Improving dexterity in fretboard hand.

eventhelosers

Anyone got any good exercises for loosening up the fingers on the fretboard hand? My middle and ring fingers may as well be taped together sometimes! Cheers.

viz

Yes! 1234, 2341, 3412, 4123! One fret per finger, starting on one string, and doing it a few hundred times.

Then try doing it backwards (4321, 3214, 2143, 1432) a few hundred times.

Then going from bottom string to top string - bottom E 1234, then A string 2341. Up to top E string, then moving up a semitone (3412), then coming down the strings, all on the fret above where you were previously.

Then try 1324, 3241, 2413, 4132.

ThePrettyDamned

YES! What he said.

Also, Joe Satch does one where you trill between 1 and 2, then 2 and 3, then 3 and 4 (!) then 1 and 3, then 1 and 4 then 2 and 4 etc etc.

Trilling really works you. I struggle, I've not done it for a while, but have recently started up again in an effort to get some technique back. 

Focus on making each note sound clean - speed is less important than correctness.  Speed is just accuracy repeated many times correctly. 

viz

Just done a little ewe-chew'b vid. The beauty of this is, you can just drum your fingers on a desk in this way when you don't have your guitar to hand.

mike_l

ThePrettyDamned said:

YES! What he said.

Also, Joe Satch does one where you trill between 1 and 2, then 2 and 3, then 3 and 4 (!) then 1 and 3, then 1 and 4 then 2 and 4 etc etc.

Trilling really works you. I struggle, I've not done it for a while, but have recently started up again in an effort to get some technique back. 

Focus on making each note sound clean - speed is less important than correctness.  Speed is just accuracy repeated many times correctly. 

This works best if you start the trills at the 12th fret, and trill using fingers 1+2 for frets 12-15, fingers 1+3 for 16-18 and fingers 1+4 for anything more. When you've done this across all 6 strings, move down a fret at a time. 

eventhelosers

Thanks chaps, I'll definitely give all that a go. The reason I asked the question is that I'm learning the solo to Bodhisattva and I'm finding it a bit tricky because it's fast and chromatic and my fingers aren't quite up to the task at the mo. Something to work towards!

viz

If you can get the 1234234134124123 Cracked you'll have no difficulty with the 1234321234321!

ThePrettyDamned

mike_l;408721" said:

ThePrettyDamned said:

YES! What he said.

Also, Joe Satch does one where you trill between 1 and 2, then 2 and 3, then 3 and 4 (!) then 1 and 3, then 1 and 4 then 2 and 4 etc etc.

Trilling really works you. I struggle, I've not done it for a while, but have recently started up again in an effort to get some technique back. 

Focus on making each note sound clean - speed is less important than correctness.  Speed is just accuracy repeated many times correctly. 














This works best if you start the trills at the 12th fret, and trill using fingers 1+2 for frets 12-15, fingers 1+3 for 16-18 and fingers 1+4 for anything more. When you've done this across all 6 strings, move down a fret at a time. 

God that sounds brutal. I'll start doing it that way though, it'll help with stretching for sure.

JAYJO

Try using an Acoustic Guitar for a while and then switch to your lecky!

mike_l

ThePrettyDamned said:

This works best if you start the trills at the 12th fret, and trill using fingers 1+2 for frets 12-15, fingers 1+3 for 16-18 and fingers 1+4 for anything more. When you've done this across all 6 strings, move down a fret at a time. 

God that sounds brutal. I'll start doing it that way though, it'll help with stretching for sure.

It is a bit brutal. Came from Joe Satriani, via Kirk Hammett.

I'd start with just fretting, not trilling. Save risking damaging/injuring your hands

ThePrettyDamned

mike_l said:

ThePrettyDamned said:

This works best if you start the trills at the 12th fret, and trill using fingers 1+2 for frets 12-15, fingers 1+3 for 16-18 and fingers 1+4 for anything more. When you've done this across all 6 strings, move down a fret at a time. 

God that sounds brutal. I'll start doing it that way though, it'll help with stretching for sure.

It is a bit brutal. Came from Joe Satriani, via Kirk Hammett.

I'd start with just fretting, not trilling. Save risking damaging/injuring your hands

Just to report back, this is an excellent exercise.  

It's actually reduced my warm up time! I still trill one fret apart, too, which I can do faster (so it's still useful for speed) but that one really does challenge accuracy and stretchiness.  Neat.

frankus

viz said:

Yes! 1234, 2341, 3412, 4123! One fret per finger, starting on one string, and doing it a few hundred times.

Then try doing it backwards (4321, 3214, 2143, 1432) a few hundred times.

Then going from bottom string to top string - bottom E 1234, then A string 2341. Up to top E string, then moving up a semitone (3412), then coming down the strings, all on the fret above where you were previously.

Then try 1324, 3241, 2413, 4132.

What makes this exercise challenging is not taking the fingers off the fretboard once a note has been played. so the 2nd, 3rd and 4th finger stays on the 1st string whilst fingers 1 is playing the second string.

The next trick to this game is that the finger doesn't move 2mm above the fretboard.

ThePrettyDamned

frankus said:

viz said:

Yes! 1234, 2341, 3412, 4123! One fret per finger, starting on one string, and doing it a few hundred times.

Then try doing it backwards (4321, 3214, 2143, 1432) a few hundred times.

Then going from bottom string to top string - bottom E 1234, then A string 2341. Up to top E string, then moving up a semitone (3412), then coming down the strings, all on the fret above where you were previously.

Then try 1324, 3241, 2413, 4132.

What makes this exercise challenging is not taking the fingers off the fretboard once a note has been played. so the 2nd, 3rd and 4th finger stays on the 1st string whilst fingers 1 is playing the second string.

The next trick to this game is that the finger doesn't move 2mm above the fretboard.

Why would you not take the fingers off if you're going to move up a string? Or is it just for a pure dexterity work out? 

I only keep fingers on the string if I'm moving back down on the same string.  I've just tried it  your way and it's actually weirdly harder - slightly bigger stretches I think. 

frankus

yep - it's harder, the other advantage is it gets you out of the habit of totally resetting all your fingers (surplus movement).

also it means you get in the habit of placing your fingers in a way that doesn't rest on the string you'll be playing next - if you're moving across strings.

guitarfishbay

It is a dexterity exercise, I used to do it loads when I first started.

frankus

... good, I'm glad I added it in a thread asking about improving dexterity on the fretboard, then

and from my favourite book on stretching: