Pinky Workout

Beginner Grade 2 Module 9: Time to learn The F Chord
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To play guitar, your pinky finger should be strong and controlled! Here's the pinky finger workout you need.


View the full lesson at Pinky Workout | JustinGuitar

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Fun fact: if you practice this exercise, really listen with your ears. You’ll notice an “arabian” sound on the G, B and high E strings when you use your third and fourth finger. I believe it goes into a harmonic minor scale right here :slight_smile: When he uses his second and fourth finger, on the B and high E strings you’ll hear an “Oriental” sound, which is the pentatonic scale. Fun time to start using your ears and recognizing how scales sound :slight_smile: Great exercise, Justin! really loved this one

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How do I make sure that my wrist posture if flat and not at a 90 degree angle?

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Awesome exercise. Thanks for this.

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@dearieme
I am not sure what your trying to ask here. Can you capture some photographs to help us help you?

Cheers :smiley:
| Richard_close2u | JustinGuitar Official Guide

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I can’t get my picky perpendicular to the fret board, it s Angled about 45 degrees . So what should i do with it?

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So my pinky usually touch the string under the one I fret
.

I can manually with the other hand put my pinky perpendicular to the fret board, without pain, but it is pulled back to its 45 degrés as soon as if I let it go.

Am I an alien? Is there life on Mars ?

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Looks like my fingers as well. I think we work with it and it will come out ok. My fingers will look more like Justin’s in another 40 years.

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Your fingers are not stretched enough that’s why it happens. I suggest doing an excercise where you put fingers 1 2 3 4 on each next fret top to bottom string. If frets 1 2 3 4 are too wide start at anything higher up the neck until your pinky is not twisting. Every day or even every few attempts try to get lower and lower until you feel comfortable doing it on frets 1 2 3 4 each string. Speed is not improtant here but accuracy, give it a go and eventually once you can spread your fingers more pinky will stop twisting :wink:

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hey Jamolay
thanks

Oops I don’t have 40 years left
 anything between 3 months (Thanks Vladimir) and about 25 years more or less

Time is waiting in the wings
he speaks of senseless things
His trick is you and me, boy
(D Bowie)

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Exactly he same thing for me. I’ll never get those spiderman fingers. Due to an old injury I have to improvise with my third finger too, slows down the whole process.

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Hey Adi_Mrok
Thanks for the hint? that gives me hope :slight_smile:
did you have the same problem? how long should i pratice everyday?

So If i undertsand well:
Ebass string, finger 1-Fret 1 then add 2-fret 2, then 3-fret3 then 4-fret4
( fingers keeps on fretting until all four are done?)
then A string:, finger 1-Fret 1 then add 2-fret 2, then 3-fret3 then 4-fret4 

etc
is that right?

DId anybody had the same issue and fixed it?

Thanks

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That’s exactly it check out this lesson and again if it’s a stretch try starting on frets 9 10 11 12 and I suggest working from bottom e string to top :wink: 5-10 mins a day is plenty

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Thanks , so nice from you to dig it out for me !

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Same thig here. Im worried it will make a problem later on.

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Hi Mickey, @moparboy
Don’t worry, be happy.
I’ve seen (and had) a lot of disturbing fingers
and those other pair(?) hands I know they play guitar really well
and I’ll get there too :grin:.
Keep practicing calmly and don’t force anything, then it will be really good
I promise you :sunglasses:
Greetings,Rogier

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Yikes I just tried this exercise and my hand is complaining. Not in a bad way in a “what the heck was that?” way. Instantly went on the practice list.

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My pinky is exactly the same, how are you getting on with the exercise posted by, adi_mrok, I’m going to add it to my practice routine as the poor old pinky feels like it’s never going to straighten!

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I know why you are thinking that and your ears are hearing some intervals that you will find in some ‘exotic’ scales.
But really, this is just a series of unrelated interval steps on all strings 
 playing at intervals of 1 semitone, 2 semitones, 3 semitones.
Cheers :smiley:
| Richard_close2u | JustinGuitar Official Guide, Approved Teacher & Moderator

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Hi Guys,

I have a similar question like @RickCast
I was doing this exercise, but I have noticed that when I am trying to keep my palm parallel to the fretboard my 1, 2 and 3 finger are ok, but pinky is going in this weird angle:

IMG_20230201_150700453
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I can try to keep the pinky more or less straight but then the palm turns up a bit and it is no more in parallel to the fretboard:

IMG_20230201_150724543
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Can it also be fixed by the stretch out exercise that you proposed @adi_mrok ?

Thanks for any tips :wink:
Cheers

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@Aroo46 , that’s a great annotated pic! I think I see exactly what you are talking about.

It is quite common for the pinky to angle in towards the ring finger. ( It is also quite common for the index finger to angle in to the middle finger, though that doesn’t; seem to be happening for you.)

As long as you can put the tip of the finger up near the fret without excessive tension, and your palm is more or less parallel to the neck without touching, it’s perfectly fine.

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