Hand Care for Musician

The most used and harmed part of Musician’s body is the hands. Almost all the music instruments are played with the help of hands. Like an athlete, a musician too is required to stay in the form to give the best performance.

It is extremely necessary for the musician to take proper care of the hands. This is the reason why the music teachers recommend finger exercises, arm and hand stretches before one starts to play the instrument.

Trimmed Nails:

Appropriately shaped and trimmed nails are very essential for playing any musical instrument. One cannot play an instrument with recklessly grown nails. Properly sanitized hands and trimmed nails can also reduce the risk of wear and tear on the fingerboards.

Warming up:

As it is essential to warm up the body before starting any physical activity, similarly it is necessary to warm up the hands and the fingers before starting to play any music instrument. Warming up probably reduces the chances of different muscle-related injuries. One must prepare the hands before engaging them in a tiring physical activity.

Playing a guitar requires more than obligatory musical ability, practice and dedication. The fingers of a guitar player must be adroit and agile in order to allow swift chord or string changes during the performances. The fingers are also required to be strong and tough to be able to give the immediate stroke to the chord.

A guitar player needs to take proper care of the fingers to avoid any muscle fatigue. The most efficient way of strengthening the fingers for a guitar player is to practice chords and scales on the guitar itself. This not only warms up the fingers but also makes one familiar with playing the instrument efficiently.

Some hand exercises can also help a musician to take good care of the hands. For musicians, hand exercises can improve the strength and flexibility of the fingers. The two basic exercises are:

• Stand straight and lift up the arms as if is about to fly and position the palm facing in the forward direction. Stretch the fingers inward and outward as far as possible. Do it at least ten times. Put the hands down, relax for a few seconds and repeat the process for three times.

• Stand in the same posture, now with the fingers of right hand, hold the left hand fingers (excluding the thumb) and push towards the back of the hand. Remain in the position of stretch for ten seconds, relax and repeat the in continuation for three times.