Guitar Tip #5 Intermediate and advanced levels

Last week I had mentioned strengthening fingers two and four.   A lot of good ideas came out this week on the hows and why’s, and the importance of developing all your fingers.

One very interesting idea in the comment board came from Robert.  He wrote he will practice replacing fingers one, two and three, with fingers two, three and four.  How brilliant!

So let’s try that this week.  Take a song you know and switch your fingers.  For example. Black Dog by Led Zeppelin or Wipe Out by Safaris.  But be careful if you feel any strain.  Remember they are not used to this position and you are only doing this as an exercise.  Feeling strain in your hands will be another post in the future.

Here is another idea:

Place only fingers two and four down on the strings.  What you are feeling behind your fingers and down your hand is the focal point.  I can’t stress this enough, but this is where the foundation of your playing comes from!

Walk up the strings…..two, four, two, four etc. (remember fingertips)

What do you feel?

If it feels weak, then your hand is not balanced.  Of course fingers one and three  feel great doing this, but the anatomy behind those fingers are not where your foundational playing comes from.

Complete and overall balance comes from developing this part of your hand behind fingers two and four.  And you might be surprised to find out that it doesn’t stop at the hand, but flows down your arm and into your shoulder region as well.

If it feels strong then you have developed a hand position that will take you to the next levels of playing.

Work on these exercises this week and then we can begin chromatic scales next week!

Stay Tuned,

Stephen Zurakowsky