I could mention some other free exercises of the fingers; but since they are neither so practical nor so effective as those I have already described, I prefer to omit them. FOOTNOTES: [6] One or two of these exercises may possibly have been mentioned in some former work. CHAPTER XII. MECHANICAL FINGER-EXERCISES. _First movement._ [Illustration: Fig. 24.] [Illustration: Fig. 25.] Take for each hand three cylinders, three quarters of an inch long, and from half to one inch in diameter, according to the size of the fingers; place them between the upper ends of the fingers, and while gradually and conveniently extending the muscles, by bending the fingers, move the latter as shown by the above figures, 24 and 25. _Second movement._ [Illustration: Fig. 26.] [Illustration: Fig. 27.] Move the cylinders further down, to the roots of the fingers, and perform the exercises according to Figs. 26 and 27. In doing this, put a small round piece of wood between the thumb and the forefinger, at a distance sufficient to extend the former as much as possible. Leaving the other fingers as before, put a large cylinder between the thumb and forefinger (28 and 29), so as to entirely fill up the intervening space. In doing this, be careful to extend the thumb as much as possible. In case the tension of the fingers is small, take smaller cylinders: or if the latter should be too hard for tender hands, cover them with some soft substance, such as velvet, or the like. [Illustration: _Third movement._ Fig. 28. Fig. 29.] * * * * * Perform all these exercises vigorously, and, if possible, just before practising the musical instrument, twice or three times daily, each time for a few minutes, especially in the morning, on getting up. As a matter of course, after eight or 10 hours rest, the muscles of the fingers and wrist, like those of the rest of the body, are somewhat stiff, and ought to be prepared by proper gymnastic exercises, before beginning to play. Besides, _provided over-exertion be avoided_, there is not, according to the best medical authorities, the least danger to be apprehended, from these exercises, for the joints and muscles of even the very smallest hands.