Sarah5string Posted December 9, 2009 Share Posted December 9, 2009 Anyone know any warm ups you can do for your fingers/hands before you play when you can't actually physically play? I'm having to go straight to lessons from work and normally takes me a good 20 mins to warm up before I stop being sloppy! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kets Posted December 9, 2009 Share Posted December 9, 2009 I'm not sure about warm ups when you can't actually play, but I find a good pair of gloves always helps and just keep your fingers moving to get the circulation going. Help to prevent damage in the same way that you'd warm up before going running or cycling. Probably not the advice you were looking for, but I sometimes get circulation issues with my fingers and I find that this helps. It doesn't help that some of the rehearsel places I've played in have been so cold that Ranulph Fiennes is planning expeditions to them...! Kets Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AdamWoodBass Posted December 9, 2009 Share Posted December 9, 2009 do some physio on your hands before you get there, I try to do it before I play and it does make a difference. Stretch your fingers and your forearms, you should be able to get some decent vids of what to do on youtube. this is a good one: [url="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UVd9XemSAOA"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UVd9XemSAOA[/url] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Davemarks Posted December 9, 2009 Share Posted December 9, 2009 I should put up a video on this soon.... I'll try and do it today. :-) d Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sarah5string Posted December 9, 2009 Author Share Posted December 9, 2009 Thanks guys. As I suspected I got to my lesson and my fingers were like frozen sausages lol Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RAY AGAINST THE MACHINE Posted December 9, 2009 Share Posted December 9, 2009 (edited) Wow! This'll sound messy , but stick with it...... 1.) open hand 2.)bend index finger and ring finger together towards your palm 3.)keep those two fingers where they are and hold them down with your thumb. 4,)while doing this ,raise pinkey(littlefinger) and other finger and stretch them GENTLY as high as you can 5.) Alternate fingers. 6.)you may decide to do one or two hands at a time,it's up to you. but go easy . Hope that doesn't sound too confusing. Edited December 9, 2009 by RAY AGAINST THE MACHINE Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cat Burrito Posted December 9, 2009 Share Posted December 9, 2009 I like to use powerball to get my hand stronger, recommended to me on these very pages Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sarah5string Posted December 9, 2009 Author Share Posted December 9, 2009 (edited) What the fickety feck is a powerball? Edited December 9, 2009 by Sarah5string Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Doddy Posted December 9, 2009 Share Posted December 9, 2009 I don't think it's about strength,so I wouldn't personally bother with a powerball. Your best bet is to just take it easy when you first pick up the bass. Run a few exercises slowly and don't try to rush things. I've never done any hand exercises before playing,just take it easy for a few minutes and you shouldn't have any problems. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BottomEndian Posted December 9, 2009 Share Posted December 9, 2009 [quote name='Sarah5string' post='679592' date='Dec 9 2009, 09:36 PM']What the fickety feck is a powerball?[/quote] It's a gyroscopic device for developing "lonely gentleman's arm": No seriously, I've got one and it's a nice strength-developing tool, but I agree with Doddy here -- this isn't about strength. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sarah5string Posted December 9, 2009 Author Share Posted December 9, 2009 That video is disturbing.... lol Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BottomEndian Posted December 9, 2009 Share Posted December 9, 2009 [quote name='Sarah5string' post='679613' date='Dec 9 2009, 09:52 PM']That video is disturbing.... lol[/quote] Yeah, but it's kind of hypnotic. I've watched the whole thing three times. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alun Posted December 9, 2009 Share Posted December 9, 2009 As daft as this sounds, wash your hands and run them under a hand dryer for a couple of minutes. Simple as it sounds, I find it a good "last resort" if I can't warm up. Cheers Alun Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
