Fretting hand exercises...

Shubunkin · April 2020

Hi, not sure if this is the right place for this question...so sorry if it's not. I did have lessons when I was at primary school (40 years ago), but was pretty rubbish then, but I've just started playing again, and I'm actually not too bad...but I'm really struggling to find a way to improve the flexibility and strength of my fretting hand as it's really holding me back.
I've been working on this since January, and have tried a rubbery thing that you slip over your fingers and do different exercises with to stretch and strengthen...which has done bugger all for me. I've tried Justin Guitar's stretching exercises...they look great and I'm sure it's a fantastic way of learning how to stretch your fingers over 4 frets, but you have to be able to physically do it to practice it! He says no more than 5 mins per day, and I must admit any longer is painful for me...but I'm not even able to do the first part of the first stage, it takes a whole 5 minutes to get in position...it's physically impossible for me at the moment and after 3 months, I'm getting frustrated with how to change this.
I can put my index finger on the low E string, 8th fret, then my middle finger on the 9th, I have to use my right hand to physically move my ring finger onto the 10th fret because it won't move on it's own. And when I do the same to move my pinky, it makes my ring finger slide across next it it...I physically can't stop it, and I can't reach that fret properly anyway. When I try to move my fingers down to the A string, I can move my index finger just fine...but that's as far as I can get. None of my other fingers stay on the E string, my arm has to be at a weird contorted angle so I'm not muting all the other strings, and the body of the guitar is right under my chin as otherwise I can't reach those frets! Am I a freak of nature or something? I can't do these exercises further up the neck either as the frets are too wide and I can only manage the first three fingers on the low E string, try and do the pinky or move them down to the A and it's impossible. I've seen children do this on full sized guitars...so why the hell can't I?
I just need some exercises that will actually help, and that I can actually do...there's no way I'm ever going to improve using the rubbery thing or the Justin Guitar stuff...and yet all the other stuff I've seen is pretty much the same. Or am I destined to play only songs with easy chords forever?
After spending a few days learning all the finger picking for Nothing Else Matters I had to give up when I got to the point where I couldn't physically make the chord...it's really frustrating, and seems all my favourite songs need super strong and flexible fingers and all I have are stupid sausage fingers

I tried lessons a couple of months ago...had one and realised I can't actually play when someone is watching me...can play thing perfectly at home, and then mute every string, faff up every chord and become a total retard when anyone is watching...so pretty much left with teaching myself. Any help would be great, thanks

Ryder · April 2020

Could it be the angle of the guitar neck? Maybe try resting the guitar body on your left leg (classical position)....I find fretting much easier in this position

Shubunkin · April 2020

I have actually tried that, but it causes me pain in my left shoulder for some reason...it's a bit of a stretch for me then to reach the first fret, so I guess it must be that. I think I must be part T-rex...or I'm just put together all wrong

Maybe I should just take up tambourine instead, lol. Thanks for the suggestion though

steven70 · April 2020

It may be the angle of your wrist. Try standing up (keep the strap fairly high) and changing the angle of the neck so that the headstock is pointing forward - away from your chest/body. Not quite 'machine gunning' the audience but you get the idea. Probably that is the complete opposite of 'proper' technique but some of the old blues guys do it and I find it helps. Worth a try as a starting point, find out where that tension is.

TheBigDipper · April 2020

Can you take a quick video and show us? It could be a million things to do with your playing position and "at rest" posture. And they do say a picture is worth a thousand words... ;-)

Shubunkin · April 2020

Thanks for all the advice...and sorry for the late reply!
Lol, sadly I'm so technologically unadvanced, the chances of me being able to video myself is very slim. I was recently asked by my GP to take photos of my ears...long story...after about twenty photos of my window, a few looking into my ear, rather than at it, and some dodgy into a mirror shots...I had to admit it was never going to happen. So a video...actually aimed in the right direction, lol, I doubt it. Grrr, maybe at some point in the distant future when things are back to normal I can ask someone to video me, but sadly stuck on my own at the moment.
Will keep trying though, and thanks again for the help.

Rocker · April 2020

The best way to improve finger strength and stretch on your fretting hand is to play a bass.

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Fretting hand exercises...

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