I get asked a bit about arthritis prevention and guitar playing by students.
Mostly how can I help people become better guitarists when they suffer from it?
As many of you know, arthritis is not a pleasant thing to suffer from.
I am no doctor and don’t give medical advice on such things, but one thing I preach is that prevention is better than cure – this applies to arthritis prevention when playing the guitar as well.
One of my favourite films of all time is Terminator 2: Judgment Day. I remember watching it as a kid with my dad on VHS – I was probably only 8 at the time (and the film had a 15 rating here in the UK, so he might be mortified if he knew I told you this!) It is a great film and in it, there is a scene that reminds me of how it feels to play guitar each day and is a great reminder of the importance of guitar warm-up exercises.
When someone talks about a warm-up for playing guitar, the temptation for many is to roll their eyes, turn away, and to just go on playing their favourite tunes instead.
The trouble is, many beginner guitarists struggle to actually play these tunes well and struggle with the physical aspects of playing them, so not only do the songs sound a bit rough but they also feel uncomfortable to play. In this post, I’ll explain why, if you don’t warm up, you should!
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