Hand Stretchers?

[NorseWolf]

I was wondering if there were any "not so obvious" hand stretching thingys (lmao) to do before I begin my practice routine?

Seriously though...I wanna make sure I don't screw up learning how to play the guitar this time....lol

[ged_ohagan]

this one really helped out my stretch beween my 3rd and 4th fingers. follow this patern and continue it starting on the 11th fret, then 10th and go down as far as you can

[EricV]

OK, attached to this post, there is a Powertab-file with some warmups I use. They focus on stretches and synchronisation.
Speed is not important here, and make sure you don´t hurt yourself. Start out in the upper areas of the neck, and move the exercises down.

No.1;
That´s the intro-riff of my song "Atlanta Dawn". It´s based on add9-shapes. This also helps to get the synchronisation together. I play it with all alternate picking.

No.2:
Same as above, but moved down to the lower frets to increase the stretch ( Do this after you feel comfortable with No.1 )

No.3
A Cmaj add9-bar chord. Play it and make sure all the notes ring out, then move that chord down the neck until you reach the Fadd9 in the next bar.

No4:
Similar to No3., but this time, we´re using a 9#11-chord, which might be tough at first. Move that one down the neck, too

No5.
Arps. Each note is fretted right when you play it, so you don´t have to fret the whole chord constantly.

Hope this helps
Eric

[The Bash]

Yea those add9 chords are great (Sound cool too)
I really like the 5th string root C# and B with the open (B, E) strings ringing. I use those a lot.

Nice Warm ups BTW.

[EricV]

Thanks. I often try to keep them nice-sounding. They´re warm-ups, but that doesn´t mean they can´t sound good. ( OK, sure, I do use a bunch of rather "mechanical" ones, as well. Chromatics etc. )

Those open chords you mentioned... yeah, I love those too. I recently posted a powertab-file of a song I wrote with a singer... I think the thread was about unusual tunings.
I tuned to E-A-D-G-A-D ( low to high ), and started out with a Bminadd9 chord with open first and second string.
OF COURSE I could have done that in regular tuning and with a C#minadd9 ( yes, I am aware that the "min" does not really apply, cuz I am not fretting any third, but I still think of it as a minadd9 cuz I try to think in the diatonic context... ), but the lower key was more appropiate for the singer´s voice, and I also was able to move the bass note to A ( open 5th string ), G ( low E, 3rd fret ) and F# ( second fret ) with that altered tuning and Bminadd9... the stretches were tough
Blah Blah :)
Eric

[The Bash]

Yea I noticed from your sound files/posts etc.
You got the same love of open ringy strings I got :)

Randy's You Can't Kill Rock N'Roll off Diary. And of Course Alex's Stuff with Rush is what got me into that kinna stuff.
Andy Summers does some cool stuff like that as well.

[EricV]

"Ghostwind" and "The Introduction"... :)

Anyway, I often use those "open B- and E-string" chords, like i.e. used in "Canyon Of Spirits".
One of the songs I wrote with that country-singer is based on a certain chord-progression with those kinda chords. I showed it to a student recently, and she said "Hey, I know those chords"... the next time, she brought the unplugged-album by Alanis Morissette, and there was a song on there which is based on those very same chords, even played in the same progression *sigh*
Eric