Our hands are amazing devices. Think about how many different ways your fingers and thumbs can move, bend, spread, grasp, point, and pivot. The array of muscles and joints that produce all these movements is intricate and involves many fine and delicate components.
As much as we use our fingers on a daily basis, our left-hand fingers can still benefit from increased finger independence – there are combinations of finger movements where certain fingers will have a tendency to move together. The following series of exercises will help train the fingers to move independently, as well as help stretch and limber them up.
Some words of caution: as mentioned earlier, the muscles in the hands and the fingers can be delicate. Take it very easy, and move slowly. Never push a movement to the point of pain. Fatigue is okay; light stretching is okay; but nothing should hurt!
I also recommend working up to the full routine gradually. Do the first exercise for a few days, then add the second, and so on. It is not necessary to increase the speed. Going faster will not provide any benefit. Keep it very slow and deliberate for the best results. I like to do the exercises using quarter notes – one note per click – at 60 beats per minute on a metronome.
EXERCISE 1
For the first exercise, we’ll plant or fix three fingers on the fretboard so we can work the remaining finger by itself. Place your second, third, and fourth fingers on frets 6, 7, and 8, respectively, on the G string. You don’t have to press them down hard; just use enough pressure to hold them in place as you move your index finger.
Now, alternate playing notes fingered by your index finger (making sure not to move the other fingers). Alternate for a measure between the 5th fret on the D string and the 5th fret on the B string. Repeat three times, then change to alternating between the 5th fret on the A string and the 5th fret on the high E string. Repeat for a total of four times. Next, alternate four times between the 5th fret on the low E string and the 5th fret on the high E string.
A few focus points:
- Concentrate on the feeling in your left hand. Where is there tension? What muscles do you need to relax to allow the movement to be smooth and easy? Try to isolate each finger in your mind and be aware of what it is doing and feeling.
- Don’t move your left hand in order to make it easier to reach across the fretboard; extend your index finger to reach the notes you want while keeping the hand stationary.
- Don’t let the fingers you have planted on the fingerboard lift up or move “sympathetically” with the index finger.
- Play the notes as connected (legato) as possible. Try to minimize any silence between the notes.
- Slow, clean, and accurate wins. Resist the temptation to work at faster tempos.
You probably found that this exercise was pretty easy, as the index finger is usually our strongest and most flexible finger, and it’s the freest thinker. But, let’s make things more difficult: place the first, third, and fourth fingers on frets 5, 7, and 8, respectively, on the G string. Use your middle finger to do all the alternations described for the index finger, at fret 6.
For the next level, place the first, second, and fourth fingers on frets 5, 6, and 8, respectively, on the G string. Perform all the cross-string alternations with the ring finger at fret 7. For me, this is the hardest one; my middle and little fingers want to follow along as the ring finger moves.
Finally, place the first, second, and third fingers on frets 5, 6, and 7, respectively, on the G string. Perform all the cross-string alternations with the little finger at fret 8. With this finger, it can be difficult to keep the hand stable; move it as little as possible as you extend the little finger to reach across the strings.
EXERCISE 2
For the next exercise, we’re going to plant two fingers on the fretboard and alternate the remaining fingers across the strings. Place the third and fourth fingers on frets 7 and 8, respectively, on the G string. Then, play the following pattern on frets 5 and 6, with the first and second fingers:
Hold each note for as long as possible, creating a smooth, connected sound with overlapping notes as you alternate between strings. Work through all the combinations of fingers:
Plant Alternate
3 & 4 1 & 2
1 & 4 2 & 3
1 & 2 3 & 4
2 & 4 1 & 3
1 & 3 2 & 4
2 & 3 1 & 4
Remember the five “focus” points from the first exercise – they’re valid here too. Some of those finger combinations are difficult!
You can also play this exercise in reverse fashion, with the pitches going down:
I alternate days; the first day I perform the exercise with ascending pitches, and the second day I use descending pitches.
EXERCISE 3
You can probably see where the next exercise is heading: we’ll be fixing one finger and moving the other three. Start with your little finger planted on fret 8 of the G string, and move the first, second, and third fingers:
You can perform this exercise ascending, descending, or with two other combinations of the three fingers, the possibilities are shown below. (I rotate among these variations over the course of four days of practicing.)
Work your way through all the finger combinations using the four pattern variations shown above:
Plant Alternate
4 1, 2, 3
3 1, 2, 4
2 1, 3, 4
1 2, 3, 4
For all three of the preceding exercises and their variations, you can also start the pattern on the higher string and alternate to the lower string. I recommend restricting yourself to doing one variation of each exercise per day, so as not to strain anything.
With all of these variations at your disposal, you should be able to work through many consecutive practice sessions without exactly repeating an exercise lineup – this small amount of variety is good for your focus and for keeping your fingers guessing.
ADDED BONUSES
Not only will these exercises increase your left-hand finger independence, but they’ll also improve mobility and strengthen the fingers. You’ll find complex chord changes are easier to play smoothly, and playing intervals across the fretboard during solos will become easier as well. Plus, playing all those string skips with your right hand will help your picking technique!
Work on these exercises every day as part of your normal practice routine. You’ll see results very quickly.
[The above article is drawn from Mitch Gallagher’s upcoming book on guitar technique. It is used courtesy of the author.]