Pinky Exercises?

[ifallalot]

First, I know I need to learn more scales and chord fingerings to make my play better, as I tend to fall into a pentatonic/bar chord rut lots of times but bear with me.

Are there any exercises or scales that can make my fourth finger (pinky) stronger? I feel like I am fretting with three fingers instead of four lots of times, and chord fingerings that involve the pinky always cause me to make mistakes.

I've searched but I can't really find anything

[Badabing]

Bump

[PhilT]

I had the same problem and was told by someone to do chromatic exercises starting from 1st fret low E, play frets 1 to 4 on each string and then slide up to the 5th fret on the high E and do the chromatic in reverse back down to fret 2 on the low E, then slide up to fret 3 and do the same again until you've covered the whole neck. It helped my pinky strength for sure, and improved my pick hand/fretting hand co-ordination a hell of a lot too.

[Henry]

Ifallalot, try playing tunes with simple open chords without using your first finger.

[greggorypeccary]

Just start using it. The chromatic exercise that PhilT suggested would be good. Or simply practice any scales using your pinky.

Though the longer you've been playing with three fingers, the harder it will probably be to use your pinky. Probably the best advice I got from my teacher when I started playing about 30 years ago was, "You've got four fingers, use them all."

[slowpinky]

one of the best books out there...

http://www.amazon.com/Technique-Supp...ref=pd_sim_b_4

[transmaniacon]

There is a left hand exercise that was in a guitar book i had 25 years or so ago which had a good (imho) left hand warm up exercise. It was basically a hammer on pull off exercise on each string utilising 2 fingers at any given time.
Starting at the 5th fret for example with your first finger pluck the low E string then hammer on to the 6th fret (with 2nd finger) then pull off again to 5th fret then hammer again to 6th repeat up the strings at the 5th and 6th frets. For example

E------------------------------------------5h65h6------------
B---------------------------------5h65h6--
G-------------------------5h65h6---------
D------------------5h65h6--------------
A----------5h65h6-----------------------------
E--5h65h6------------------------------

and back down

E--5h65h6------------------------------------------------------
B----------5h65h6-------------------------
G------------------5h65h6----------------
D--------------------------5h65h6------
A-----------------------------------5h65h6----
E--------------------------------------------5h65h6--

then continue the exercise with 2nd and 3rd fingers, then 3rd and 4th fingers and any combination of fingers you like. 3rd and 4th causes me anguish.

I've also heard Johnny Hiland and Eric Clapton dont use their pinkies much.

regards,
steve

[guitarzan13]

Any will work.... Just use it!

[Wailin' Tele]

Originally Posted by greggorypeccary

Just start using it. The chromatic exercise that PhilT suggested would be good. Or simply practice any scales using your pinky.

Though the longer you've been playing with three fingers, the harder it will probably be to use your pinky. Probably the best advice I got from my teacher when I started playing about 30 years ago was, "You've got four fingers, use them all."

Yep, just be patient and use it. Concentrate on proper technique while playing scales and it will grow stronger.

[Wally]

Playing full scales helps. THe lack of the use of all fingers is just one of the drawbacks of 'practicing' pentatonics. I see no use in practicing pentatonics. Thereis no payback for the hands, the ears or the mind, imho. The pentatonics are included in the full scales.

HEre is another exercise that was published in GP back in the '70's or '80's. IT will definitely help with independent finger movement and strenghth, ime.
...........................5^..................... 6
........................3^......................4
......................5^.....................6
....................3^.....................4
..................5^.....................6
................3^.....................4

On the ascending movement, use the 1st and 3rd fingers with a downstroke. ON the descending movement, use the 2nd and 4th fingers with an upstroke.
Move the pattern up and down the neck. Spider movement, kind of....

[chabby]

Thats one problem I've never had because I started when my hands were so small I used my pinky just to get a 3 fret spread sometimes. Now I'd say I'm very unusual in that my weakest finger is my ring finger on the left hand, my pinky is stronger and more dextrous.

