Finger Strength And Speed Building

Exercise 1

Place your hand on the 6th string with your fingers on frets 1 - 4. Now go through the fingerings below (1 - index finger, 2 - middle finger, etc). Go through them one time on each string. Do this as a daily exercise to build strength and speed. To increase the challenge, play it in the opposite direction after you played it in the normal fashion. Then you can try this on each string to increase the drills challenge even more. To go even farther, you can try it on another set of 4 adjacent strings.

01. 1-2-3-4
02. 1-2-4-3
03. 1-3-2-4
04. 1-3-4-2
05. 1-4-2-3
06. 1-4-3-2
07. 2-1-3-4
08. 2-1-4-3
09. 2-3-1-4
10. 2-3-4-1
11. 2-4-1-3
12. 2-4-3-1
13. 3-1-2-4
14. 3-1-4-2
15. 3-2-1-4
16. 3-2-4-1
17. 3-4-1-2
18. 3-4-2-1
19. 4-1-2-3
20. 4-1-3-2
21. 4-2-1-3
22. 4-2-3-1
23. 4-3-1-2
24. 4-3-2-1

Once you start practicing them, you will find out that its really easy to remember these patterns.

Exercise 2

This exercise will work with your picking hand as well as your fret hand by using all the combinations of downstrokes and upstrokes. Below there are two figures given, Fig. 1 and Fig. 2. To do this exercise, you will play Fig. 1 like you did in Exercise 2, but you will use the stroking patterns shown in Figure 2. In figure 2, downstroke is represented by (U) and an upstroke is represent by (V). Don't go with what the letters are, just take them as symbols.

For example: lets take the first pattern from Fig. 1 (1-2-3-4) and lets choose the fifth pattern from Fig. 2 (U-V-U-U). So you would play it together as 1st fret with a downstroke(U), 2nd fret with an upstroke(V), 3rd fret with a downstroke(U) and 4th fret with a downstroke(U) as well. If you have time, play Fig. 1 using all the patterns in Fig. 2, this will truly give you a good workout for speed and endurance.

Fig. 1 
01. 1-2-3-4
02. 1-2-4-3
03. 1-3-2-4
04. 1-3-4-2
05. 1-4-2-3
06. 1-4-3-2 
07. 2-1-3-4
08. 2-1-4-3
09. 2-3-1-4
10. 2-3-4-1
11. 2-4-1-3
12. 2-4-3-1  
13. 3-1-2-4
14. 3-1-4-2
15. 3-2-1-4
16. 3-2-4-1
17. 3-4-1-2
18. 3-4-2-1
19. 4-1-2-3
20. 4-1-3-2
21. 4-2-1-3
22. 4-2-3-1
23. 4-3-1-2
24. 4-3-2-1 

Fig. 2
01. U-U-U-U     
02. U-U-U-V
03. U-U-V-V
04. U-U-V-U
05. U-V-U-U
06. U-V-U-V
07. U-V-V-U
08. U-V-V-V 
09. V-V-V-V 
10. V-V-V-U
11. V-V-U-U  
12. V-V-U-V 
13. V-U-V-V 
14. V-U-V-U 
15. V-U-U-V
16. V-U-U-U

Hope this article helps all the beginners in building up their speed and strength. Thank you.

Comments

[Tenacious D'er]

I've read this in books etc, but it does help!

[new_guitar]

this is nice!

[CoheednRHCP]

Nice job, I've looked for new lessons here for a while, but never found them, imagine my surprise when it said six were added today on the homepage. Also good exersises.

[learninclutch]

Killer, new lessons!!

[mvp_jordan23]

the standard but good...

[dylanfromearth]

Wow. I'm not a beginner anymore.

[rdzatul]

Nice...

[sh4rq]

Wow Great Lesson, Really Helped Alot

[shadymutt]

i like it! can't remember em off top of my head just yet though!! any way to save it to profile??

[Mind_Reader7]

Wow, thanks so much for this!

