Just wanted to give this exercise it’s props. I didn’t really need help with dexterity at this level, but I’ve always felt like my hands were too small to play certain chords. Dropped this exercise into my practice routine and after about two weeks I had gained more than an inch in my reach between my pointy finger and my pinky. Legit. 
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After working this exercise for a while, try this:
Put your hands together & line up the pinkies… stretch your fingers apart as far as you can… if you’re like me, you won’t believe the difference between your fretting hand & your strumming hand!!! My thumbs are more than an inch apart!!!
It works!!!
Tod
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I can’t say I’m diligent in any particular stretching exercises as although I do need the stretch my attention tends to swing more towards independent movement to help with chord changes. So any improvement in stretch will be coming mainly from practice in general.
Just did what you suggested, wow, genuinely surprised at the difference between hands. That’s given me a boost for the day, things ARE improving, measureably…
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I understand the stretches but I’m confused about what the app is showing me while I’m doing it, is it really only used for the timer while doing the stretches?
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Hi @Mincic92 , and welcome to the forum! I suppose you are talking about the exercise in the practice session? There it is indeed just the timer, to make sure you don’t overdo it - this stretching exercise is quite taxing on your hand, and overdoing it could result in injury.
Have fun learning!
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What do others do when they are feeling pain? My fretting thumb joint hurts when on the thickest string, and I get pins and needles in the palm. it gets easier down towards the thinnest string. Thinking i’ll practice in shorter but more often intervals and fingers crossed it doesn’t get worse! I guess that’s what you get when you start learning at 60+ !
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Get this corrected quickly. Muscle fatigue is normal, but pain like this should not happen. If you let it continue, you may need to take an extended break from guitar that you didn’t want to take.
Take a good look at your hand shape when you feel this. just stop when you feel this and look at it. are you gripping way too hard? Can you make some adjustment to still get the chord and remove the pain? Is your wrist only slightly bent? What position is your head and shoulder in?
If you don’t see a way, post some pictures of your hand position at both front and back. This can be challenging not to move out of the real position as you 1-hand the camera for a good photo. If you can, get help taking the photo.
Also, think about what you have done most of your life with that hand. What position was it in, and could the change be stressful to the position for playing? I had to make some judgement calls about how I placed my thumb because it would not go comfortably on the back. I had spent a career placing it daily in a very different position which my body adjusted to.
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Hi Sally-Ann @csallier, I developed thumb pain in my picking hand due to bad technique and too many drills. I found the guitar-specific techniques presented here incredibly useful. Seriously, I felt relief within two days. I still have a bit of residual discomfort, but when I feel it I use it as a reminder to check my technique. Keep us posted on how things are going, and don’t be shy to ask more questions!
Edited to add: I’m over 60 as well. 
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Thank you so much Judi! I have visited the website and watched his videos. What a wonderful free resource with great advice and I will definitely be doing some push-pull-releasing!
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I should have stated that I learned about these exercises from someone, somewhere in this Community. I don’t recall who or where (I saved the exercises!). 
If I ever figure that out, will be sure to thank them personally!
Hey im trying this out however my pinky barely reaches the a string and cant reach low e
Hi Ellis, welcome to the community! This is one of my favorite exercises - I’m beginning Grade 3 and still do this at least 5 times per week. Please post a photo of your hand trying to reach the A and (low) E strings - maybe a couple photos each from different angles. Folks here may suggest slightly modified of holding the guitar neck in your hand. It’s good you’re seeing this early - much better to learn the proper way to do things (even if they feel more difficult) early on, than to learn bad habits and have to un-learn them. 
If you’re up for it, head over here and introduce yourself to the wider community!
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Hi Ellis, welcome to the community forum. @judi is correct that a picture of your hand would help with giving advice for your problem. My guess is that you are holding the neck of the guitar with the back of the guitar neck resting in the palm of your hand and your thumb high up or even hanging over the top of the neck of the guitar. Try moving the thumb down towards the ground to the back of the guitar neck and bend your wrist a little to bring your curved fingers down on the fretboard. I have a very short pinkie and I have no problem reaching the low E, just reaching the fourth fret when my first or index finger is on the first fret 
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That looks like a Malcolm Young, 'The Beast" guitar.
to althenob. my hands are also very small and even thou i can make chords my fingers are miles away from stretching over 4 frets, is so annoying,
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Edward, I have very small hands also. Even though I am starting grade 4, I still have problems with stretching 4 frets at the first position sometimes. So I will probably add this beginning finger stretching exercise to my practice. It helps to start at the 5th or 7th fret. Sometimes when my hand is not very stretchy, I will cheat and move my fretting hand slightly to reach the 4th fret note when I playing in the first position. Keep practicing and it will get a little easier.
I’m struggling to make the notes ring out. Every time I try to play a note, it is really muted or buzzy. I try to keep my thumb down in the back, play up by the frets, and curl my fingers. How can I troubleshoot. I made a video but don’t see a place to upload it.
Hi Becki, welcome to the community! Hopefully this will you get your video posted so folks can provide feedback. While you’re here, consider heading over to the Introduce Yourself topic to say hello to the broader community!
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are muting neighboring strings allowed when doing finger stretches? Justin dosent say so.
If you mute on purpose its good you know what you re doing
If you do not mute on purpose so its a bad thing and you should practice to have a clear sound
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