A five-minute warm-up that protects your hands

Why bother

Warming up isn't about sounding good, it's about getting blood into the hands and reminding the fingers where they live. It also protects you from the tension and strain that come from launching straight into something difficult.

The routine

Slowly, with a relaxed hand and no death grip on the neck.

• Chromatic 1-2-3-4 up and down each string, four frets at a time.
• One scale you know, two octaves, played with a metronome at a gentle tempo.
• Slow chord changes between three chords, aiming for clean notes rather than speed.
• Shake the hands out. If anything aches, stop and rest.