He's correct! I've done this for decades. It creates a neural pathway from your brain to each finger. It makes it so you can move each finger independently, precisely, no "noise" to interfere - which is what happens when fingers 'move' on their own. Another trick is to make a chord and 'squeeze' it 10 times in place. Your brain will memorize it faster.
Ok, but try to do it with your pinky al well, to create a new brain pattern. Hope to hear from you in a couple of month's. God Bless from the Netherlands.
Wow, I took a pause to try the first exercise and am really surprised how tough it is to keep my pinky planted. This is going to be super helpful. Thank you.
Finger independence is a must for chords and even more so for lead solos. Guitarist such as Allan Holdsworth and Frank Gambale are just two of the greatest finger acrobats of our time. Thanks for sharing. 🎸
I've not picked up my guitar in decades. Everything is so atrophied. My brain knows what to do from playing when I was younger, but the fingers won't obey. I found this video, and have been working on it daily, and it works VERY well. Thank you so much!
Yes, this works! I suggest doing this exercise with a metronome on a very slow setting. Relax the finger to position instead of forcing (inducing tension) the finger movements. If you feel tension or pain, stop, relax, breathe (10 deep breaths) and start over. The goal is to complete the exercise accurately with no tension in the hand, arm or shoulders. Thanks Paul Tye, RIP.
ive been doing this for the last few days and the progress im making is impressive. it definitely makes chord changes seem way easier and faster. i am sold! thanks for sharing
It’s great! It’s like watching 4 kids playing a game. Some of the kids are not so quick on picking up the rules! 😂 Pressing down harder with the non-moving fingers works too. Thanks!
Thank you for this, I started only about a month ago learning guitar and a lot of the time even with cords I practice a lot my fingers still sometimes go off in their own directions I look forward to this helping me get more control.
I'm so glad I found this! I've been playing with the spider exercise lately and noticed my ring finger doesn't quite move the way the other 3 do - I tried this exercise for the first time today, couldn't do two fingers with index and ring, I'll do it again tomorrow with just one finger and go from there. Thanks!
@@guitargympro I am finding it nearly impossible to get the switch on simultaneously. For many pairings I have to place one finger then the other. I'll have to work my way up to lifting only 2 fingers and then moving one up and one down in unison.
@@langerking that absolutely happens to a ton of people at the beginning. Like you said, especially for certain finger pairings. If you keep doing them by lifting them one at a time and then moving them one at a time and then setting them down one at a time eventually your brain will get around it and be able to do it all together :-)
I like this. I try to find relations of fingers that give musical promise for my sensibilities. Seems to keep me more focused, and also accomplished the goals.
Being a 70yr old retired builder (multi skilled) my knuckles are semi seized up. There was a time 30yrs ago I could play the Chuck Berry chuga chuga stuff all over the fingerboard, apart from 1st position E, A, D it's megga frustrating not to do it anymore. I do finger warm up exercises off the guitar which helps, but chords over four frets is a struggle. I'll be giving this routine a spin and get back to you.
Hi 70 yr old. I am 68. I find playing in cold wet climates especially challenging. Here are my 2 cents: Try not to skip warmup exercises but if you do warm your hands in very warm water or do the dishes before practice. Shake and move them to get the blood flowing. Ice your hands after you play. Then do Stretching and or gliding exercises on your hands. Massage them while watching a movie. Play intentionally for sets of 20 minutes no more. I play triads instead of bar chords and I do less bends and fingerpicking. Lifting weights has helped but forearms get sore. Most important be mindful of what guitar you play on using the correct setup and lighter strings. I guess we all have heard this stuff but we need to do it as well 😂 I wont play if I have pain. In three years went from not being able to play to now a 2 to 3 hours practice a day. Also have practiced using a light touch.
@@claudiafrers8923 Regarding light strings, BBKing said to Billy Gibbons, "Why are you working so hard? Get some light guage strings." Gibbons plays 7s or 8s usually.
One variation is to poise the fingers above the third string until they are needed. It's difficult to do and maintain but seems to teach a core mechanic of string manipulation.
Great explanation and truly a great way to get better...really helped me a few years ago (after playing poorly for 40 plus years) doing these types of drills...especially to master new jazz chords and other cool rhythm melodies.
Wow, this is a brutally honest wake up call for my abilities. Its super frustrating, but I seriously need work on my weak and puny finger strength. Thank you!
@@guitargympro quick question though. I noticed that when you flip flop your fingers both fingers land simultaneously. I can do that with the 1st and 2nd finger, but when I try to land each finger simultaneously with the 2nd and 3rd finger, I can’t do it. I can only move them one at a time. Do you think that if I keep practicing moving them one at a time eventually I will get to the point where I can land them simultaneously? In other words, do you still think the exercise is beneficial if I can only move certain fingers one at a time?
