Guitar Finger Exercises: Improve your Guitar Playing!

This is a simple exercise that can be performed without a guitar, but you do need a tennis ball. It improves overall hand strength.

Taking your tennis ball, hold it in your left hand. Squeeze and hold for the count of ten, then release. Repeat ten times, working up to three sets of 15. After each set, switch hands.

This is a good one to do while you're sitting through a really boring lecture. Place your hands flat on the table, then lift them up so they rest on your finger tips. Your wrist should be straight. One at a time, practice picking up your fingers and setting them back down. Try different patterns. For example

1,2,3,4...
1,3,2,4...
1,4,3,2...

1 = index
2 = middle
3 = ring
4 = pinkie

And so on. Make up your own patterns. Once you can start moving faster, try doing both hands at once.

This exercise will improve your sense of rhythm and the ability of your fingers to move separately.

You can also try this exercise on your guitar. Just put one finger on each fret and strum in an up and down pattern as you change fingers.

Sometimes, you really have to stretch to get some of those chords. There are some simple ways to increase flexibility. One is just to practice crossing your fingers. Not just the first two, but also your ring and pinkie. Try to get them to cross without using your other hand.

Also, try making the vulcan sign. Sounds silly, but it will extend your reach.

Lastly, try making a finger stack. Index on the bottom, with the middle on top of that, ring on top of that, and pinkie on top.

Some of the chords you need to reach can require a wider span from your thumb to your pinkie. With time, you can stretch this out to where you need it to be.

Take your thumb and pull it out until you feel a stretch - you should not feel any pain. Hold for the count of ten, then release. Now take your pinkie and stretch it out to the side, holding for the count of ten.

If you're somewhere where you have a flat table edge, you can use that to stretch both at once. Place your hand on the table as in the picture. Push against the table for the count of ten. If you can't get your fingers out that far yet, work on the stretches outlined in the previous paragraphs.

In person guitar lessons can be expensive, and hard to schedule. If you're really serious about taking your guitar playing to the next level, check on this online course. Compared to paid guitar lessons, it's a real money saver. You can find it here at Guitar Lessons.

There is one tool I would recommend. It's a software that runs you through 100 different exercises on the guitar, with drums and accompaniment. You can adjust the speed to run through exercises faster as you get better. It really helped me out and it might help you as well.

You can find it at this site. Hope it helps you like it did me!