Playing the guitar is one of the best ways to spend some free time, but for others, playing the guitar is also their way to earn money. Beginners usually practice playing the guitar for an hour every day. For intermediate and experts, they are averaging two to six hours practicing the guitar.
With all these hours spent playing the guitar, the hands will also take a lot of beating. You’ll experience pain in your hands and fingers and sometimes even cuts. You’ll have sore and painful fingertips as this comes from indenting your skin over and over again on hard guitar strings.
With all these hours spent playing the guitar, the hands will also take a lot of beating. You’ll experience pain in your hands and fingers and sometimes even cuts. You’ll have sore and painful fingertips as this comes from indenting your skin over and over again on hard guitar strings.
But one of the most annoying experiences all guitarists have been was having hand cramps from playing the guitar. Hand cramp is a type of nerve disorder that results in unwarranted movements (spasms) or muscle aches of hand muscles that usually occur when writing or playing a musical instrument. However, they may also occur during other specific, fast-moving hand tasks.
How Do I Stop My Hands From Cramping When Playing Guitar?
So, how to prevent hand cramps while playing guitar?
These are the most known methods on how to prevent hand cramps while playing guitar:
The first is to have a warm-up. Warm-up is essential in every activity, including playing the guitar. The warm-up must include three to five minutes of moderate cardiovascular exercise, such as stairs or a fast-paced walk around the room. After doing the fast-paced walk should be followed by some movements of the larger joints – shoulder and elbow – then some movements of the wrists and digits.
By increasing your cardiovascular activity, it will result in an increased blood flow to your muscles which will help your hands in the long run.
The second would be stretching. Stretching is the greatest way to fight against cramping. That is why doing stretches before and after each practice session must be developed into a habit. While stretching your hands and fingers is crucial, you must also stretch your arms, shoulders, and back as well since good posture is essential in playing the guitar.
Taking a necessary break is also important to prevent hand cramps from playing the guitar. When you start to feel the sensations of cramping, just take a five to ten-minute break to give your hands a rest and to recuperate. While taking your break, try to shake your hands gently and let them loosen up a bit to increase blood circulation before going back to playing the guitar.
Hand massage is an excellent way to increase the blood flow to your hands for practicing. Hand massage after playing the guitar is a perfect way to stimulate your hand muscles and nerves as it will help them be stronger for future playing.
Having a healthy diet and exercise will also do wonders for your hands. When your body is in good shape, and the blood circulation and overall dexterity are improved, this will significantly reduce the occurrence of hand cramps.
Other guitarists recommend practicing speed drills as a form of warm-up as these will exercise your fingers and hand. This will also help your hand to adjust while playing faster. Some also use lighter strings to reduce the force you are placing in your hand and fingers.
Holding the guitar properly and having the proper finger placement will significantly reduce the stress your hands are experiencing while playing the guitar. Have a relaxed posture, make sure you have the proper fingering, take a deep breath and let your shoulders rest.
These things are very important to remember to prevent hand cramps from playing the guitar.
How do guitarists take care of their hands?
The most important thing to remember for every guitarist is that the most important part of your guitar rig is your hands. However, only a few are ensuring that their wrists, fingers, and hands are always in good shape. Fortunately, taking care of your wrists, fingers, and hands only takes a very small amount of your time.
For professional guitar players, they always take care of their calluses. As you work hard to become a better guitar player, you will also have calluses along the way. Calluses are susceptible to dryness, cracking, and peeling, which is why filing it can prevent the rough edges from catching on the strings and cause further damage.
They also trim their nails as long, and protruding fingernails can make fretting difficult. It is recommended that the nails in the fretting hand must not extend the fingertip.
Experienced guitar players always do stretch and warm-up exercises before playing. They exercise their fingers using a stress ball or finger grip to help maintain and build muscle. Doing resistance training will help your fretting speed and control.
Cracking and peeling skin is always a problem for guitar players; that is why they always moisturize their hands, as cracked and bleeding hands can be painful to play with, and peeling skin may cause you to lose your hard-earned calluses.
Other guitarists always try to eat healthy foods and drink not too much coffee, while others aim to have plenty of sleep.
All in all, every guitarist must know how to prevent hand cramps while playing guitar, as your hands are the most important parts of your guitar rig.