@@keychange6231 Yes! absolutely! Start with 1 finger at a time. The next step is to lift them up together but place them down one at a time. And eventually you'll be able to move them together :)
I instantly felt i had more control the first time i tried this, thank you very much I've been into bodybuilding for 3 years so it clicked for me when you said extra strength/flexibility aren't enough, because my hands are used to just grabbing things really hard but with no finger independence So thanks again it really helped and this is just the first time i tried it
Liked and subbed. This video came up seemingly out of nowhere, a week into 'flying fingers' exercises (and they are making a difference). I agree with the re-wiring part. I'm odd in that I play golf, cricket etc right handed, but I'm monster left-hand dominant in other respects - except fretting; my left fingers just won't do it, but the right are ok. I spent 6 miserable months trying to play right handed, andcame out as a leftie. I'm sure a lot of this goes back to my infant school in the UK in the early 60s - our teachers were extreme leftie-phobics and I'd get a rap over the knuckles if I tried to write left-handed. I got into such a state that my father physically threatened the headmaster that he'd thrash him if his staff ever tried it again. It worked but I think the damage was done.
Just looking at this. Not having tried it yet. It looks easy. My hands are going to take a while, but I like this.🥰 Hey, my middle finger is my favorite finger too. I use it all the time.🤣
I totally agree this concept works. Similar to the sports world where you put your body through rigorous and complex coordination drills to achieve higher levels of motor skills. I’m just an intermediate level guitar player but I noticed some improvements with an exercise I randomly came up with. While driving I grip the steering wheel in a way where I press my fingers down in various combinations similar to your finger drills on the guitar neck. It’s great especially when stuck in traffic or at a stoplight Lol
Good exercises. Also consider purchasing Scott Tennants book ‘Pumplng Nylon’. It has all of these exercises and then some. Good for all players in any genre.
This was way too cool. And I agree. I noticed I had little control fretting, despite my almost two years of piano playing, so I started this a couple of months ago. I'm still working on this exercise and appreciate every little nuance to help gain control. I also practice this with my non-fretting hand. I don't have the same callouses, but the pathway has to be developed. There was a crowd in the music store this week with a young Dad and his VERY young daughter who was taking a music class, and (another) Grandfather aged gentleman waiting for his grandson who was taking a piano lesson. The Old Fart said it was too late for him to start learning music. I started at 65 years of age (like my Mom) and told him it was never too late to learn.
Never too late. Good for you brother. Getting your other hand in the mix is smart. The more you teach your brain that your fingers are individuals... The better. Would love to have you in my adult community you sound perfect for it. Let me know and I'll get you the link.
A cool exercise and very helpful. What would also be helpful is if you start the video with a demonstration. So that the viewer knows what they are about to learn. Then get into the yadda yadda yadda drawn out instruction on how to execute the exercise and other tidbits about the science of it and yadda yadda yadda. Let's us know right away 1) what we are going to learn 2) if we want to continue and learn this skill 3) if we're sticking around be locked in to the lesson with a frame of reference in our head making it easier to learn the skill and - most importantly - makes the lesson more enjoyable. Instead of being distracted with thoughts of, bloody hell get the f on with it already!
My thoughts are that an impatient person gets angry when they can’t adhere to OR appreciate something enough to “move on if this isn’t their teacher”. Oh, the angst some people seem to have over wanting to control someone else’s RU-vid when they themselves have nothing useful on THEIRtube. This generalized trait is quite telling when it comes to whether or not someone even has the ability to learn to begin with. As a side note, I, too, can be an ahole when I feel the need to demean someone. The big difference is I would tend to also say the same thing to someone in public if I felt that they were a bully. All the “likes” for bullying comments tend to be from the quiet bullies who also want to chime in… But they also generally have equally useless and/or generally self-centered “insight” that everyone could have done without. With all the negativity, I hope to clarify and redirect the thought process to one simple fact: I myself am captivated BECAUSE of the KNOWLEDGE I just learned here! For me, it was unlikely that I’d ever have learned this technique from anyone in my circles as nobody around seems to want to do much more than to dump on beautiful truth and knowledge. I’d say instead that most people who read your take AND my take might be in agreement that one or more of us could become a little happier by apologizing for being so… Negative. I know this all makes sense, both as a driver and as a passenger. Autopilot isn’t all that great at the moment if you’ve been watching the news. For some of us it might be best to switch the “self pilot” back on at some point. Sadly, not all of our fathers have taught us the best ways to drive. Nor our mothers. Here? On this page? We’ve all grown. Peace & Love!
