stretch for 10 seconds. Follow this with a few second relaxation period. Repeat these steps for a set of three repetitions.
Remember, if you want to develop strength and agility, you will need to commit yourself to practice, plenty of rest, and the proper stretching exercises. So get your guitar and start playing!
Tags: guitar superstars