Gripmaster or other devices to help develop strength and dexterity

June 11, 2007 at 09:59 PM · The gripmaster just works in one direction. Everyone of the numerous world-class athletic coaches and athletes I know say all muscles should be balanced. By that, the muscles that open your hand should have strength also to avoid problems.

I use dumbbells for my writs and fingers. Put your fingers, 2 or 3 at a time, under the flange of the weightand resting your wrist on your knees (seated) lift the weight with only your fingers.

Now, this is from a Navy Seal friend and it works very very well if you have access to a pool. Maybe a large bucket or bathtub would work for some of it. With your hands under water wave "bye bye" with your hands and wrist only. Wave in two different directions. Make a strong flicking motion under water like flicking a bug off your body, but do it hard and fast ten times. You will be shocked at how hard that gets and how quickly.

At the outstanding workout club I belong to they have numerous water exercise goodies. My favorite is a dog bone like device, and about that size, that has a fan-like circular thingy at each end. Twisting that back and forth, up and down, etc. underwater is quite tiring, but your muscles get really nimble and strong.

Open and close your hands very rapidly under water. See how quickly your hand muscles say "STOP." All that has helped my playing emmensely.

Good luck.

June 11, 2007 at 10:45 PM · Greetings,

I don`t rate gripmaster type contraptions at all. The kind of thing Ray is sduggesting is much more sensible. Anotehr well known exercise used in rehabilitation is to take a piec eof newspaper and crumple it up into a ball using one hand only.

However, I often fele there is soemthign a little superfluous about strengthening the hands to play the violin other than by playing the violin. I think it is usually more a case of correct of the of whole body allowing the hands to function freely. This correct o\use of whole body includes the mind.

Very often when I wnat gretae rspeed it is greater relaxrion that I actually need and by approahcing the problem from this angle very often thinsg begin to work. Making the Kreutzer f major etide a daily exrercise in relaxtion (use dotted rythms as well) should give you all the speed you need. It is quite possible you are using too many muscles in the forearm. Having a clear mental image of working form the base joints of the left hand fingers is importna.

Also recognize that agreta dela of violon p@laying involves a movement and a reaction not a series of connecte dindividual moveemnts. The simplest way tounderstand this is to consider clapping. If you try and clap fast attending to each individual movement you can`t. Doing it as a reflex bounce is much easier and faster.A lot of bowing is like this too. Pay atention to the firts stroke of a fast group and let the otehr notes be taken care of by the bow.

Cheers,

Buri

June 11, 2007 at 10:54 PM · I highly recommend the "DynaFlex".

http://www.amazon.com/Dynaflex-PowerBall-w-Blue-Lights/dp/B0002OQJ0Y/ref=pd_bbs_sr_2/104-2040740-7423119?ie=UTF8&s=sporting-goods&qid=1181602511&sr=8-2

The faster you try to go, the more resistance is generated... it is mostly a forearm strengthener. The muscles in the fingers are very tiny and I have never had a teacher who said that finger strengthening exercises off of the violin were "necessary".

June 12, 2007 at 02:30 AM · Greetings!

Might I send you in another direction? I also agree with the previous that strength exercises are not necessary, but I believe stretching of the hand muscles and tendons is crucial to playing faster. I find that can play faster (and more accurately) when I am limber and relaxed. Try holding one hand outward with your palm facing away like you are telling someone to "stop". With the other hand, pull your fingers backward, keeping your elbow straight the whole time. Hold 10. Not only will this relax your hand to "dance" faster, but it's a great stretch to prevent tendonitis! Pick up the book "Playing (less) hurt" by Janet Horath. I've run into "brick walls" myself, and this book has helped me overcome them all just though stretching. You'll be amazed what will come out!

June 12, 2007 at 09:46 PM · My close friend, Tony, a Navy Seal, said THE key to doing anything athletic, hand to hand combat, hitting a golf ball or baseball, and, yes, playing the violin, is good breathing. Tony said the key to breathing, which he said we Americans don't do correctly, is when you reach the bottom of your NORMAL breath, gently push the rest of the air out and let your body breathe in for you, don't YOU breathe in. He said that gets more oxygen to the muscles to work better and slows the heart rate and breathing to make you more relaxed. Yup, as said by several above, doing anything requiring muscle movement is better when relaxed.

June 12, 2007 at 10:45 PM · Greetings,

Ray, that`s exactly what Alexander technique says regarding breathing. It`s along the lines of creating a need for air and letting the body sort out the rest. It is a veyr profounf thing for wind player swho typically take a deepbreathe before playing with often less than successful results. One of the most interesting AT classes I ever saw featured a flute player who prepare by drawing in a breathe unnaturally. The AT showed here that the very act of lifting the flute (done correctly) created a need for air which was then drawn in baturally. One then just plays until more air is needed. Singers too, can beneifit a lot form thinking about this.

Cheers,

Buri