The repetitive motion of playing bass guitar can wreak havoc on the muscles and tendons of the hands and wrists. Stretching exercises before and after playing will help increase blood flow and flexibility, and reduce the effects of physical stress that have the potential to sideline your playing.
Warm-Up Exercises
Before you pick up your bass, increase the blood flow to your wrists, hands and fingers. Dr. Randy Kertz, author of “The Bassist’s Guide to Injury Management, Prevention and Better Health,” suggests starting with simple wrist rotations. Loosely turn the wrists in a complete circle.
From there, slowly open and close the hands several times to loosen the finger tendons and work out any kinks in the joints.
Playing
Before you start with any speed drills or highly repetitive movements, ease into playing by slowly playing the chromatic scale on each string, then move into the major or minor scale, starting at the fifth fret or higher. Playing higher on the neck requires less stretching of your fingers until you are thoroughly warmed up.
Cool-Down Exercises
When you are done with your practice session, continue to increase the blood flow into the wrists, fingers and hands while reducing any physical stress. Gently shake your hands to relax the muscles and perform several more slow wrist rolls.
Conditioning Exercises
When you are not playing the bass, condition your fingers to make them stronger and increase their flexibility. Dr. Kertz recommends squeezing a rubber ball or tennis ball. The pumping motion of squeezing with the fingers will help develop speed and stamina. He also encourages strengthening the wrists by placing rubber bands around the fingers to provide resistance, then opening and closing the fingers several times.
About this Author
John Kuhlman is a Las Vegas-based writer with more than 20 years of professional experience in corporate communications. He is a published author of several books and feature articles for national publications such as “American Artist,” “Inside Kung-Fu,” The Outdoor Journey, and LIVESTRONG. He holds a Bachelor of Arts in English from Miami University.
