pauldil Posted September 20, 2003 Share Posted September 20, 2003 The thread about barre chords got me to thinking about technique. I know that there have been numerous discussions about the evils of technique for the sake of speed or pure flash. However, technique is not synonymous with speed. I think it's important to develop the ability to go from note to note, chord to chord, or whatever combination, in a way that both sounds good and doesn't feel too awkward. Kind of like athletes, who stretch and do various exercises to improve their performance, musicians also have to limber up. I thought I'd start this thread and see if anyone has any good exercises to share. That said, one of my early teachers had me do what he called the "climbing" exercise to help build dexterity in my left hand. On the first 2 frets, using your 1st and 2nd fingers, simultaneously play an F on the high E string and a C# on the B string. Then play an F# on the E string and a C on the B string. Then go back to an F on the E string, but now play an A on the G string, followed by an F# on the E and an Ab on the G string, and so on, so one finger is always playing a note on the E string while you keep "climbing" up the other strings with one finger. I know that sounds a lot more complicated than it really is. Here's a picture: ||--1--|-----|-----| ||-----|--2--|-----| ||-----|--2--|-----| ||--1--|-----|-----| ||-----|-----|-----| ||-----|-----|-----| ||-----|-----|-----| ||-----|-----|-----| ||-----|-----|-----| ||-----|-----|-----| ||-----|-----|-----| ||-----|-----|-----| ||--1--|-----|-----| ||-----|--2--|-----| ||-----|-----|-----| ||-----|-----|-----| ||-----|--2--|-----| ||--1--|-----|-----| ||-----|-----|-----| ||-----|-----|-----| ||-----|-----|-----| ||-----|-----|-----| ||-----|-----|-----| ||-----|-----|-----| ||--1--|-----|-----| ||-----|--2--|-----| ||-----|-----|-----| ||-----|-----|-----| ||-----|-----|-----| ||-----|-----|-----| ||-----|--2--|-----| ||--1--|-----|-----| ||-----|-----|-----| ||-----|-----|-----| ||-----|-----|-----| ||-----|-----|-----| ||--1--|-----|-----| ||-----|--2--|-----| ||-----|-----|-----| ||-----|-----|-----| ||-----|-----|-----| ||-----|-----|-----| ||-----|-----|-----| ||-----|-----|-----| ||-----|--2--|-----| ||--1--|-----|-----| ||-----|-----|-----| ||-----|-----|-----| ||--1--|-----|-----| ||-----|--2--|-----| ||-----|-----|-----| ||-----|-----|-----| ||-----|-----|-----| ||-----|-----|-----| ||-----|-----|-----| ||-----|-----|-----| ||-----|-----|-----| ||-----|-----|-----| ||-----|--2--|-----| ||--1--|-----|-----|The trick is to grab both notes at the exact same time. This is a purely non-musical exercise to help develop dexterity. If done really slowly and accurately, it's a great warm-up. You can do it with all combinations of fingerings (besides 1-2, use 2-3, 3-4, 1-3, 2-4, and 1-4). Or, you can reverse it and start on the low E. It also makes a great picking exercise. Anyone else have a good exercise to help build dexterity, coordination, etc.? Paul Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
yamsa2000 Posted September 20, 2003 Share Posted September 20, 2003 Graemlins...ignore this. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
yamsa2000 Posted September 20, 2003 Share Posted September 20, 2003 Originally posted by gotMYgit: This is a rockabilly lick : -4--0-----0----4---0----0- -5----5--------5------5-- (repeat) ------6---------------6- ----------------------- ---------------------- ----------------------- --3---0------0--3--0------0- --5------5------5-----5----- (repeat) ---------6------------6----- ---------------------------- --------------------------- --------------------------- --4--0------0--4---0----0 --5-----5------5-----5-- --------6------------6-- (repeat) ------------------------ ------------------------ ------------------------Ok - I pinched it from Guitar Player (Arlen Roth I think) a long time ago and have used it a lot over the years ...sounds good with E boojy woojy stuff - I play it with first two fingers only....simple but effective. Play it fast. I'm not a fan of non- musical sounding exercises myself. If I go to the trouble of learning something I like to be able to use it in a tune.... but I guess your teacher knows what he's doing . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
