Originally Posted by: Jimmi431if ya wanna get as strong fingers as srv then the only way to do that is to play with heavier string gauges. ignore those nasty little things you can buy from music shops that "strengthan" your fingers (kinda a like little hand grips that you can push down with individual fingers). theres no point as you could be practicin play a heavier gauge insead

[font=trebuchet ms]I have to disagree with that. I sprained my left hand badly last year, and "those nasty little things" were the key to my rehab.

I was pulling an old window shut with my left hand. It stopped dead, before I was expecting it to. That basically ruined everything between my fingertips and my elbow. :eek:

I had to build up my strength from Zero, and I haven't got all the way back yet. But if I had tried to jump back in where I left off, I wouldn't be playing at all, now.

If you jump into playing with heavy strings before you have enough hand strength to play them properly, you will trash your technique, and possibly your hands.

By all means, get one of "those nasty little things" and spend every spare minute playing with it. Get a light one. The key is repetition, not brute strength. The strength comes on it's own. And squeeze it with your fret hand positioned as if your were holding your guitar. It's important to exercise the right muscles in the right positions.

Good luck![/font]