As I get older, I find that the joints in my hand are getting a little worn out. It happens. A guitar teacher once told me that every guitarist deals with hand pain at some point or another in their career. For some time now, I've done hand stretching exercises every morning before I play. Then I warm up with some playing for about 10 minutes. It has become my morning routine, and I have shared it with my wife, who likes to write, draw, and paint. She also has found this routine is beneficial to manage what, let's face it, is probably osteoarthritis.
The routine I've come up with involves several techniques I've picked over the years from many sources. It is important to start with just some basic moves and add to your stretching by seeking out the exercises you find will help you the most. I will try to describe my routine at the end of this post, but first, I'll share some great resources I've found online.
This first is from guitar teacher Carl Brown. These are stretches to increase flexibility, and because of that, I would caution you to try them very gently and work your way up as you go. Carl is a classically trained guitarist who has been at this for a long time. It's important not to over-stretch. Especially note that it starts off with a gentle massage to the palm of the hand to increase circulation.
Steve Stine is a comprehensive and skilled instructor. He hits on many things that I have incorporated into my routine, and this video is pure gold. Note all his cautions about over-stretching and posture. Excellent advice. I always like to discover teachers with a passion for their instrument, and I think Steve is very much the real deal.
Most of my morning routine is contained in these videos though I don't really use the "spider" fingers exercise Art of Guitar video. Instead, I do the classic Os, an exercise I got from an aquatics teacher, which I find very helpful for thumb pain both in the fretting hand and the picking hand. I do both hands at the same time, and it only takes a minute. Starting with the hand open, fingers spread apart, bring your thumb and first finger together to touch the tips to form the letter "O" with the thumb and first finger. Then return to the starting position and do the same with the thumb and each finger. I usually go through the first finger to the pinkie and back three times. This is a quick stretch that I often repeat throughout the day if I'm playing a lot.
In addition, we do some basic stretches for our shoulders, back, and arms. I've begun to appreciate how important posture is when playing an instrument like the guitar. I wish I had come to that conclusion when I was 14, playing for hours on end hunched over a record player, flipping pages in songbooks, or trying to scribble down lyrics and chords as I thought them up!
There is a wealth of information on this subject. For example, a short daily stretching routine for my wife and me has made a tremendous difference in how long we can work on our projects.