henryrobinett Posted September 20, 2003 Share Posted September 20, 2003 I'm not going to tab this and I don't know if I can 'splain it either. You'd have to see it. But I've been doing this for almost 30 years as a left hand exercise. It freaks all my students out. I call it the Spider. I have no idea where I got it. Start on the high E string. Put your 4th finger on the 4th fret and your 2nd finger on the 2nd fret of the high E string. Hold them both down. While holding them down move your 1st and 3rd fingers to the 2nd string, 1st and 3rd frets. Now hold THOSE fingers down and lift up the 2nd and 4th fingers from the 1st string and place them on the 2nd and 4th frets of the 3rd string. Do this until you've moved across to the 6th string, each time holding the fingers down that aren't in motion, then go in reverse till you return to the 1st string. Go back again this time starting with your 1st and 3rd fingers. It looks like your fingers are a spider moving across the fretboard. It's a bitch until you drill it. Best thing for getting your left hand warmed up quickly. I know it's hard to visualize and it may not make any sense. But it's too cool. All the best, Henry Robinett Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bobbo Posted September 20, 2003 Share Posted September 20, 2003 Here's a similar lick to gotMYgit's tab..Or it could be used as a second guitar part: ------------------------------ ------------------------------ -1-----2-----1------4--------- ------------------------------ -2-----4-----2------4----0---- ----0-----0------0------------ ------------------------------ -2------3-------2-------3----- ------------------------------ -2------4-------2-------4----- ----0-------0-------0--------- ----------------------------0- (repeat first) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
henryrobinett Posted September 20, 2003 Share Posted September 20, 2003 Of course I just prefer playing real music or musical things, even scales over nonsense exercises. All the best, Henry Robinett Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guitarzan Posted September 20, 2003 Share Posted September 20, 2003 geez henry, i tried it and its brutal. i was sittin there waiting for my fingers to move. its like being separated from your fingers. http://www.soundclick.com/bands/pagemusic.cfm?bandID=193274 rock it, i will Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guitarzan Posted September 20, 2003 Share Posted September 20, 2003 ....s..p...i...d...e...r... evil http://www.soundclick.com/bands/pagemusic.cfm?bandID=193274 rock it, i will Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
henryrobinett Posted September 20, 2003 Share Posted September 20, 2003 Originally posted by guitarzan: ....s..p...i...d...e...r... evil LOL!!! You know what? I do it every day as my first warm up. I know. It's NUTS!. All the best, Henry Robinett Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NMcGuitar Posted September 22, 2003 Share Posted September 22, 2003 Henry - I gotta try that when I get home from work! It sounds like a real killer! Here's one I do to limber up. Using 4th finger on 4th fret, 3rd on 3rd fret, etc: On 1st string- 4th-1st-4th-2nd-4th-3rd-4th-3rd-4th-2nd-4th-1st Then on the 2nd string, the same thing (staying in rhythm at all times! ), all the way down to the 6th string. Sometimes (if I'm a bit out of practice) I'll start further up the neck to make the stretches smaller. May all your thoughts be random! - Neil www.McFaddenArts.com www.MikesGarageRocks.com Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
henryrobinett Posted September 22, 2003 Share Posted September 22, 2003 Yeah Neil, I think you'll like it. I'll try sometihng else here. I hate tab and doon't have the patience for writing it out and I hate what it does to the forum displays but I'll try . . . Here are two exercises I like. Both use all four fingers and start with the first. I didn't write them all out because I figured the pattern should be pretty obvious if you work with them. But they go all the way to the 1st string, 4th finger and then comes back down. I like things that have a musical use to them. The Spider has nothing musical to it. These are chromatic exercises so, well with jazz on the very rare occassion, I've used them either directly or just with helping in "seeing" the neck better. I hope this makes some kind of sense! Ex #1 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- ---------------------------------------------------------3-----3-4-3---3-4-5 -------------------4-------4-5-4---4-5-6-5-4-5-6-7-6-5-7--7-6-7------7------ ---5-6-7-8-7-6-7-8---8-7-8-------8------------------------------------------ Ex #2 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- ---------------------------------------------------------------3----------3- -----------4----------4-5------4-5-6-5-4---4-5-6-7-6-5-4-5-6-7--7-6-5-6-7--- ---5-6-7-8--8-7-6-7-8----8-7-8-----------8---------------------------------- All the best, Henry Robinett Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Swede in L.A Posted April 21, 2005 Share Posted April 21, 2005 The spider...Oh my god! My guitar teacher when I was like 15 had me do that one, and strangely enough, it's called the spider...even in Sweden...lol! GOOD EXERCISE FOR THE LEFT HAND! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Swede in L.A Posted April 21, 2005 Share Posted April 21, 2005 I'm not sure If I read youir spider the same as mine..Here's mine! 1st finger on the b string )c-note) at the same time as 3rd finger at the A string (c-note)..octave. Then you move to 2nd finger on a-string (b-note) ant the same time 4 finger on the b-string (Eb-note) then you go 1st finger on the a-string (Bb-note) at the same time 3rd finger at B-string (d-note) the lastly 2nd figer at the B-string (C#/Db note) at the same time as 4th finger at the A-string (C#/Db note) Tha is one rotation..feel free to move around the neck...Supergood finger warmer upper. