... Weightlifting.
No, seriously. In my capacity as wannabe-athlete I've been doing quite a bit of S&C recently focussing on olympic lift derivatives, which really build up your grip strength. Turns out that translates into massively improved finger and wrist strength when playing. I've barely touched a guitar the last month or two but coming back to it this weekend suddenly I can trill quite convincingly and even reach chords I couldn't in the past. Obviously my timing is still all over the place but I'm feeling in control of my fingers in a way I never have before.
Anyone else had similar results?
I would strongly agree ; as my own Weighlifting/ Kettlebell / Deadlifting endevours - seem to be great at hard wiring the neural pathways - and instilling the ablity to use the tendons and fibres in a relaxed and efficient way.
I can see Joe Perry's point - as a general Gym Bunny, but in a more athletic context, very differenet methods are employed on what may
appear to be much of the same 'Hardware'.
I think people outside the 'game' seem to forget that Olympic / skill orientated lifting , is a form that requires total recruitment to flow seemlessly into total suppleness and relaxation of those same fibres and neural circuits. I move a lot more relaxed and efficiently in my Jazz / Chord melody playing, for having practiced Oly style lifts the same day / week / life.
It may seem like a trite example, but If I Deadlift / snatch / Clean and press with a grip that has to constantly move between 'loose' and 'crushing' then back again - and ( after a cup of tea and half an hour's hand rest ) the way that relaxation and efficiency
FEELS on the guitar becomes so hard wired and
intuitive that it is a delight to behold.
It's also like the loaded stretching aspects of our ( brief) warm up , in that you
think you are relaxing the hip flexors into the deep squat - until you then hold a moderately heavy bar in a partial / static position, put the bar back in the rack -
Then feel how truly supple the stretch is without the weight of the bar.
The biggest common factor between the guitar fretboard and the discipline of Olympic lifting / speed Athletics - being mostly about the common need to re-educate the nervous system to 'fire' and desist at will. The way that (after some time ) it becomes so
intuitive and hard wired - that it happens without too much concious effort.
See here how our latest Olympic hopeful ( Zoe Smith ) applies looseness ; when the bar is 'recieved' at the shoulder, her hands are bent fully back, with open fingers - and the general shift between tight and loose is greatly emphasised in the entire move . I chose a 'dainty' example - to prove the fact that relaxation comes before tension in truly efficient neaural application.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tRFK1BMKaRoLikewise, fretboard agility and subtleties being a great model for learning how to operate the rest of the human body as a larger working unit.
I may be biased, but I think you have a great hobby there ! :lol:
