Dug this out of my old guitar case.

The Big Kahuna

The Big Kahuna

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I bought it about 15 years ago, maybe even longer, and it worked great for strengthening my fingers and speeding up my playing. They're cheap, so it may be worth a try if any newbies are having problems with lack of strength in their fingers.

gripmaster-00-800x600.jpg
 
those are in lots of old 80's movies lol!
 
I used something similar when I started playing. Mine is more like a "nerf" bag- very stiff sponge. Not quite as finger specific as the spring type but you can still squeeze it with one finger at a time.
 
I have a couple of those old spring things around here somewhere. They say a ball or putty bag is more effective. Tennis ball (as in the picture) is a little big for a lot of people (like me) but there is a smaller somewhat compressible ball that supposedly works well... The putty bags you can get from physical therapy supply places seemed most effective for me, though I haven't used mine in ages and I think it finally got thrown out. The bag lets you work individual fingers and in all directions (i.e. squeezing between two adjacent fingers, etc.

I don't think any of that is really necessary on a uke unless maybe if you've been very inactive and you've got a uke with a spectacularly bad set up...

John
 
The Big Kahuna said:
I bought it about 15 years ago, maybe even longer, and it worked great for strengthening my fingers and speeding up my playing. They're cheap, so it may be worth a try if any newbies are having problems with lack of strength in their fingers.

View attachment 66045
Click to expand...


Though I have never owned one of these devices, I have read a few cautions with regard to their use over in the acoustic guitar forum. Apparently, because these are spring loaded and work with the individual fingers, they are different than the putty and soft ball devices others in this thread have mentioned. The spring loaded device apparently comes in different levels of resistance. If you have one of the heavier resistance devices, according to some folks in the guitar forums, you can hurt your hands and/or wrists if not cautious about overdoing it. To be clear, I am not saying these devices are bad or inherently harmful, but from what I have read from users of the device, it is best to really pay attention to what your hands and wrists are telling you with regard to when to stop and rest. The light tension version does not seem to present this problem to that extent. Overall, people do seem to like and use these devices though.

Tony
 
Planet Waves makes a similar product called the VariGrip. The rubber part on the bottom can be removed and placed on top of the buttons. That exposes a textured surface on the bottom. By reversing the grip, buttons down, you can use the textured surface to maintain your calluses if you are ever away from your instrument for any length of time.

I would also not recommend using the grip as shown in the first post. If you are trying to build hand strength for playing, only use your thumb on the bottom of the grip, not your palm.
 
All my years of clarinet playing (with some flute and sax) have made my fingers pretty strong. If anything, I need a lighter touch, especially in my left hand. Playing ukulele has also helped me realize how forceful I am when playing clarinet at times - I'm trying to lighten my touch there as well.
 
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