[The strongest guitar practice tool! How to use the PLANET WAVES “Varigrip” right] Things Guitarists should know about their body

Hello!
I'm Fujioka Takuto, guitarist in an acoustic band called BABY BABY, and occupational therapist.
Thank you for reading as always!

This is quite sudden, but have you heard of the PLANET WAVES "Varigrip"?

It looks like this.

PLANET WAVES / PW-VG-01 Vari Grip

If you are a guitarist, you might have seen it before.

It's a tool to assist you in practice when your fingers don't move as you want, get caught up in the movements of other fingers, or they are too weak to press down the strings.

However, will your fingers move as you want if you just grip the Varigrip? Or will you never fail to press down the strings again?

The answer is NO!
If you just grip it, only your grip strength will be enhanced.

But that doesn't mean it won't help you improve your playing.
Depending on how you use it, it could be your strongest guitar practice tool!

So, this time, as an occupational therapist, I would like to think about how to use the PLANET WAVES Varigrip PW-VG-01 correctly.
Please read to the end!

By the way, the usage of the Varigrip is roughly divided into 2 categories.

First of all, about ① "to develop the feeling of moving each finger individually".
This is the main topic this time.

In other words, "learn how to use the proper fingering muscles with the Varigrip."
This is recommended for beginners to intermediate guitar players.

When you press down strings of a guitar, each of your fingers should move individually.
Since chords have regularity, once your fingers learn them, you'll be able to press down the strings smoothly, but you'll have hard times in the beginning.

I think that every guitar beginner has experienced their "ring finger and pinkie moving together!!!".
That's because we rarely move each finger individually in our lives.

Actually, I think the best way to practice is fingering and playing chords with an actual guitar, but it may be difficult to take time or you may not be able to practice for a long time because your fingertips hurt.

At times like that!!!
Let's use the Varigrip!

First of all, how to grip it.

With an orthodox way of gripping it like this, you'll mainly use the forearm muscles to bend your fingers. The forearm muscles (extrinsic muscles of the hand) have the function of bending the first and second joints of the fingers.
Your grip strength may be enhanced, but it's not suitable for practicing moving each finger individually.

I think there will be a big difference in how you move your fingers whether you know this or not, so please check it with your own hands.

By the way, when playing the guitar, fingering and pressing down the strings can't be done only by bending the first and second joints of the fingers.
Fingering and pressing down the strings can be done smoothly only with the movement of the base of the finger and the 3rd joint!
If you want to move your fingers individually, you need to practice moving this 3rd joint.

And here is the recommended way to grip the Varigrip!

(I grip it with one hand to take a picture, but this tends to be unstable, so hold the Varigrip with the other hand and do it using both hands.)

As shown in the picture, apply the grip to the part between the 2nd and 3rd joints to put a load to the 3rd joint.
In the picture, the finger position is slightly off, but when pressing the pistons, please try it to keep them straight vertically.

The internal muscles inside the palm have the function of bending the 3rd joint of the finger (the base of the finger).

This movement of the 3rd joint is similar to the movement of the fingers when you actually play the guitar, and it's a practice that promotes the contraction of the internal muscles of the hand and stabilizes the movement of the 3rd joint.
This develops the feeling of moving each finger individually!

What I'd like you to be careful of here is the pressure.
Pushing it in until the piston of the Varigrip goes down to the bottom is too much. The method I'm showing you this time is not for muscle training.
Please note that overdoing it may cause muscle fatigue.

It's enough that the tip of the grip comes under the adjacent tip.
The load should be the lowest.
Even if you can't press it to this level, you don't have to be that strong. Let's get used to it little by little.

You might think, "there's no need to press it to the bottom?!", but it's enough because the purpose is to "to develop the feeling of moving each finger individually."
In fact, this is the pressure required to press down strings.

Also, how many times you should do it isn't set, but please be careful not to overdo it and stop before your fingers get tired. If you feel it's easier to move your fingers than before you do the Varigrip exercise, it's already effective enough.

Also, be aware of the position of joints when exercising. The base of the finger and the 3rd joint are located lower than it appears. Please be aware of the actual joint position when bending.

The finger actually bends at around the light blue part in the picture. Please check it with your own fingers!

If the finger moves along with other fingers, it's probably because the internal muscles of the hand are weak. Also, even if you are an intermediate player who has been playing the guitar for some time, but aren't good at fast fingering, you may not be able to use the internal muscles well.

Please try this way of gripping it!

Now, about ② "the pre-show warm-up".

This is especially effective when you can't play or make noise before going on stage.

As for how to grip it, you can do it in the way I showed you in ①, or in the orthodox way. By contracting and relaxing (stretching) the muscles around the hands, the muscles and veins relax more easily, so I think it also works to relieve tension. When I feel my hands are cold before the show, I do a light exercise with the Varigrip to start the engine in preparation lol.

However, if you overdo it or grip it with all your strength, the tense muscles get stiff and the muscles themselves get tired, which may cause the poor blood circulation. Please do it with a light force as I wrote above.

I think a bad way to use this product is "to grip it thoughtlessly". It's just becomes a muscle training exercise to enhance your grip strength. Of course, if you just want to improve your grip strength, that's fine. But if you're a guitarist, it's better to be aware of which muscles you're using rather than to increase your grip strength, and practice removing unnecessary power by using the correct fingers. I think you'll be able to play the guitar more easily and stably.

This product is recommended not only for beginners but for all guitarists depending on how you use it. So if you're interested, please get one! See you!