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Tips and Exercises to help control fingers?

ari.mac

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  • Jul 16, 2020
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    How in the hell do I control my fingers and keep them near the fretboard??? HOW?!?!? is there some exercise I can do?? I surely got better compared to one year ago, but it's not enough and I can't progress on speed if I don't control that, in both picking and legato. Help 😭😂
     
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    Rad Synner

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  • Nov 11, 2019
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    My advice for this is to take it slow and to be patient! But let me explain!

    So for your fingers to stay close to the fingerboard, I would advise to choose an exercise or a solo or whatever and to really slow it down to a speed where you can think about what you are doing! Once chosen, you have to take your time and really think about what you are doing because the way you place your fingers and that you execute said part is key to your improvement as you speed things up.

    Basically, while you are memorizing and learning a part, put a conscious effort on your finger placement and distance to the fretboard. Practice it until it starts to become easy and you don't need to consciously place your fingers to desire position. Basically, until your finger themselves through muscles memory know exactly what they have to do. And then speed things up and repeat the process.

    Patience will play a big part as well because it can take sometime to gather the desire speed to shred or sweep fast but this is the approach I take. Muscle memory makes all the difference for me, hope that helps! :)
     
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    Alicia Willis

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  • Nov 11, 2019
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    I still struggle a bit with this, but an exercise I’ve found that’s helped tremendously is super simple.

    Chromatics.

    1,2,3,4 across all strings.
    or move it up to any fret really just play the chromatics. So simple you can do it while watching tv. Just make a conscious effort to keep your fingers close.

    once that’s a breeze play around with something like
    1,3,2,4 or 2,4,1,3 etc.

    It definitely helps the finger independence.
     
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    Adin Shepherd

    Music Theory Bragger
    Nov 11, 2019
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    I still struggle a bit with this, but an exercise I’ve found that’s helped tremendously is super simple.

    Chromatics.

    1,2,3,4 across all strings.
    or move it up to any fret really just play the chromatics. So simple you can do it while watching tv. Just make a conscious effort to keep your fingers close.

    once that’s a breeze play around with something like
    1,3,2,4 or 2,4,1,3 etc.

    It definitely helps the finger independence.

    This video has a couple of very challenging variants of this excercise.

     

    Anna.VG

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    Mar 14, 2021
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    How in the hell do I control my fingers and keep them near the fretboard??? HOW?!?!? is there some exercise I can do?? I surely got better compared to one year ago, but it's not enough and I can't progress on speed if I don't control that, in both picking and legato. Help 😭😂
    youre terrible 🤪
     
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    Calvin Phillips

    Music Theory Bragger
    Nov 11, 2019
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    I still struggle a bit with this, but an exercise I’ve found that’s helped tremendously is super simple.

    Chromatics.

    1,2,3,4 across all strings.
    or move it up to any fret really just play the chromatics. So simple you can do it while watching tv. Just make a conscious effort to keep your fingers close.

    once that’s a breeze play around with something like
    1,3,2,4 or 2,4,1,3 etc.

    It definitely helps the finger independence.
    Any exercise that forces you to use all 4 fingers will help. Chromatic are simple good starting ideas.after that is feeling good.. start stretching the fingers. Do a 1 2 3 1 2 4 or a 1 2 4 1 3 4.itll help your pinky stay close and not flop away when you need it most.
     
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    Brian Haner Sr.

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    Nov 11, 2019
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    I still struggle a bit with this, but an exercise I’ve found that’s helped tremendously is super simple.

    Chromatics.

    1,2,3,4 across all strings.
    or move it up to any fret really just play the chromatics. So simple you can do it while watching tv. Just make a conscious effort to keep your fingers close.

    once that’s a breeze play around with something like
    1,3,2,4 or 2,4,1,3 etc.

    It definitely helps the finger independence.
    This 1000x !!!
     
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    William B.

    Hot Topic Tourer
  • Nov 11, 2019
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    Try this pattern too 0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0 on each string as fast as you can until your tired. Alternate picked starting downstroke and also upstroke. I use palm mute to not break the strings especially the high E. The idea is to build speed, stamina, get accustomed to your guitar and be able to feel where the strings are eventually. The pattern is never ending after awhile you shouldn't get tired after a couple minutes. I learned this one from ystnyer in one of the earlier Guitar World magazine videos. He suggested this to any player that wanted to get started right away.

    Next one is Hammer on each finger till it's tired as fast as possible so first finger hammer on fret 5 like 15 times hold it there and start hammering on the second finger to the 6th fret leave hold it there like the first finger so now holding 1st and 2nd fingers down start hammering on the 3rd finger on the 7th fret and do the same with the pinky on the 8th fret. After start alternating between fingers so hold down the first finger and hammer on the 3rd and 4th in triplets as fast as you can ( or pull off ) try all the patterns you can think of and also don't forget the first finger, you can do a complete hammer on from open frets to the 5th for example.

    A stretching exercise is using that same 1-2-3-4 chromatic pattern is to try and put a fret space between the first and second fingers when doing the hammer on pull off stuff. It's possible that you'll need to hop/skip back 'n' forth at first, eventually it should get easier and automatically won't. Try this with each finger so the frets would be 5-7 for fingers 1 and 2 than try to space the 3rd finger one fret further so instead of 3rd finger 3rd fret put it on the 4th and so on. It's hard but it'll get better.

    The 1-2-3-4 pattern I learned from another early a7x video when Syn said he wrote a guitar duel, I think it was for Bat Country, for Zacky to help him improve. Learned it wrong but I still remembered it and helped me improve. There's a lot you can do with chromatics

    One last thing that would maybe help more is try to practice counting out loud so it doesn't mix you up, count lets say starting pinky on 8th fret low E going to A string 5th fret and continuing the pattern. It maybe be strange when counting, it's a hurdle
    1,2,3,4
    1,2,3
    1,2
    Most coming ones I think

    Hopefully it made some sense I need to go right now.
    I can try to clarify and add things
    A video would be better but when I talk things keep expanding, need a script maybe
    sorry took so long

    Ps: The 1234 pattern you can play in dropped D tuning and you can make 3 string power chords with one finger so you can switch between them fast but at the same time it's harder to press down especially with the pinky for me
     
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    William B.

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  • Nov 11, 2019
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    Right now I'm working some on the modes lessons and it's probably good to practice those patterns too sometimes aside from the 1-2-3-4 pattern
    getting used to the tonal differences slowly and things are making more sense for me
    did half of them so far and I think you can play them all in one position not sure yet but the first 4 for sure ( patterns shown )
     
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