Originally Posted by: Carl KingI think this idea works well with swinging heavier baseball bats, but it doesn't translate as well to guitar, for one reason.

You need a lot of fine-motor control and nuance to play guitar. You're not just looking for power and strength. If you just build muscle and make your hands "strong" you're getting away from the guitar strings being a delicate instrument.

As a parallel example, one of the things that makes a drummer like Vinnie Colaiuta play with such finesse is that he is playing a wide-range of quiet and loud notes simultaneously. Listen to all of his ghost notes and accents. He wouldn't learn that from swinging a sledge-hammer at his snare drum over and over.

My point is, it's not all about being able to press the strings harder. Your fingers are all naturally strong enough to push a guitar string down. What they might not be ready for is pushing a string down at the required angle, or holding one weird chord position for a long time. Think of how many variations there are. It's not just one single muscle motion like doing pushups. Playing guitar is subtle twisting and turning from multiple angles and varying degrees of pressure on a grid of strings. Each note on each string from each position has its own combination of strength and dexterity. You can't play the low E string with the same feel that you apply to the high E. And on the higher frets, the angles are all different. The fret distances all change sizes.

Very few instruments have all of the notes crammed so close together like the guitar does. From the 12th to 14th fret, you've got 18 notes in a 2" x 1.5" area. That's crazy. To be able to equally play all of those (especially in weird combinations in jazz chords) takes a lot of specialized practice.

A lot of it has to do with training your mind / nerves to be able to plant your fingers in any position instantly. The raw muscle strength comes in handy, too, but I think the best way to develop all of this combined nuance is to keep playing your guitar in as many unusual ways as you can, play all over the neck with different tempos and levels of dynamics, get your mind and hands conditioned, and don't hurt yourself.

If these putties and balls help, then that's great. But none of these will truly condition your hands for playing guitar like playing guitar will.

-Carl.

Well put! Think of it very logically. How much finger strength does it actually take to press down on the guitar strings? They are very thin, steel pieces that are nearly millimeters from the neck by which they are to be pushed down on. This isn't to sell short the level of difficulty involved, but honestly so much of the process of learning the instrument is developing the motor skills to know "how" to use your hands, not necessarily "how" to make them stronger. Truth; you do need to develop a bit more strength in your individual finger joints as you are bending them in new and interesting ways. However, stay clear of all those fancy gadgets that music stores try and sell you on and simply play; ALOT! Pure passion, drive, and practice will aid you in getting your hands in top shape.

Not unlike sports, so much of guitar playing is a mental thing. Michael Jordan was not out searching for the quickest way to make a slam dunk. Payton Manning was not at the store looking for some special gloves to aid him in breaking NFL records. These guys worked very hard and developed their skills through meaningful work. This can and will happen for you. Again, if that putty helps you than go for it. However, don't expect stuff like that to take you on a faster route to guitar success. Simply keep playing like you are doing, asking questions, and continue to stay in love with the process of learning.

Best of luck and keep up the good work!