Hand/forearm strength and finger speed for musicians

[Connie Brown]

A thread from another forum for musicians. People are wondering about training for strength and finger speed - lots of ignorance. Coaches, any ideas?

Connie

the URL of the thread (it might be a registered-only forum, can't remember)

http://www.bobdunsire.com/CGI-BIN/ultimatebb.cgi?ubb=get_topic;f=6;t=000132

The excerpts from the thread:

Do any of you medical types know if there is a correlation between the strength of your forearms and the speed of your fingers? In other words, will doing arm exercises, like curls, help to develop quicker fingers?

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I don't know about arm curls, after all drinking hasn't helped. However, I have found that repetitive fingering exercises have increased my speed and accuracy.....well when I do them.
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Doing curls will build up your biceps and triceps and won't do much for your finger speed. Rhythmic Fingerwork would be a much better investment.
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Doing arm curls should help you to more comfortably carry both your AND your friend's pipe cases around the games!

Also, with REALLY strong forearms, you might be able to actually crush your chanter with your fingers. That'd be cool. Right at the end of a blisteringly fast reel set, CRUSH your chanter. The Who smashing guitars would have NOTHING on you. And, you'd win every kitchen piping competition you enter - I'm just sure of it.

Seriously though, while it won't hurt you, it's not going to help. It's quick movement exercises that will help.
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What if your fingers are already very quick (Grade one or Open level) and you're just trying to boost the speed another notch? It seems like you can do all the practice exercises in the world, when you come to a certain point in your ability and or age, they have very little additional, or no effect. I would think that some kind of actual strengthening of the muscles that support the tendons in the hands might have a positive effect. I know we have a few Doctors that post out here. What do you guys think?
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Speaking from the "elderly" population, strength has been gained in my hands from Ben Wa(sp) balls and rubber squeeze balls. Rolling the balls through your hand and through your fingers is cool and you can do it at work and try and look like your thinking about work, not a hornpipe. When the chanter is out, Rhythmic Fingerwork is a great book for anyone. Grade 1 or open, control and music seem to win out over speed on the boards.
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From my own experience in the gym, arm exercises can hinder more than help. Try a few tough sets of heavy wrist curls and then play your favorite hornpipe. Not much fun.

The problem is that larger muscles frequently are less flexible, and the range of motion is more and more restricted. Ask any body builder to try and scratch the middle of his (or her) back.

Flexibility exercises and isolation movements will probably get you farther than muscle building.
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A few years ago I took kick-boxing classes, which involves a lot of fast kicks and punches using large muscles. I eventually noticed that finger speed on the chanter improved as well, so I asked the fitness instructor if there was any correlation. His reply was that there might be, since whatever chemicals were helping the big muscles move faster is also in the bloodstream and available to the fingers as well.

I recall that there are two basic types of muscle fibers - slow-twitch for strength and fast-twitch for speed. So, I doubt that strength training alone will help finger speed.

Are there any exercise physiologists out there who could comment on this thread?

[James Boelter]

Based on my efforts to become a professional classical guitarist 15 years ago,the experiences of myself and my peers , and based on conversations with a friend who is a very good professional jazz pianist and another who has a full tuition scholarhip as a violinist, I'd have to say that alignment and awareness and relaxed effort (what the Chinese martial artists call 'sung') is much more important than sheer speed or strength in the forearm muscles.

Let me put it another way - if you watch Coach Sonnon demonstrate the drills in 'Grappler's Tool Box' or 'Fisticuffs, you see a weird kind of speed being demonstrated - he doesn't seem to be moving especially fast, or in any kind of hurried manner, but gravity seems to be something he pays attention to as it suits him. In one drill in GTB, he 'collapses' to the floor, rolls on it, and springs back to his feet almost faster than the eye can follow; but it is all biomechanics and stored elastic energy, not flexibility, strength, or effort. I think that this quality of movement is what a musician needs, far more than sheer strength, speed, or even suppleness.

