Tractor1 - Posted - 02/05/2026:  15:02:12

It has been years since I could start blasting away--nowdays --with simple lightly played patterns or simple songs -it might be 30 minutes before my fingers feel their most nimble--and ready to try the more difficult tunes--- Is this an old man thing??

Edited by - Tractor1 on 02/05/2026 15:03:06

chuckv97 - Posted - 02/05/2026:  15:37:19

I’m the same,, I warm up with a metronome doing different rolls and tunes, slowly increasing the tempo.
Old man thing?! Sheesh,, ya got me…

Nopix - Posted - 02/05/2026:  17:06:47

I never was screamin' fast. There must be a chemical signal to the fingers. Sometimes in jams it's just no big deal. Sometimes it's like my right hand belongs to someone else. All the warming up does, (for me) is disperse the "freezing juice" in my hand. At home, I don't even think about it. I just pick it up and play.
Age? The 70 year olds call me a kid. The 50 year olds call me old.

Owen - Posted - 02/05/2026:  18:13:06

Pretty sure I'm an outlier .... 90% inside-outside roll to accompany my singing (?) .... my "playing" is cleaner/better/??  when I just pick it up and start in with no prep.   [Alas, it doesn't last very long.   ]

And I/we can't do without my standard notification.... ^^ not a plea for advice or referral to a teacher/program/method .... simply a c'est la vie observation.

Edited by - Owen on 02/05/2026 18:14:24

Dean T - Posted - 02/05/2026:  19:00:17

I play the steering wheel of my car like crazy, on my way to a gig or practice. It helps a lot. I started needing a good warm up in my mid 50's. At 65, it's certainly not getting any better. When I start playing cold, it takes about 20 minutes before I can rip anything.

Edited by - Dean T on 02/05/2026 19:07:44

Texasbanjo - Posted - 02/06/2026:  04:13:38

As we age, our motor functions decline and most of us just can't play a fast and furious as we used to. I also have to warm up before I can be semi-satisfied with my picking.

Up the neck is becoming very difficult for me because of arthritis in the finger joints. Down the neck is still pretty good with a warm up first.

HSmith - Posted - 02/06/2026:  05:52:38

Now in my mid-seventies, I've been playing banjo for more than half a century. There's no doubt that I can't play as fast as I once did, but I must say that I'm not too concerned about that. I've always felt that a banjo played really fast somehow seems less like music and more like a race. It's true that some tunes certainly require a rapid pace to do them justice, but I believe that many players (especially those early on in their playing careers) play most things too fast.
Today, I get far more playing satisfaction from learning a piece that requires a new technique (say extended single string passages or multiple triplets) than from burning through a tune at mach 5.
I think Sherry is right in that motor functions inevitably decline with age, and although we can try to minimise the decline, it's going to happen. I guess we must all be grateful for the abilities we still have and enjoy playing in whatever way brings us joy.

randybartlett - Posted - 02/06/2026:  06:58:41

quote:

---

Originally posted by Dean T

I play the steering wheel of my car like crazy, on my way to a gig or practice. It helps a lot. I started needing a good warm up in my mid 50's. At 65, it's certainly not getting any better. When I start playing cold, it takes about 20 minutes before I can rip anything.

---

I do something like this too. I play songs on the radio and then I try to keep perfect time with my simulated rolls and pinches. It seems to get my brains and my fingers connected before I get to the place

RB3 - Posted - 02/06/2026:  07:55:34

"Is this an old man thing?"



Yes!



When I was starting to learn to play back in the late Sixties, I remember going to see a local Bluegrass band at a bar I often frequented.



The band showed up about 30 minutes late for the gig, and immediately started scrambling to set up their PA system. As soon as they got everything set, they jumped up on stage and kicked off their first set with a fast instrumental. I still remember how amazed I was that they could do that. At the time, it would take me at least an hour to get warmed up enough to be able to play anything with precision and at a reasonable speed. A few years later, I was also able to do what that band had done. Now, 55 years later, I'm right back where I started.



After about 45 minutes, I can play with reasonable precision, but I can do so only if I strike the strings very lightly. If I try to bear down, and play at a normal volume level, I lose all control of my right hand. Even playing lightly, I can't play at the proper speeds.