[shino_namikaze]

real cool thanks

[Dylan1990]

hmmm they're in a lot of other webpages

[fb123456]

thanks this really helps!!!! =)

[f1sk]

awesome, i use a metronome while doing it to build rythm also

[SZ320man]

sweet, I've been playing almost three years, and in one day of doing this I've noticed a big difference in ease of playing and smoothness. Not just for beginners!!

[Severs]

I would actually suggest to perform these exercises with 1st finger placed on 8th fret instead of 1st. Especially if you're a beginner (you will avoid unnecessary tension in your hand and whole body)

[Unded_Metalhead]

gud stuf...

[Sllash]

Nice, I think this will help me =)

[SilverSpurs616]

Just reading it seems to help! I'm sure that when I try these tomorrow they'll prove very useful over time.

[Froboarder]

Just a suggestion; you can also use these to practice your hammer-ons and pull-offs. =)

[wratchild]

great...another good lesson ^^

[.Razor.]

WOW! realy helps!!!

[hippiemetalguy]

damn my speed increased the day i started doing this and ive been looking for something to help with that thx dude giving this article a 10 definately
(P.S. im to ghetto to buy books)lmao

[shreddyboy]

nice!

[urbnrckrr]

ya know, i really needed this and this is quite fun lol

[guitarmaniac88]

This is a great lesson, and my lessons have been on hold for a full week. The person that asked how to get it to your profile, try copy and pasting it somewhere, like on word, and you can print it.

[ezeedelp]

thanks for your help =)

[Kregnar]

This helped with my retarded pinky syndrome.

[notoriousnumber]

Hmm, its not really showing what we dont already know, but Im sure some people will find this useful.

[guitarhero325]

its pretty good

[LOSTintheOZONE]

good for beginners.

[ChaseKidd]

Yeah, this has helped me alot. Amazing lesson.

[LegendofRock334]

this is a cool lesson it out streaches your fingers a lot but its worth it

[rayq78]

wehehehe!!! madali lng...easy..

[Darkkon]

nice lesson. i'm deffinately practicing this every day. 356 times of this practice method should have me pwning the guitar.

[The Jezereck]

WOW! k so i just got my guitar the other day and wanted to start find something to strengthen my hannd, I gotta say my freakiin arm is burning up, this will definitely do the trick!

[prayforplagues]

nice one
good way of building speed.

[lukeuh36azabc]

i have been playing guitar for 3 years now, i can play fast but it is very difficult to play fast for an extended period of time. This article has helped me alot with building up stamina in my freting hand, when you play these exercises fast you can really feel the burn.

good article

[StraightHate]

Kregnar wrote:

This helped with my retarded pinky syndrome.

Sadly I have this as well. If I warm properly it seems to go away. Great lesson!

[Logan_B]

Wow this makes me feel like i such at guitar again cuz i have to play ultra sore and it makes my wrist sore fast

[steelfingers]

Logan_B wrote:

Wow this makes me feel like i such at guitar again cuz i have to play ultra sore and it makes my wrist sore fast

Determination, patience, practice and consistency. The Key Rules Of Speed Building!! Dont give up. Start off slow and do NOT go faster until you can play it perfectly. Try finding more exercises as well, or else itll bore the crap out of you, playing exercises and chromatics for like a few hours a day.

[ddanielnp]

question - does all of the fingers have to stay on the fretboard, or only just 1 at a time??

[thegreen_guitar]

My friend told me to do this to increase my speed, and it helps but it makes me feel as if I suck at guitar.

[thegreen_guitar]

answer - all can stay on the fretboard down to the first string but obviously one at a time to the 6th string.

[truerokr42]

thanks this helped a lot, i can even do it on my handgrip.

[geetarguy1313]

it helped thanx!

[asilaydying99]

Thanks a lot guys for all your comments. One of you stated that it can be used for practicing hammer ons and pull offs as well, which is extremely true and will definitely help you a lot. Keep practicing and have fun.

[Fishman214]

thegreen_guitar wrote:

My friend told me to do this to increase my speed, and it helps but it makes me feel as if I suck at guitar.

Keep at it, doesn't last long.

[the chicken man]

wo. when i started i h8d this stuff but it helps the mother load!!!

