Finger exercises.

Here are some good finger exercises on the guitar. I guess there's already a thread on it, but i decided to start a new one anyway. I use these exercises all the time, and they work for me.

Let's start off with a simple one
E|---1-2-3-4-------------------------------------------------------|
B|-------------1-2-3-4---------------------------------------------|
G|------------------------1-2-3-4----------------------------------|
D|----------------------------------1-2-3-4------------------------|
A|--------------------------------------------1-2-3-4--------------|
E|--------------------------------------------------------1-2-3-4---| You can go down the whole fret board uptil the 12th fret, this exercise.

Oh yeah, i forgot to mention, IT'S ABSOLUTELY IMPERATIVE THAT YOU USE THE LITTLE FINGER WHILE DOING THESE EXERCISES. They serve as a good finger loosening exercises as well as for developing fourth finger independence, speed and strength.
E|----4-3-2-1-------------------------------------------------|
B|-------------4-3-2-1----------------------------------------|
G|-----------------------4-3-2-1------------------------------|
D|---------------------------------4-3-2-1--------------------|
A|------------------------------------------4-3-2-1-----------|
E|----------------------------------------------------4-3-2-1--| You can go down the fret board uptil the 12th fret, this exercise.

Now for something a bit different
E|----1-2-3-4---------------------------------------------------|
B|-------------4-3-2-1------------------------------------------|
G|----------------------1-2-3-4---------------------------------|
D|--------------------------------4-3-2-1-----------------------|
A|------------------------------------------1-2-3-4-------------|
E|------------------------------------------------------4-3-2-1--|

And back again
E|-------------------------------------------------------4-3-2-1|
B|---------------------------------------------1-2-3-4----------|
G|-----------------------------------4-3-2-1--------------------|
D|------------------------1-2-3-4-------------------------------|
A|--------------4-3-2-1-----------------------------------------|
E|-----1-2-3-4---------------------------------------------------|

After that

E|-----------------------------------------------------1-3-2-4|
B|-------------------------------------------1-3-2-4----------|
G|---------------------------------1-3-2-4--------------------|
D|-----------------------1-3-2-4------------------------------|
A|-------------1-3-2-4----------------------------------------|
E|----1-3-2-4--------------------------------------------------|

You can do the above exercise with a single string and go down the fret board like this.
E|---1-3-2-4--2-4-3-5--3-5-4-6 etc-------------------------|

Hope you liked these exercises. Will post some more soon. When practicing these exercises, remember some stuff. Start slow, build up speed afterwards. If you develop a cramp in your little finger, STOP, let it get some rest before starting again. Go to one exercise only after attaining perfection in the former. That's all, any queries, please post

 

nice one Sharath...i use dis exercise all da time to warm up....keep it up...

 

my fingers are not fit at all, theyve def put on weight recently! so i will def start excersising them ...cheers amigo!!

 

fingr pickin 4 beginnrs

nice stuff @ distrbed..

@jayna.. lolz .. ur fingers need some workout.. :

if ny1 is really intrstd 2 practice finger pickin, chk this link out.. it's really good 4 beginners.. there r 15 lessons which u hav 2 practice & aftr that there is part 2 where u get some 6-7 lessons more..

https://www.wholenote.com/default.a...wholenote.com/cgi-bin/page_view.pl?l=2603&p=1

nywayz hav fun.. & jayna.. ur fingrs got plnty of wrk 2 do
bye tk cre
chill :beer: Subhro.

 

Thanks dudes, will post some more soon as my exams are over.

 

I would like to add that all the exercises must be done with alternate picking (down-up-down etc...)

 

^Good addition bro And i've some new exercises in the offing, i'll complete and post tomorrow.

 

the length and breadth of a finger actually dont matter
have u see adnan play the keyboard???
for that matter, its very important to place the thumb in the right place as per your finger's structure.
TRY THIS: (beginners)
Place your thumb a bit lower down on the back of the fretboard.
as if your thumb is pressing the G string from the back.
and place the first finger on the F note 1st fret on 1st string.

now u will be amazed to see how much your normal finger can stretch.
try taking the little finger as far as possible without moving the thumb.
an average small fingered had will also touch the B note (7th fret) at least!!!!

 

without moving the thumb, meaning without moving teh thumb from the point where u placed it, you can rotate the hand using the thumb as axix.

