Playing better guitar is what the Master Guitar Guide is all about. There are so many areas to work on that it can seem a little overwhelming at times. Slow down, take some deep breaths and smile a bit! It actually helps.
Then there is the matter of the little finger on your fretting hand. Nasty little bugger! As it turns out, it can be extremely helpful when you play guitar. I notice a lot of rock musicians rarely use it, but others, such as Eric Johnson use it all the time.
In any case, training the little finger is a very good thing to do and will expand your fingering ability a lot. In fact, some tunes are almost impossible to play without it.
The Guitarist’s Personal Practice Trainer – 10 Min a Day to Better Technique & Finger Fitness
Here is a great way to train your little finger
Face it, scales can get a little boring. I decided to learn this tune a while back and noticed that I could use closed position fingering for most of it and give my little finger a great workout. Because this is a great jam tune and I play it with my flute playing friend, I have kept at it until it is sounding pretty good.
Some suggestions
Once you figure out the melody, turn on the dreaded metronome at a slow bpm setting, like 50. As you improve, gradually increase the tempo until you crash. Slow down again until you are solid and increase the tempo again. Doing this will train your brain and muscles and soon you will increase strength, dexterity, tone and speed! Cool, huh? The trick is to always play it cleanly.
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