Hand Stretches | Free Online Guitar Lesson

lesson summary

Lesson 12 of 15 in our Basic Guitar Series: Hand Stretches

About this teacher

Regardless of whether you are playing in a sitting position or standing up, the following posture guidelines should be followed at all times.

1. The feet should always be shoulder length apart. The strongest, sturdiest geometric shape is the triangle. The ancient Egyptians were highly aware of this concept and applied it to their architecture. The crotch area, legs, and feet should form an isosceles triangle. In order to accomplish this, the feet must be parallel to one another. Also, the legs must be spread slightly apart.

If the hands are primarily used to play the guitar, why is leg posture so important? The answer is quite simple. As Steve explains, tension in one muscle group can easily spread to another. I once watched an undergraduate recital that demonstrated this concept perfectly. The performing student was experiencing some lower back and upper leg pain as a result of falling off a high bunk bed. The pain in his legs caused him to sit unnaturally while playing. By the time he had reached the third piece on the program, his hands had completely locked to the point that he could no longer continue. The tension in other muscle groups, combined with high nervous energy caused the joints in his hands to become completely stiff. Unfortunately, he learned his lesson the hard way. If you pay close attention to the information in this lesson, you can avoid unpleasant experiences such as these.

2. ALWAYS PLAY WITH A STRAP ON YOUR GUITAR REGARDLESS OF WHETHER YOU ARE SITTING DOWN OR NOT! Most guitar-related injuries can easily be avoided if this time-tested rule is followed. The majority of guitarists have their guitar way too low. Many beginners see professionals such as James Hetfield or Jimmy Page playing with their guitars slung around their knees and emulate such a look. Although it may look cool, this frequently causes problems with the back and left hand. When the guitar hangs too low, the left hand is forced to arch outward more in order to accommodate certain left-hand fingerings. Also, with your guitar hung low, its weight is distributed more towards the smaller back muscles. This may not be a big deal if you are playing half hour sets with a Parker Fly. If you are playing three hours with a Les Paul however, this posture will make a noticeable difference.

Although it is a less common problem, hanging the guitar too high can also cause injury as well as less control over the instrument. One of my guitar teachers in college injured himself in this manner. This particular guitarist played a large Ibanez hollowbody for a number of years. His strap was adjusted to the appropriate height, but the guitar was simply too big for him. Consequently, he wound up with back problems that kept him from playing for a whole month.

In order to determine the perfect height for your guitar, sit with both arms hanging loosely towards the floor. Make sure you are sitting up straight and that your shoulders are relaxed. Now, slowly raise your left arm solely with the bicep muscle. At a certain point, your bicep will feel no tension while you continue to raise your arm. Adjust your strap so that the neck of the guitar meets your left hand in this spot. For most players, the guitar will no longer rest in the lap. Rather, it will rest against the chest and abdomen, hovering a few inches above the lap.

3. Relax the shoulders. Do not raise them as if you were shrugging. Tension in the shoulders spreads very rapidly to the forearms, wrists, and fingers. Play Recuerdos de la Alhambra or any tremolo piece with your right shoulder raised, and you will see what I mean.

4. If you feel any uncomfortable tension in any muscle group, immediately stop what you are doing and relax for a few minutes. Prolonged tension in the muscles frequently leads to injuries such as tendinitis. 5. Keep the thumbs relaxed. Do not squeeze the neck or pick. This kills your endurance.

Steve demonstrates several stretching exercises designed to free up tension in the fingers, wrists, and forearms. Make a habit of doing these exercises before you begin your regular warm up routine. As you watch Steve demonstrate each exercise, emulate him carefully. If you feel any pain or discomfort, you are stretching your muscles too far. Weightlifters frequently refer to the cliché phrase “no pain, no gain.” This saying is only true of large muscle groups. Playing the guitar involves much smaller muscle groups. If you experience pain in these small muscle groups, you have damaged them, not made them stronger.

our beginner lessons

Beginner Guitar Lessons at JamPlay

about Steve Eulberg

Steve Eulberg: Award-Winning Songwriter & Instrumentalist

Steve is the founder of Owl Mountain Music, Inc, and has produced 9 records. Feel free to check out his personal website at www.steveeulberg.com.

join jamplay!

Money Back Guarantee

You've heard it before, but we honor it. Your membership can be cancelled at anytime, and comes with a 7 day, 100% Money Back Guarantee.

All transactions to JamPlay, LLC are completed with 128-bit, SSL Secure Processing

JamPlay members enjoy the following features and benefits of our services.

Unlimited Lesson Viewing

A JamPlay membership gives you access to every lesson, from every teacher on our staff. Additionally, there is no restriction on how many times you watch a lesson. Watch as many times as you need.

Custom Progress Reports

Our software allows you to document your progress for any lesson, including notes and percent of the lesson completed. This gives you the ability to document what you need to work on, and where you left off.

Video Q&A

Every week at JamPlay, we take member questions, answer them on camera, and publish them to you. Exclusive only to JamPlay, enjoy the benefits of in-person instructors and the conveniences of our community.

Interactive Community

Create your own profile, manage your friends list, and contact users with your own JamPlay Mailbox. JamPlay also features live chat with teachers and members, and an active Forum.

Chord Library

Each chord in our library contains a full chart, related tablature, and a photograph of how the chord is played. A comprehensive learning resource for any guitarist.

Custom Chord Sheets

At JamPlay, not only can you reference our Chord Library, but you can also select any variety of chords you need to work on, and generate your own printable chord sheet.

Backing Tracks

Jam-along backing tracks give the guitarist a platform for improvising and soloing. Our backing tracks provide a wide variety of tracks from different genres of music, and serves as a great learning tool.

Tons of Teachers, All Styles

We have teachers covering beginner lessons, rock, classic rock, jazz, bluegrass, fingerstyle, slack key and more. Learn how to play the guitar from experienced players, in a casual environment.

Beginners Welcome.. and Up

Unlike a lot of guitar websites and DVDs, we start our Beginner Lessons at the VERY start of the learning process, as if you just picked up a guitar for the first time.Our teaching is structured for all players.