steve Posted December 9, 2009 Share Posted December 9, 2009 I could do with some suggestions to get my hand warmed up quickly too, we don't always have the opportunity before a gig, and we're opening with riff raff and hysteria at our next one Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Goatreich Posted December 10, 2009 Share Posted December 10, 2009 Play some air bass on your way to the gig/lesson. Seriously, even if it's just on your thighs discreetly where no one can see you just play along to whatever is playing, be it the house music, the radio, the support band. Any movement will help as long as you ease yourself in. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bilbo Posted December 10, 2009 Share Posted December 10, 2009 To be blunt - a lesson is a lesson not a gig - you should not have to 'impress' your teacher with astonishing displays of technique (if you can, he probably isn't the right teacher - arguable) and any teacher who requires you to start a lesson with Donna Lee etc is clearly a prat. You should be able to warm up perfectly adequately by a few hand stretches as you go in through the front door of your teachers house/shop/studio or by a few moments of simple, comfortable playing. I know its a temptation to try and impress your teacher but if s/he is worth their salt, you will a, almost certainly fail, b, make yourself look immature and c, waste half your lesson showimg off what you know and learning nothing (which was, after all, the point of you going to the teacher in the first place). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sarah5string Posted December 10, 2009 Author Share Posted December 10, 2009 [quote name='bilbo230763' post='680037' date='Dec 10 2009, 11:05 AM']To be blunt - a lesson is a lesson not a gig - you should not have to 'impress' your teacher with astonishing displays of technique (if you can, he probably isn't the right teacher - arguable) and any teacher who requires you to start a lesson with Donna Lee etc is clearly a prat. You should be able to warm up perfectly adequately by a few hand stretches as you go in through the front door of your teachers house/shop/studio or by a few moments of simple, comfortable playing. I know its a temptation to try and impress your teacher but if s/he is worth their salt, you will a, almost certainly fail, b, make yourself look immature and c, waste half your lesson showimg off what you know and learning nothing (which was, after all, the point of you going to the teacher in the first place).[/quote] Thanks for that. Makes perfect sense. I was more worried about over working my hands/fingers more than anything while I'm getting back used to playing daily Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bass-ic Posted December 10, 2009 Share Posted December 10, 2009 (edited) S5S Welcome back. I use this fingering excersize to warm up with. You can start it anywhere, but the key is to do it smoothly and slowly until you have it with no noises buzzes etc. Once you've done this you can play it as fast as you like. So, starting on any fret and any string, but keeping moving around the fret board 1 2 3 4 4 3 2 1 1 4 3 4 2 4 3 4 1. Im sure there are plenty of other and probably better ideas out there but this works for me. It has a bit of history as it was an exersize started by a famous and very well known guitar player. I hope this helps Matt I notice you've grown a second head while youve been away from Bass chat! Edited December 10, 2009 by Absolute-beginner Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
karlthebassist Posted December 10, 2009 Share Posted December 10, 2009 [quote name='RAY AGAINST THE MACHINE' post='679509' date='Dec 9 2009, 08:29 PM']Wow! This'll sound messy , but stick with it...... 1.) open hand 2.)bend index finger and ring finger together towards your palm 3.)keep those two fingers where they are and hold them down with your thumb. 4,)while doing this ,raise pinkey(littlefinger) and other finger and stretch them GENTLY as high as you can 5.) Alternate fingers. 6.)you may decide to do one or two hands at a time,it's up to you. but go easy . Hope that doesn't sound too confusing. [/quote] That's exactly what I do. Works well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sarah5string Posted December 10, 2009 Author Share Posted December 10, 2009 [quote name='Absolute-beginner' post='680391' date='Dec 10 2009, 04:15 PM']S5S Welcome back. I use this fingering excersize to warm up with. You can start it anywhere, but the key is to do it smoothly and slowly until you have it with no noises buzzes etc. Once you've done this you can play it as fast as you like. So, starting on any fret and any string, but keeping moving around the fret board 1 2 3 4 4 3 2 1 1 4 3 4 2 4 3 4 1. Im sure there are plenty of other and probably better ideas out there but this works for me. It has a bit of history as it was an exersize started by a famous and very well known guitar player. I hope this helps Matt I notice you've grown a second head while youve been away from Bass chat![/quote] Great exercise... but not when you can't physically play bass.. lol Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ahpook Posted December 10, 2009 Share Posted December 10, 2009 (edited) what i've done to warm up before a gig without my bass (tho i'm sure i'll be told it's a bad thing to do) ...is to put you fretting hand flat on the table, with your forearm about 30 deg to the palm, and the raise each finger in turn off the table. it doesn't matter if you can't raise them much, just go round them a few times, but try not to raise the other fingers. ymmv Edited December 10, 2009 by ahpook Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RAY AGAINST THE MACHINE Posted December 10, 2009 Share Posted December 10, 2009 [quote name='karlthebassist' post='680416' date='Dec 10 2009, 05:01 PM']That's exactly what I do. Works well.[/quote] Glad you know what I'm talking about Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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