[ApoIIo2113]

ive been playing 4 a year and thought i was pretty great tell i wasnt able to learn more songs which bugged me...so i looked up this thingy and hey! ive got faster ^^ great exrsize! 10/10

[Rockn'rolldad]

Excercises like this are so helpful for building speed and accuracy. I'd suggest dong this with a metronome. You can download one for free off the net and it's great for timing.

[guitarherogod37]

this actualy make sense so thank YOU for this lesson

[bigbalut]

this is awesome

[lokidoki963]

what is the best routine to use with this exercise

[lorrythebassguy]

its one of them things that sounds silly at first, but it really does work well!

[TravuhsWree]

Good practice technique, great for building up strength.

[asilaydying99]

Hi, I noticed that some people were having a little trouble remembering the order of the finger movements. Well the only way to remember each fingering is to think of it as a pattern and just try to understand the order that it follows. You start with your index finger and play 1-2-3-4. For the second pattern, you again start with the first finger but you play 1-2-4-3. Third pattern, you again start with index finger but this time instead of playing with the middle finger (2), you use the ring finger (3) so it goes like 1-3-2-4. And for the fourth pattern you play 1-3-4-2. Now for the fifth one, you start with index again but now the instead of ring finger (3) we play with pinky (4) and it goes like 1-4-2-3. Then again the first two notes remain as 1-4 but you flip the other two so it goes like 1-4-3-2. Now you have completed all the patterns starting with your index finger. So you move on to the ring finger and start the same way.
So try and notice the patterns each and every time and you'll easily learn the order. For the index finger it was -

Patt#1> 1-2-3-4 (Basic starting with index)
Patt#2> 1-2-4-3 (The first two are same but you flip the last two.)
Patt#3> 1-3-2-4 (Still index, but now second note is with finger 3.)
Patt#4> 1-3-4-2 (The first two are same but you flip the last two.)
Patt#5> 1-4-2-3 (Still index, but now second note is with finger 4.)
Patt#6> 1-4-3-2 (The first two are same but you flip the last two.)

All the patterns starting with the index finger are now complete. There are 6 patterns starting with each finger, giving us a total of 24. Hope it helped you guys. Keep Practicing

[jackbp]

wait hold on..kinda confused... like that the first one for example
01. 1-2-3-4
so do i put my index finger on the 6th string on the first fret and my middle on the 6th string on the 2nd fret and my ring finger on the 6th string on the 3rd fret and my pinky on the 6th string on the 4th fret? is that how you do it? tell me if i'm doing it right. lol

[BaBaBoeGaH]

Well, I've been playing for 4 years without any finger practice, but this doesn't increase, so not really usefull for intermediate/expert guitar players...

[SixStringMurder]

This is actually really great and helpful. It should help me with my new years resolution!

[jtbull]

I have been using this since the lesson was put out along with a couple others and it has improved my speed.

[asilaydying99]

yep thatz exactly how u do it..

jackbp wrote:

wait hold on..kinda confused... like that the first one for example
01. 1-2-3-4
so do i put my index finger on the 6th string on the first fret and my middle on the 6th string on the 2nd fret and my ring finger on the 6th string on the 3rd fret and my pinky on the 6th string on the 4th fret? is that how you do it? tell me if i'm doing it right. lol

[makin]

I do realy have a problem with my index finger. I never use it

[trasaki1982]

i don't get it.when you try this exercise you try to keep fingers into fret or you take them out???i mean that for example if you play 2-3-4-1 after you hit each of them you take your finger from the fret or you go like this: 2 - 3(keep your second finger and hit 3)-4 (you continue to have 2-3 on fret and hit 4).....?i hope someone has understand what i am asking...sorry for my english

[darkload]

The simple 1-2-3-4 was one of the first things I ever learned, and the great thing about it is that once you get used to it you can do it everywhere you can play the guitar. I used to zone out watching TV and play it - not even paying attention except for just that little essential bit. Later I also learned the 1-3-2-4 pattern, which again is great when you're beginning. Something to remember: PLAY WITH A METRONOME! And start slowly, because muscle memory's very important when learning a new guitar exercise and if you play it faster than you can play it correctly then you will train yourself to play it wrong.