 

Hehe, nice exercises by the way man

 

Well, here are the new exercises dude, guaranteed to stretch your fingers and improve your picking. PLEASE USE ALTERNATE PICKING.
E|-------------------------------------------------6-7-8-9---|
B|----------------------------------------5-6-7-8------------|
G|------------------------------4-5-6-7----------------------|
D|--------------------3-4-5-6--------------------------------|
A|-----------2-3-4-5-----------------------------------------|
E|--1-2-3-4---------------------------------------------------|

E|----1-2-3-4-------------------------------------------------|
B|-------------2-3-4-5----------------------------------------|
G|-----------------------3-4-5-6------------------------------|
D|--------------------------------4-5-6-7---------------------|
A|-----------------------------------------5-6-7-8------------|
E|--------------------------------------------------6-7-8-9---|

E|---9-8-7-6--------------------------------------------------|
B|------------8-7-6-5-----------------------------------------|
G|---------------------7-6-5-4--------------------------------|
D|------------------------------6-5-4-3-----------------------|
A|----------------------------------------5-4-3-2-------------|
E|--------------------------------------------------4-3-2-1----|

E|-------------------------------------------------4-3-2-1--|
B|----------------------------------------5-4-3-2----------|
G|-------------------------------6-5-4-3-------------------|
D|----------------------7-6-5-4----------------------------|
A|-------------8-7-6-5-------------------------------------|
E|----9-8-7-6-----------------------------------------------|

Hope you like them.

 

Heres an exercise that I found particularly useful:
e---6-5-.......go on doing
b-5-----6
Then
e---6-5-
b-------
g-5-----6
And so on till u are pickin th low E and the high e

U can have variation of this by using different fingersetc try using ur ring and pinkie

These help ur string skipping,alternate picking, finger strength,speed , articulation etc.

 

A useful stretching excercise to warm up your left hand finers:

E---------12-----
B------11--------
G---10-----------
D-9--------------
A----------------
E----------------

1 2 3 4 (fingers of left hand)

now interchange the midle two fingers (2 and 3)

E---------12-----
B---10-----------
G------11--------
D-9--------------
A----------------
E----------------

then interchange the outer two fingers (1 and 4)

E-9--------------
B---10-----------
G------11--------
D---------12-----
A----------------
E----------------

and interchange the inner two again

E-9--------------
B-------11-------
G---10-----------
D----------12----
A----------------
E----------------

switching the outer fingers now will get you back where you started, so you can repeat the whole cycle again.

This is not an excercise in speed so take your time.
But it is important that in each form you hold the notes together, and the notes sound together without getting damped (whether you are playing the pattern as a chord or as an arpeggio)
Try the same pattern at different frets (the closer you move to the nut the harder it gets, as frets become wider) and on different strings. You can also try leaving frets between fingers (can you do frets 5,7,9 and 11 for the four fingers?) This excercise helps to stretch your left hand fingers, and get that supple feling about them which is good to have before you start grilling them in speed excercises.

Note: This lesson comes from John Petrucci

 

Whoa... thanks a lot dudes... amazing exercises... totally work...

@ Band Baaja = I still didnt get ur tricks

 

subhro ! i cant understand the timings calculation :S need help !
Hey guyz any thing on Finger Style guitaring ? ! NEed info Looking FOrward !

 

Hi I am beginner, i have a doubt, while practising the fingure excersice, do we need to strum all the Strings like if it for "E" String and holding on Fret 1 ,2,3,4 . Do all strings need to be strummed or only the particular string.

Plz let me know abt this.

Thanks!

 

Hi Srinidhi,

Welcome to IGT.

If you are doing fingure exercises then you play tabs and that means you need to play only that particular string.

If you play chords then you need to strum all strings.

While you are doing fingure exercise make sure that you pick the string up and down using the plectrum. Improves speed.

 

Hi Aleric,

Thanks for your advice and quick turnaround.

 

nice thread man!

 

Good thread dude! another thing that help me a lot is well actually I've made it myself,the idea I stole of a shop mag. its a spring loaded device for your 4 fingers I used steel heads instead of the plastic I saw in the store,It hardens your finger tips!!! I can increase the tension on it to,It has work wonders 4 me!!!! my fingers are so powerful now wether its pinky or ring they move fast,Also I've fail to see you guys mention, well I think most guitarist tries to become a lead player and one very important thing probably the most important is how far off the fret your fingers are when not freting, all people got different distance 1/32", 1/16" etc.is good I keep mines just where its barely over the strings, its a matter of split sec. before u hit for lighting speed. So perfect yourself at this don't train the wrong way.