I use classic rock hammer ons and pull offs to excercize my pinky with licks like the outro lead part of Sultans of swing - or anything with four or more frets apart incorporating hammering and pulling off with the pinky.

Also - don't watch too much Eric Clapton, his whole style evolved out of pinky avoidence-LOL!

[adeiderich]

Get on Piano!

Not one of the little plastic keyboard toys but a good ol' mahogany boxed, ivory keyed, felt hammered, ribbon dampened piano. Then play some scales (both hands) and pound out some chords and arpeggios for about a half hour. Repeat daily and next thing you know, all four of your fingers will be able to fret those dinky little geetar strings without a problem.

[Wally]

I am a one finger per fret kind of guy...with a reach for one more fret on either side. So, I cover 6 frets without wondering about movement.
With more thought on the subject, I suppose my first exposure to extensively using the pinky came about early on....because you just can't play those Chuck Berry shuffles out to the flatted 7th without using that pinky, now can you? I had to play Memphis, Johnny B. Goode, Maybelline...and whatever had that thing going on.
Also, I was taught to consider movements to and from chords so as to best configure my fretting of those chords. So, most of the time for me in the key of G, the basic G chord uses a pinky on the 3rd fret, high E string.....so you can get to the IV chord more easily....or do that 'folk' thing that Keith does (in open G) with the portion of that IV chord thrown in below that G root....as in 'The Sloop John B". In standard tuning, that move sits there and is easily accessible if you have the pinky in use on the high G.
IF we are lucky, we have four fingers...why not use em all, right? Django put us all to shame with only two for most things, though.

[chabby]

Originally Posted by Wally

I am a one finger per fret kind of guy...with a reach for one more fret on either side. So, I cover 6 frets without wondering about movement.
With more thought on the subject, I suppose my first exposure to extensively using the pinky came about early on....because you just can't play those Chuck Berry shuffles out to the flatted 7th without using that pinky, now can you? I had to play Memphis, Johnny B. Goode, Maybelline...and whatever had that thing going on.
Also, I was taught to consider movements to and from chords so as to best configure my fretting of those chords. So, most of the time for me in the key of G, the basic G chord uses a pinky on the 3rd fret, high E string.....so you can get to the IV chord more easily....or do that 'folk' thing that Keith does (in open G) with the portion of that IV chord thrown in below that G root....as in 'The Sloop John B". In standard tuning, that move sits there and is easily accessible if you have the pinky in use on the high G.
IF we are lucky, we have four fingers...why not use em all, right? Django put us all to shame with only two for most things, though.

Up until now I always felt I was the odd ball that has always played the first open position G chord with the pinky - straight out of my Mel Bay chord book I got when I was 9. But yeah, I learned all those Chuck Berry tunes and licks too where you had to use the pinky. Now if I could just get my ring finger to join the rest. I use the ring finger alot, I don't avoid it or anything, because I can't. But I just recently noticed how weak it is compared to my pinky.

Learning pedal steel type bends really helped me strengthen my ring finger, but it's still got a ways to go. Another thing that I'm currently working more on is the same pedal steel type bends, but using the index and middle finger like B. Mason does sometimes (like on Hotwired)

[Muttcaster]

Originally Posted by greggorypeccary

Just start using it.

That.

Here's me at a jam with friends playing Blackberry Blossom with my little finger ONLY:



And here's me more recently explaining why playing with 1 finger is a fun and useful thing to do:

[PhilT]

Originally Posted by Muttcaster

That.

Here's me at a jam with friends playing Blackberry Blossom with my little finger ONLY:

<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l42HoMfGU3k">YouTube Link</a>

And here's me more recently explaining why playing with 1 finger is a fun and useful thing to do:

<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ScnRrn5p-34">YouTube Link</a>

Now that is cool, great video on playing with one finger!