This post continues my “Rock Triage”,3 technique exercises
that cover the main challenges guitarists face;
1.- They can’t stretch far enough.
2.- They can’t play fast enough.
3.- They keep picking the wrong strings.
All 3 exercises are simple and cover the problems in a
general way. Once you get them down, you can do all 3 in
10-15 minutes a day, 4 or 5 days a week. You should start
seeing progress in a few weeks. In this post I will focus
on the 2nd exercise, for speed and dexterity. This is the
most common technique exercise out there, for good reason.
– It works all 4 fingers equally.
– It can be practiced with both alternate picking & slurs.
– It can be used with a metronome to develop speed.
that cover the main challenges guitarists face;
1.- They can’t stretch far enough.
2.- They can’t play fast enough.
3.- They keep picking the wrong strings.
All 3 exercises are simple and cover the problems in a
general way. Once you get them down, you can do all 3 in
10-15 minutes a day, 4 or 5 days a week. You should start
seeing progress in a few weeks. In this post I will focus
on the 2nd exercise, for speed and dexterity. This is the
most common technique exercise out there, for good reason.
– It works all 4 fingers equally.
– It can be practiced with both alternate picking & slurs.
– It can be used with a metronome to develop speed.
All you do is press your 1st finger on the 1st fret, 6th
string, then 2nd finger on the 2nd fret, 6th string, then
3rd finger on the 3rd fret, 6th string, and finally the
4th finger on the 4th fret, 6th string. Continue this one
finger per fret process on the 5th string, 4th string, etc
When you get through the 1st string, move up 1 fret and
put your 4th finger down on the 1st string 5th fret, then
the 3rd finger down on the 1st string 4th fret, then the
2nd finger down on the 1st string 3rd fret, and finally
the 1st finger on the 1st string 2nd fret. Continue this
one finger per fret process on the 2nd string, 3rd string,
etc., until you get back to the 6th string, move up
another fret and start the process all over. You can keep
this 4 finger/fret exercise zig-zagging up to at least the
12th fret.(see cheesy tab, below.)
string, then 2nd finger on the 2nd fret, 6th string, then
3rd finger on the 3rd fret, 6th string, and finally the
4th finger on the 4th fret, 6th string. Continue this one
finger per fret process on the 5th string, 4th string, etc
When you get through the 1st string, move up 1 fret and
put your 4th finger down on the 1st string 5th fret, then
the 3rd finger down on the 1st string 4th fret, then the
2nd finger down on the 1st string 3rd fret, and finally
the 1st finger on the 1st string 2nd fret. Continue this
one finger per fret process on the 2nd string, 3rd string,
etc., until you get back to the 6th string, move up
another fret and start the process all over. You can keep
this 4 finger/fret exercise zig-zagging up to at least the
12th fret.(see cheesy tab, below.)
1———————1234–5432————————
2—————–1234———-5432——————–
3————-1234——————5432—————-
4———1234————————–5432———-etc
5—–1234———————————-5432——–>
6-1234——————————————5432-3456
2—————–1234———-5432——————–
3————-1234——————5432—————-
4———1234————————–5432———-etc
5—–1234———————————-5432——–>
6-1234——————————————5432-3456
This exercise forces you to use your little finger, which
most people avoid. You can also choose to pick all of the
notes down and up, 2x each string (alternate picking), or
pick once per string and hammer on all 4 notes going up,
and pull-off all 4 notes going down (slurs). Finally, you
can practice this using a metronome to help increase your
speed. Set the tempo slow enough to play 4 notes/string in
1 beat, start at the bottom if you need to. Then bump up
the tempo 1-2 points when you feel comfortable. Keep doing
this until your hand falls off! The next post will finish
up this series with the 3rd exercise.
most people avoid. You can also choose to pick all of the
notes down and up, 2x each string (alternate picking), or
pick once per string and hammer on all 4 notes going up,
and pull-off all 4 notes going down (slurs). Finally, you
can practice this using a metronome to help increase your
speed. Set the tempo slow enough to play 4 notes/string in
1 beat, start at the bottom if you need to. Then bump up
the tempo 1-2 points when you feel comfortable. Keep doing
this until your hand falls off! The next post will finish
up this series with the 3rd exercise.