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Funk Jazz Posted April 21, 2005 Share Posted April 21, 2005 i used to play around with this idea... kind of hard to explain, so bare with me. index = 1 (first fret) middle = 2 (second fret) ring = 3 (third fret) pinky = 4 (fourth fret)take the following combinations, ascending then descending, all at the first fret using the formula above. 1-2-3-4 2-3-4-1 3-4-1-2 4-1-2-3 1-3-2-4 2-4-1-3 3-2-1-4 4-1-3-2 the tab would look something like this for the first one: -----------------------------------------1-2-3-4- ---------------------------------1-2-3-4--------- -------------------------1-2-3-4----------------- -----------------1-2-3-4------------------------- ---------1-2-3-4--------------------------------- -1-2-3-4------------------------------------------4-3-2-1----------------------------------------- ---------4-3-2-1--------------------------------- -----------------4-3-2-1------------------------- -------------------------4-3-2-1----------------- ---------------------------------4-3-2-1--------- -----------------------------------------4-3-2-1-hope that makes sense 'cuz it's kind of weird, but what your trying to do is play all fingering combinations in one position. spend ten minutes a day doing this, and the results will speak for themselves. after it starts to get easy, skip strings as you ascend and descend. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Billster Posted April 21, 2005 Share Posted April 21, 2005 FJ: My first teacher started me with those, adding one to the repertoire at each weekly lesson. Henry: Sounds like an ouch! Gotta try it. Buy my CD on CD Baby! Bill Hartzell - the website MySpace?!?! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PBBPaul Posted April 23, 2005 Share Posted April 23, 2005 Leave it to Henry to teach me just how uncoordinated I am. Our new and improved website Today's sample tune: Lonesome One Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pauldil Posted April 23, 2005 Author Share Posted April 23, 2005 Originally posted by Funk Jazz: ...what your trying to do is play all fingering combinations in one position. spend ten minutes a day doing this, and the results will speak for themselves. This is a really good one, FJ. I used to play one combination per day in every position, first all downstroke, then all upstroke, then alternate picking. It takes 10 minutes or so and really gets your left & right hands in synch. I should start doing it again! Paul Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gifthorse Posted April 24, 2005 Share Posted April 24, 2005 I have a good one. I took a lesson from this guy in Ann Arbor. He described this exercise as yoga for your left hand. Going up and down a couple times doing this one will warm you up and help develop some finger independance with your left hand. Your pinky is on the 4fret on the D string. Your 3rd finger is on the 3rd fret on the G string. Your 2nd finger is on the 2nd fret on the B string. Your first finger is on the 1rst fret on the E string. Finger this whole pattern at once and hold it down. Then ascend starting with the pinky 1 fret at a time, while holding down everything else. So basically you are giving each finger a turn to move up by one fret while you hold down the previous pattern with all the others. This was very difficult for me at first because I don't have big hands. So you move the pinky up 1 fret while holding down the original pattern. Then while holding the pinky down you move up your 3rd finger (this is the toughest part of the stretch), keep in mind you arent taking any fingers off the neck the whole exercise. When you make it up the neck, you descend using the opposite motion starting with your first finger instead of your pinky. If you can do this a couple times, up and down the neck, you will feel like your hands are more nimble and warmed up. It will also expand your ability to stretch and develop some finger independance. Maybe this is why my 1 time teacher called it Yoga for your left hand. On your right hand just pluck the strings for every fret movement. If you get it fast, you will sound like a robot climbing a hill (made of metal or something) http://flagshipmile.dmusic.com/ http://www.myspace.com/gifthorse Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Funk Jazz Posted April 24, 2005 Share Posted April 24, 2005 that's a cool one FSM i'm going to start using that for sure. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gifthorse Posted April 24, 2005 Share Posted April 24, 2005 Cool, as I will adopt the ones I have read. That one you have is a great exercise. It also helps out alternate picking. http://flagshipmile.dmusic.com/ http://www.myspace.com/gifthorse Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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