Warm-up/Finger Strength Builder

by shawn7656 (Mar 26, 2009)

This is a simple warm-up you can play to build finger strength and get used to using your pinkie (a good guitar player becomes a great guitar player as soon as they throw in the pinkie!!).


play this with only your pointer finger, once you move down a fret play with your pointer finger and your middle finger

e|-----------01-1-0--------------------------------------------------------------------|
B|---------01-----1-0------------------------------------------------------------------|
G|-------01----------1-0---------------------------------------------------------------|
D|-----01---------------1-0------------------------------------------------------------|
A|---01--------------------1-0---------------------------------------------------------|
E|-01-------------------------1-0------------------------------------------------------|


Play this up and down the neck going from there all the way up until the 12th fret, instead of playing the open you just start playing like this:

play 1st fret then 2nd fret, not 12th fret, going back its 2nd then 1st, not 21st. i just had to clarify that really quick

e|-----------12-21--------------------------------------------------------------------|
B|---------12-----21------------------------------------------------------------------|
G|-------12---------21----------------------------------------------------------------|
D|-----12-------------21--------------------------------------------------------------|
A|---12-----------------21------------------------------------------------------------|
E|-12---------------------21----------------------------------------------------------|


Once you go all the way down to the 12th fret, go all the way back up doing the same thing. Once you're done doing that, add your ring finger like so (using the same technique up and down the neck like before):


e|----------------012-210---------------------------------------------------------------|
B|-------------012-------210------------------------------------------------------------|
G|----------012-------------210---------------------------------------------------------|
D|-------012-------------------210------------------------------------------------------|
A|----012-------------------------210---------------------------------------------------|
E|-012-------------------------------210------------------------------------------------|

this is where you integrate your ring finger into the warm-up.
e|-----------------123-321--------------------------------------------------------------|
B|--------------123-------321-----------------------------------------------------------|
G|-----------123-------------321--------------------------------------------------------|
D|--------123-------------------321-----------------------------------------------------|
A|-----123-------------------------321--------------------------------------------------|
E|--123-------------------------------321-----------------------------------------------|


then you add your pinkie finger to it by playing this:


e|----------------------0123-3210---------------------------------------------------------|
B|------------------0123---------3210-----------------------------------------------------|
G|--------------0123-----------------3210-------------------------------------------------|
D|----------0123-------------------------3210---------------------------------------------|
A|------0123---------------------------------3210-----------------------------------------|
E|--0123-----------------------------------------3210-------------------------------------|

then play
e|---------------------1234-4321----------------------------------------------------------|
B|-----------------1234---------4321------------------------------------------------------|
G|-------------1234-----------------4321--------------------------------------------------|
D|---------1234-------------------------4321----------------------------------------------|
A|-----1234---------------------------------4321------------------------------------------|
E|-1234-----------------------------------------4321--------------------------------------|



REMEMBER YOU ARE PLAYING ALL THE WAY DOWN TO THE 12TH FRET, NOT JUST TO WHERE I TABBED!!

I would definitely tab out all of it if i had about three hours to waste doing it, but you play the exact same thing i tabbed out, you are just moving up the neck (getting higher) one fret every time, going from first fret (technically the zero fret because youre playing open first) all the way down to the 12th fret and back up to the zero.

you can also change it up and play stuff like these in order to gain strength with different fingers, and you can also go past the 12th fret, or not all the way there if its too tiring.


e|-----------03-30------------------------02-20-------------------------------------------|
B|---------03-----30--------------------02-----20-----------------------------------------|
G|-------03---------30----------------02---------20---------------------------------------|
D|-----03-------------30------------02-------------20-------------------------------------|
A|---03-----------------30--------02-----------------20-----------------------------------|
E|-03---------------------30----02---------------------20---------------------------------|

e|-----------------023-320--------------------------------------------------------------|
B|--------------023-------320-----------------------------------------------------------|
G|-----------023-------------320--------------------------------------------------------|
D|--------023-------------------320-----------------------------------------------------|
A|-----023-------------------------320--------------------------------------------------|
E|--023-------------------------------320-----------------------------------------------|



This is a pretty simple exercise, and i tried to go into as much detail as i possibly could.

If you have questions, contact me on here, on myspace (myspace.com/shawn126), or through e-mail (shawn7656@yahoo.com)