Repetitive Strain?

Preventing Carpal Tunnel for Musicians

As musicians (esp. beginner guitar or bassists that want to shred) we use our hands constantly, yet very few of us actually take the time to examine how they work. We take the workings of our hands for granted- a mistake! If each of us took even a small amount of our time to actually learn how these structures operate, there would be less cases of carpel tunnel syndrome and tendonitus, virtually no aches and pains during practice, and, by using our hands more efficiently, we have already set ourselves up to be technically better on our instrument.

“Correct” Technique

The skeleton of the human hand consists of 27 bones which include: 8 wrist bones, 2 bones in the thumb, and 3 bones in each of the four fingers, and 5 bones in the palm; and the muscles that control these bones are divided into two groups, the extrinsic (the muscles in the forarm), and the intrinsic (the muscles in the hand). Its the INTRINSIC muscles we should focus on when playing the guitar or bass (or any other instrument)- that is THE MUSLCES IN THE HAND ITSELF!

This is because each set of muscles is specialized for a particular task. The muscles in your forarm are designed for strength- they are great when you need alot of power, but in order to transfer this power, they cause the wrist to lock up (just think how hard it would be to lift a heavy object with bent wrists!). Now, the muscles in the hand are designed for the smaller, more precise movements of each individual finger and by the use of these muscles when practicing we can produce a healthier motion and achieve greater finger independance.

How do you know which muscles you’re using? Well, hold your hand out straight infront of you, palm facing down. Now try to separate your fingers sideways (similar motion to the Mr. Spock sign from star trek, but with all your fingers coming apart), the muscles you’re using to do this, are the muscles of the hand (the same ones you would use to tap your fingers on a table top when bored) and when we exercise these muscles they will grow and widen our hands slightly (which helps with those huge stretches!).

Muscle Strength

Ok, but, how do we strengthen these muscles? This is where the technical exercise (guitar and bass) section of my website comes into play, I have specifically designed these exercises with this muscle group in mind, and when you practice (and have guitar lessons) using this technique, your playing will become faster, more accurate, and above all, more controlled than before!

Oh, and if the “Mr. Spock” motion is way too difficult for you to do right now, then this is your first exercise to try. Practicing this action will strengthen the muscles and help improve your playing by a factor of 10!

For private guitar tuition, please contact me for one to one guitar lessons!

June 17, 2009 at 7:55 am | Guitar Technique and Exercises, Practicing and Practice Routine | No comments