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Post by painkiller on Nov 16, 2007 4:01:44 GMT -5
Have any of you guys tried the Chopsticks made by Isotonik for finger strength and speed? I met one guy who told me about them and he said they really helped with his strength/speed and also reduced his tendonitis. I've been trying to use the gripmaster but I think it might be doing more harm than good. I get kind of sore in the tendon that runs along my ring finger. Just wondering if anyone else has tried em and wondering what you thought?
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Post by Stefvorcide on Nov 16, 2007 11:08:47 GMT -5
yeah gripmaster seem to do more harm than anything for us guitarist. it's good to recover from an injury tho.
Best trick to improve strenght and speed: lots of practice, and use HUGE strings, or play on an old accoustic beater (with the thickest strings you can find) so when you get back on a lighter gauge, it's easy.
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Post by Tungus on Nov 16, 2007 12:32:23 GMT -5
yeah gripmaster seem to do more harm than anything for us guitarist. it's good to recover from an injury tho. Best trick to improve strenght and speed: lots of practice, and use HUGE strings, or play on an old accoustic beater (with the thickest strings you can find) so when you get back on a lighter gauge, it's easy. Agreed.
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Post by painkiller on Nov 16, 2007 16:59:18 GMT -5
Yes, I think that's a good way to practice too. I think what started this whole thing was that I've been working on Testaments Return to Serenity solo and I can't play the first fast legato run up to speed no matter how many times I play the damn thing. I have it down perfectly in that I don't make any mistakes and my fingers don't trip, I just can't get them to physically move fast enough. I've been working on trills in combinations but mostly the ones between the third and fourth finger because I feel this is a limiting factor in my playing. That's when I thought about doing exercises when away from the guitar to actually build strength, in other words, involving some sort of resistance, like weight training. And just by accident I met a guy down at Sam Ash who was just noodling around but was really really fast and I started talking to him. That's when he told me about these chopstick things he uses and said that they really helped his playing and speed. I've never used the things but the way he described them seemed to make sense because it was very much akin to a plyometric workout which I do for my legs. Plyometrics work on explosive muscle contractions and its what most athletes do that need quick intense motions like speed skaters or pitchers or sprinters. I just never figured out how you could do plyometric exercises for fingers until I herd about chopsticks so I was really intrigued. I think I might give em a go anyway cause I'm not getting anywhere with Gripmaster and I think I'm hurting myself. It's certainly not quick and explosive, more slow and painful.
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Post by endless on Nov 16, 2007 23:04:21 GMT -5
Apparently they work well. They don't work the grip directly... you squeeze them between your fingers to work the muscles on the side of your finger. These are the same muscles the best classical pianists are trained to use.
I talked to someone who bought one of those $100 'become a guitar god in 10 days' packages, and all it came with was the sticks, a rubber band, and an exercise book. It helped, but not worth $100! ;p
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Post by painkiller on Nov 16, 2007 23:39:26 GMT -5
cool! Thanks endless, good to know!
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Post by diego on Nov 18, 2007 13:11:49 GMT -5
Don`t know Isotonik Chopsticks... Maybe try using drugs... Gripmaster stuff... Never used it... Etc... It`s like those ABS or Gym stuff you see on tv... Or the potatoes stuff... Pure crap...
Anyway i think the problem is the way guitar players practice... I think there are no really good methods for electic guitars to develope technique... And i say this because Bach, Beethoven, Paganini, etc, etc didn`t have all the shit we have nowadays and they were awesome... The same to classical musicians... I took some classical lessons long ago and then as my mom was a classical guitar concertist she told me... You don`t have to use all this strange stuff... You have to practice seriously... Schuman was the only one i know that used some device to improve his streching capabilities... Conclusion he fucked his hands... Good luck he was married to Clara who was a better pianist...
As michael angelo said... Practice Practice Practice... There are no secrets...
Hope this help man...
Ps. (Don`t mess with thoses stuff... You don`t want to fuck your hands)...
Diego.
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Post by pcsmall on Nov 18, 2007 14:27:22 GMT -5
yeah i'd say that my gripmaster did more harm than good. i attribute my shredding ability and the maintenance of it to being too lazy to bring my pod and electric home so i end up doing my at home shredding on my acoustic more than anything.
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Post by Torkin on Nov 26, 2007 13:33:18 GMT -5
I think the thing that most people forego when using a gripmaster / captain of crunch is warmup. You can easily fukcup your wrist if you do a captain of crunch on 140lbs without warming up before it. And shredding on acoustic is the powerdosest of all \m/
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Post by pcsmall on Nov 26, 2007 16:17:27 GMT -5
yup. i just figured that if i learned to sweep pick on acoustic (and play the arps clean), then i'd surely be able to do it on electric. turns out i was right
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Post by shadowlordblack on Nov 29, 2007 18:56:18 GMT -5
The isotonik chopsticks are definately worth the price. Made my speed go through the roof and I get no soreness in my hands and they don't get tired from playing after an hour straight. No joke. In my mind the chopsticks were one of the best invenstments I've ever made.
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