Edited by - RB3 on 02/06/2026 07:59:58

Just Bill - Posted - 02/06/2026:  08:20:56

I'm mid-seventies, been playing banjo for forty-plus years. Nowadays, it usually takes me about an hour to warm up--sometimes less, sometimes longer. It depends.

steve davis - Posted - 02/06/2026:  11:35:39

I never worried about blazing speed...Just what fits the song I am playing.

pinenut - Posted - 02/06/2026:  11:48:59

Hey guys,

The stiff fingers problem isn't just for old folks.  Athletes deal with this daily and more daily with age, sigh.  There are specific warm-ups that can be used to dramatically speed up the process.  It helps me; hope it helps you too.

Example:  Make your hands into fists with your arms at your sides. Squeeze tight, then quickly release the hold as if flicking water from your fingertips. Fan them out wide and feel the stretch between each finger. Return to a fist and repeat, increasing the speed to a rate of one or two flicks per second.

Example:  Heating pads are good; Thermophore is my current go-to for everything.  

More Examples:  trainingforclimbing.com/finger-warm-ups

Edited by - pinenut on 02/06/2026 11:54:01

chuckv97 - Posted - 02/06/2026:  12:41:03

Pat Cloud says open and close your hands quickly 20 times, palm down ,,, then the same palms up. Also check out Kurt Kemp’s finger & hand exercises in the BHO video library or YouTube. youtu.be/FcbZb_Snxr8?si=Lo6lv5v-5oet_zWu

Edited by - chuckv97 on 02/06/2026 12:42:30

steve davis - Posted - 02/07/2026:  07:31:04

Play every day for at least an hour to stay warmed up.

Owen - Posted - 02/07/2026:  07:42:55

I haven't scrutinized the various flexing/stretching suggestions ^^, but I wonder if an apt synopsis would be: fairly slowly put the joint(s) through their full range-of-motion several times?

Edited by - Owen on 02/07/2026 07:44:39

Tractor1 - Posted - 02/07/2026:  09:20:20

I don't stay warmed up --from day to day--but to each their own

Texasbanjo - Posted - 02/07/2026:  10:53:36

quote:

---

Originally posted by Tractor1

I don't stay warmed up --from day to day--but to each their own

---

I don't, either.  I have to do my warm up each morning when I start to practice.

chuckv97 - Posted - 02/07/2026:  12:32:15

If I’m playing out I’ll warm up for an hour at home,, by the time I drive to the gig/busking spot I have to warm up again for 10 minutes. Gittin’ old ain’t fer sissies…. (sorry,, is "sissies" an anti-woke term?) 

Edited by - chuckv97 on 02/07/2026 12:33:03

Tractor1 - Posted - 02/07/2026:  13:14:33

another good'' fun ''warm up for me is to try a new complicated music piece--note for note --no worry of tempo -speed or anything--not a tune , that I really want to commit to --just a time for exploring

Tractor1 - Posted - 02/07/2026:  13:20:58

btw in this season ,I sometimes ----do a thermal warm up, using my little electric heater or the wood stove --

Texasbanjo - Posted - 02/07/2026:  14:02:13

If I'm playing in the winter where it may be cold, I carry a couple of hand warmers with me that will warm up the hands/fingers fairly quickly. They are small, can fit in a pocket and hold their charge for 3 or 4 hours of use.'

steve davis - Posted - 02/07/2026:  20:13:57

Our 3-4 jams/wk keep me warmed up.I usually play 1-3 hours at home on the off days or visiting playing friends here in the village.

Steam museum tomorrow (every Sunday) and going to a house with guitar and fiddle pals after.

steve davis - Posted - 02/09/2026:  06:38:35

Camden American Legion tomorrow.Everyone was encouraged to bring a Valentine related piece.

steve davis - Posted - 02/09/2026:  13:53:59

The best way to always be warmed up is to never stop playing.

Ybanjo - Posted - 02/12/2026:  07:02:52

quote:

---

Originally posted by Dean T

I play the steering wheel of my car like crazy, on my way to a gig or practice. It helps a lot. I started needing a good warm up in my mid 50's. At 65, it's certainly not getting any better. When I start playing cold, it takes about 20 minutes before I can rip anything.

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Now, that's funny!!!  Because it's exactly what I do!  Also stretching and twisting every finger and wrist joint.  Good to know that I'm not the only one!