The hand is one of the most intricate parts of our body, in it are several ligaments, bones and tendons that make it function the way it does. Believe or not, playing incredibly fast passages or using movements that involve wide stretches can be very stressful on the ligaments and tendons. The last thing you or any good teacher would want is for your music career to be cut short by carpal tunnel syndrome or tendonitis. It would be a shame to have invested so much time into an activity, and suddenly loose the ability to do it through injury.

I am a firm believer that playing guitar and playing a sport share many similarities with one another. Both require discipline and consistency in a practice routine to become a good player. Warming up is key to any athlete, why shouldn't it be for a guitarist who is putting his hands through a marathon. In many cases athletes warm up for a longer period of time than they actually play in a game or participate in a particular event. Take a look at Olympic sprinters; they warm up long before their race, which only lasts a few seconds. During high school I used to play soccer. Our coach would have us start warming up an hour and a half before the game started. We would run laps and stretch, as well as, slowly run through drills that would take our bodies through motions we would be using during the game. When game time rolled around, we were all physically ready to play. Our muscles and tendons were loose and prepared for sudden and constant motion. This allowed us to play the game relaxed and without being tense. Many injuries occur when our body becomes tense or tight, and as result becomes less flexible. The teams that I played on did not struggle with injury problems, and were therefore able to be more effective and win. Most of our competition warmed up for half of the amount of time we did, and did not take it seriously. You don't know how many times I have had to see a player leave the game within the first few minutes with a pulled muscle or torn knee ligament, because they were not physically prepared to put their body through such demanding physical activity. They were not loose and relaxed but tense.

We have all had days where we have practiced a large amount of time. During a long practice session, we reach a certain point where licks and exercises become very easy. Through warming up, we have a safer and more time efficient means of reaching the plateau where guitar seems effortless. So doing the mundane chromatic exercises and scale fragments at a slow tempo does carry other significance than building your speed. It will prepare and loosen your hands for the game. What team will you be on?