The NLP people once put out a neat little book entitled 'A Soprano On Her Head' which was addressed to aspiring performing artists - it was meant to help them approach their practice with a different, more productive mindset, to help them break out of their perceptual ruts. In other words, the lessons in the book are meant to help performers overcome 'Fear Reactivity'. I would recommend the book to anyone trying to take their performing 'game' to the next level.

By all means, stretch and strengthen the soft tissues in your hands, wrists, and forearms to protect their integrity...but if I were ever to go back to the classical guitar (well, it could happen!) I would be far more focused on Body Flow than before.

JMO, and keep in mind that I never earned a dime as a musician!

[Doug Szolek]

First off I agree with what James had to say that poise and relaxation are probably the most important aspects of optimal performance. Though like him, I've never earned a dime playing music of any sort.

Additionally, I think a very detailed work through of Dynamic Range of Motion exercises from the thoracic spine to the finger tips would be very beneficial to the health of the related joints as well as developing the necessary coordination to hit certain keys or hold certain strings as quickly and accuratly as possible.

I'm talking, circles, figure eights, infinities, diagonal, yinyangs, clover leaves, revovlers, waves, rolls, and any combination of the above.

I've given the matter some thought because I'm determined to learn Classical Guitar some time this life 8)

[Cilian McHugh]

Funny, I was just discussing this with my brother recently. He's a drummer and is open to suggestions, so far he has found that the shoulder, elbow, wrist and finger ROMs from WW before and after playing keep him fluid while playing and prevent any lingering stiffness.

I can't help but wonder if the Strength Endurance from clubbells would contribute to a Bonzo like 15 minute solo (Led Zepp Royal Albert Hall anyone?)

[bob_stra]

I'm not a coach.

(But hey, I've flown coach. Does that count?) ;-)

Anyway, three little words

+RFD +weight +training

PS: The staff down here at West AUstralian Academy of Performing Arts have a full time Alexander Technique teacher and two part time Feldenkrais Method teachers. Apparently, someone here thinks proper body use is important to musicians, actors and dancers. Pshaw...right

:roll:

[SteveB]

It seems to me that you're looking to utilize strength-endurance, flexibility, coordination, and recovery from what the coach calls "Sensory Motor Amnesia"--the reclaiming of innate characteristics. Warrior Wellness and clubbell training would seem to be ideal. Warrior Wellness for health and GPP, clubbell for GPP and SPP, and then superspeed drills specifically exceeding your current max, to rev up the nervous system.

Steve

[pookaboy]

Connie,
Being a Bass Player and part-time keyboardist (More synth and computer music than piano, but I do have a piano) I have noticed that I do have much better endurance and finger dexterity. I notice especially on the Bass guitar when I am playing long songs where I must either use a pick or fingers or even a long thumb-thumping/popping session that I can endure better and more and more my forearms don't get tired. I have also noticed muscular development in places where I didn't think I would see it. Especially in between the thumb and index finger. That particular muscle is known to get tired from gripping the back of the neck on the bass or from squeeze a pick when you get picking a string at a faster than normal speed (Like Thrash Metal, etc). Plus, after a good workout on Clubbells, playing my instruments are a lot easier and more enjoyable.
For keyboards, I swear by Hanon's 60 exercises (I love them but haven't mastered them yet). These are serious wrist-burners when you practice them hard like I do on occasion. Once again, wrist endurance is much better now because of the unique strength requirements that clubbells place on one's wrist and grip. If you're really serious about practice, try montunos next in the Salsa Hanon's book from Musicians' Institute, your wrists will ache but you will love it! :twisted: I am sure that the clubbells help in other ways as well but haven't noticed yet.
enjoy,
Tom

[Connie Brown]

Wow, great report Pookaboy. thanks for the details.

I appreciate everyone's comments on the Warrior Wellness. I realized after I read them all that I had thought my hands would become muscle-bound, silly me, not allowed here. I need all the finger speed I can retain. The motion for me is using the fingers like the hammer on a piano string: they are straight and only rotate at the knuckles, like when you are behind someone who is talking and you make that "yadda yadda" thing with your fingers....