Do You Warm Up Your Fingers To Play?

[Rich Cohen]

My hands are always warm.

Must be from counting all that money!

 

[walrus]

I just play but I may choose what I play first to help get everything moving.

Me too. Maybe a simpler song with some chords, no single notes. Then that's it! Ready!

walrus

 

[walrus]

I type a lot at work so my fingers are ready to go. Plus I got too much scar tissue in wrist from surgery and extra stretching only makes matters worse.

got to say: the F30R has vanished my shoulder issues. I have to use the Br once a week for like 90 minutes. No issues anymore, as the rest of week is the F30R. Winning.

My experience as well! F30 (vs. a dread) solved the problem!

walrus

 

[dreadnut]

I don't need to warm up my fingers, but I warm up my silver coin picks with my fingers! They play much better when warmed up.

 

[Opsimath]

I don't need to warm up my fingers, but I warm up my silver coin picks with my fingers! They play much better when warmed up.

Are those the only picks you use? Who made them for you?

 

[dreadnut]

Are those the only picks you use? Who made them for you?

For my acoustics, I normally use a 1.3mm Brain pick, or Cat's Tongue.

The silver ones are my go-to picks for electric guitar and mandolin, I use them occasionally on my acoustic guitars. Of course, metal expands when warmed, so these picks take on a unique tone when they're all warmed up.

The quarter dollar pick is from my birth year and the half dollar is the last year of the silver coins. I also have two older half dollar picks, a Walking Liberty and a Franklin.

You can find them for sale on line, but their price has increased significantly from when I bought mine a few years ago. If you but one, be sure it is a vintage 90% silver one, i.e., 1964 or older.

 

[bluesypicky]

I jog a couple of miles, lift weights for about an hour focusing on arms and upper body (back and abs if I'm gonna play standing up), avoid red meat and sugar on a sodium free diet, and finally a 20 to 30 minutes yoga/stretching session, then I'm ready.
Cynthia: If you REALLY want to play, you find the time.

 

[F312]

IHey Al, I do all of that after I have played.

 

[Rambozo96]

I don't need to warm up my fingers, but I warm up my silver coin picks with my fingers! They play much better when warmed up.

Vintage coins for vintage toan

 

[Rambozo96]

I did have a rosewood pick that was nice but I have long since lost it. I’m pretty much fingerpicking almost exclusively on acoustic so it doesn’t matter now. On electric however its 50/50. As for a warm up I just run though some fingerpicked stuff I come up with as fast as I can play it without fumbling too much. Doing that for a few minutes seems to better my chances at doing a clean take.

 

[adorshki]

I jog a couple of miles, lift weights for about an hour focusing on arms and upper body (back and abs if I'm gonna play standing up), avoid red meat and sugar on a sodium free diet, and finally a 20 to 30 minutes yoga/stretching session, then I'm ready.

Right. Yoga should always precede the finger excercises.