Hand stretchers -did they work for you?

[poodlesrule]

Hand stretchers, Planet Waves or such.

Did they work for you?

I have a thin, short pinky (heh)... need to get that little bastard to improve a bit, otherwise no good fret stretch to be had...

[Robert]

Well, I personally don't think these things do much good. I believe in the principle of specificity. Better to do hand stretches and to play the guitar to get stronger.

Here's a good video about stretches and massage for warming up.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1XsLRQFV7rY

[Tig]

They worked great during the Spanish Inquisition!

http://orangecow.org/pythonet/spanish1.gif

[tjcurtin1]

I found the planet waves unit useful in this way - I could use time when I couldn't play, specifically while driving, both for strengthening generally but most importantly for isolating the movement of the ring and pinky fingers on the left hand. When I started with it, I could not get those fingers to move individually (like I could on my right hand). After several months, I have been able to get them to work better independently, which has definitely helped with actual playing and use of the pinky.