There's an exercise similar to this my teacher (whom I have not been in contact with for going on a year) called "The Spider" which he showed me but never tabbed out; I think it involved switching strings back and forth. Has anyone heard of this?

[darkload]

Ah, caught something I should've added earlier: Since this was the first or second thing I learned, I never have any real problems with my pinky, though I do have a habit of stretching out the third finger instead of using the pinky when it isn't vital. I admit though that I also played guitar hero a lot back then which does help with flexibility of the pinky (that plus a little rhythm is about all it's good for though).

[screamo_emo915]

very helpful exercise =] thanks dude

[wacko1992]

after playing it, and going back up do we play the exact oppsite or the exact same pattern for instance:

with the first is it 1234 down then 1234 back up or

1234 down then 4321 up?

kinda confusin sorry

[Johnny Jammer]

this helped me out alot with my speed and dexterity...thanx man...

[joniec23]

Thanks for the exercises. Will try them tonight. They look like it will help my finger strength and speed

[gradian]

Jules69 wrote:

hey im new at guitar someone tell me somethinig helpful plz!

practice, practice practice. Then when your so tired you can play anymore keep going...

[insmarine951]

I registered JUST so i could say this is such a GOOD excercise.
great lesson bro.
this helps a LOT.
i noticed im playing smoother, more comfortably, and faster JUST after an HOUR of doing ONLY excercise one.
Bravo.
=]

[420guitar]

hey thanks for this im gonna practice this for a long time. quick question how long did it take other people to increase their speed and power from this exercise? so i can get an idea of how long itll be til im happy with my playing

[shamrock729]

helped me a little, just reading faster. i do think it would help a begginer build basic speed. i approve!

[skinnyeddy]

Kregnar wrote:

This helped with my retarded pinky syndrome.

Same Here

Brilliant Lesson, I can feel an improvement already.

[bagolies]

Is this all done in the first position ? and then you just move up and down the strings. thanks i just want to make sure I do it right.

[shaymack37]

This lesson seems to be a very shortened and simplified version of Steve Vai's ten hour workout. If you guys like this lesson than you have to checkout Vai's. I don't know where to find it online, but I know it was published in Guitar World, Oct. 2007 issue. It will really blow you away, check it out.

[dalilhama@peace]

It's a good lesson to help with finger strength. It's great to help with the pinky, as mentioned above. It's more helpful in being fluent in your playing. I find certain scale excercises are better for speed, that is to say for soloing, but this even helped me out with being more fluent. Glad everyone is taking a liking to this excercise.

[Jettkro23]

great lesson! thnx for posting it helped a lot!

[SimpleMan008]

works great for bass too

[jordanER]

great lesson!

[IbanezMetalX]

Good practice. Hard to memorize though. *Ding* Marijuana affects the memory.

[Lemon43]

I dont understand what i am ment to do!! Im really confused can anyone help?

[rosew/100thorns]

Helped alot!!! i feel like i can rip any solo now!

[Bob_Sagget]

I did the same exercise just by whackin' off but still its great 10-10

[Alternacide]

Really great exercise, Helped alot!

[sammo_boi]

down is U and up is V... interesting

[Juiceee666]

I'm just begon with lessons and my fingers are in condition right now. If you do this exercise 2× day then you learnd a lot. TY for making this xD

[Ericholterman]

Guys another thing, you can practice this too when ur bored and ur not close to any guitar. Just place ur left hand on the table (right hand if ur a left handed guitar player) and start tapping the sequence on the table. This might be less good as a finger stretcher, but's it's great for improving your hand-eye coördination and dexterity.

Another thing: you know the nervous tapping people do with their fingers? the fast 1-2-3-4 thing? That's also a good thing to do. And if you know how to do that one already, try doing it backwards WITHOUT moving your hand too much, just your fingers. Try not to make your pinky and ringfinger land simultaneously.

That's all for my tips !

[ZGUITAR]

helps me

[ZGUITAR]

now im faster...thats the point

[gringonzo]

somehow boosts my speed