Funny thing is I’ve been playing for a a few years and when I do this exercise it is 100 times easier to do it with my right hand compared to my left hand. Even though I’ve been playing for a few years and I can play decent as an intermediate I still struggle with speed and accuracy which has me wondering if I should by a cheap left handed guitar and learn to play left handed since my right hand finger independence is so much better.
I typically don’t recommend going with a ‘left handed’ guitar. I’m actually left handed and play right handed. Think of an orchestra. There’s not 2 people up there playing the other way. It isn’t ‘left handed’ it’s backwards 😆 I know some people disagree and that’s cool. Just my 2 cents 🤷♂️
Your teaching is good BUT... KINDLY make multi-screens ... One screen of your teaching and other screen " ZOOM-IN " Frets screen. By this way it would be more easier to understand and to view your fingers placements on the guitar FRETS. I hope my suggestion will make your great videos MORE EFFICIENT for learners...!!!!! Thank you. 🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻
Yeah - it makes sense in a weird way. If your brain doesn’t have to talk to your pinky every time you grab something, why would it spend the extra energy?
That was a great lesson. Thanks for sharing! I tend to hesitate while I assemble chords - I'll try this exercise to see if my brain can make it work. Sub'd and liked btw
I promise it will definitely help you out. Thank you for the sub. www.skool.com/guitar is where I keep the really in depth stuff if you haven't already checked it out I really suggest it.
This works as a good warm-up exercise, and as suggested, not recommended to be done for more than 2 minutes/day. To improve the mind-hand connection (ie, how the brain talks to the hand), IMO it is best to practice musical pieces (eg, solos, licks, riffs, chord progressions, etc broken down into smaller chunks as necessary) over and over until you are satisfied. This is more likely to improve the muscle memory. Before you start this exercise, I also suggest a customised 1-2 min warm-up routine for this video (ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-TSrfB7JIzxY.html) - it makes a difference if you are planning to play for long periods.
On my first week of learning at 54 years old. Let see if old dogs can indeed learn new tricks. I'll do this everyday until I can do it automatically. Thank you!!
Take a small stick and roll it like a propeller between the fingers. I use all four fingers and thumb to make the propelling. My pinky has been much stronger and more balanced in my playing.
Me: *moves the ring and pinky* Brain: *refuses to collaborate* It's so hard to do simultaneously with ring and pinky fingers, this gotta help with coordination.
Make sure your fingers are parallel to the frets, not pointed at the body. Try pulling your elbow toward your body. Also, try higher up on the guitar doing this exercise. 9 10 11 12 will be smaller and easier to stretch. If you need more help I have a free group at skool.com/guitar. I do a live Q+A call Tuesdays and always make a recording to share with the group after.
I was shocked when I first saw this video. I tried it for the first time 10 minutes ago (I’m very new at guitar), and my fingers and hand hurt so much. It feels like I can’t, my fingers don’t sit properly and especially my pinky feels like its so off and it keeps touching the bottom string where my pinkie is placed. It’s probably because I’m new, and I hope I improve eventually because I get really frustrated at my fingers when im practicing. Regardless thanks for this vid.
Some of the finger sets are harder than others. It seems like it would be crazy hard, but if you go really slow, you can definitely get it. This is all about getting your finger to move, not getting your finger to move fast.
@@tps55555 if you’ve been playing guitar for any length of time, you certainly have the experience of thinking about moving a certain finger only to have another one move. That experience will happen less often. You’ll feel more confident and in control of each individual finger knowing it’s gonna end up where you want it.
You'll see results in a week if you do it everyday for 2 minutes - it's a really powerful exercise when done properly, but you'll keep seeing results for months.
@@PistolPeteUK111 it can take a bit to get - can you set all 4 fingers down and lift up just your ring finger? Not even move strings just lift it up? What about with your fingers flat on a table?
@@guitargympro my ring finger is not absolutely dead. It moves a bit with other fingers are set in the same position, but moving down especially when other finger is moving in opposite direction is impossible. Thank you for your advice and encouragement
✨Excellent✨ exercise! There's another that's typically used for piano without the piano, tapping various varieties of finger combinations on anything available.
@@whatifschrodingersboxwasacofin I was stunned seeing the finger control of that extraordinary piano exercise with both hands simultaneously; the fretting hand exercise offered here by guitargympro is just as good for guitar. My point in posting is that non musical dexterity exercises certainly do ✨WORK✨...! ✨👋🥴👍✨
@@Da_Xman Oh, absolutely! I have no issue with your post at all. I’m stunned at pretty much any finger control. Each of my fingers has its own tiny little brain, and that thumb is the headquarters where they all meet to disagree. Fortunately, all the joint stiffness keeps them from tangling (edit: too much).
@@whatifschrodingersboxwasacofin Maybe you can find some consolation in knowing that I have 10 fingers that are often like out of control tentacles without any mind at all. ✨👋🤣👍✨
