Musicians and Injuries
Music Medicine
Guitar Warm-up Exercises
Guitar Base Musicians Doctor Articles
Non-medical Approaches for Treatment of Repetitive Strain Injuries
Prevention of Repetitive Strain Injuries
Carpal Tunnel Syndrome: Explanation and Prevention
Explanation, Treatment, and Prevention of Trigger Finger
Cubital Tunnel Syndrome in Guitarists
Repetitive Strain Injury Prevention Guidelines:
Tinnitus Frequently Answered Questions
Overuse Injuries
Performing Arts Medicine
The International Arts-Medicine Association
Performing Arts Medicine at Ithaca College
The Tendon Band
Hands Rehabiliation Products
The Pilates Studio
Reduce The Stress
Sitting & Proper Positioning
Health and Performance Institute For Musicians

Warm-up Ideas
Use a metronome with all exercises,  if metronome is boring try using an drum machine.. Please start slowly, never start playing fast right off top. You may damaged your hands and fingers amd may cause serious problems in the future. If at anytime your hands or forearms cramp up or hurt, STOP shake out your hands and arms, then try to relax and start again, if you continue playing with the pain, you will probably develop tendonitis or a similar problem. Here are some basic warm ups exercises.

Keyboardist warm ups, start slowly with your thumb(s) 12345 playing 5 notes back and fourth, using your left and right hands. This will help improve your dexterity.

Drummer's warm ups, start slowly with  L, R, L, R,  or  R, L, R, L  or  L L, RR - RR, LL.

Guitarist and Bassist

Play good and solid clear tones.

play up to the 12th fret then back down using your first four fingers and alternate picking  or fingering (down, up, down, up etc) or hammer ons and pull offs

|------------------------------------------1-2-3-4--5-4-3-2----------------

|----------------------------------1-2-3-4------------------5-4-3-2--------

|--------------------------1-2-3-4----------------------------------5-4-3-2

|------------------1-2-3-4-------------------------------------------------etc

|----------1-2-3-4---------------------------------------------------------

|--1-2-3-4-----------------------------------------------------------------

Use your first three fingers or use your second, third, fourth - play up to 12th fret and back down. Alternate between fingering.

|-------------------------------1-2-3--4-3-2-------------------------------

|-------------------------1-2-3--------------4-3-2-etc---------------------

|-------------------1-2-3--------------------------------------------------

|-------------1-2-3--------------------------------------------------------

|-------1-2-3--------------------------------------------------------------

|-1-2-3--------------------------------------------------------------------

Use your first and third fingers  -  use your second and fourth, play up to 12th fret and back down. Alternate between fingering.

|----------------------1-3--4-2--------------------------------------------

|------------------1-3----------4-2----------------------------------------

|--------------1-3------------------4-2------------------------------------

|----------1-3---------------------------4-2-------------------------------

|------1-3-----------------------------------4-2etc------------------------

|--1-3---------------------------------------------------------------------

You can also play 8 notes - major or minor scales for warm ups, this will help improve your dexterity. Don't try to do ALL of this in one practice session. This stuff is only to warm up your hands, so you don't do any damage to the tendons, about 10-15 minutes of this should do the trick

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