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  • Old Newby with finger problems

    Posted by riverjordan_61 on August 12, 2021 at 11:25 pm

    Hi all from down under in Cootamundra.

    I am a 60 yearr old total newby to guitar doing the 30 days to play course for starters.

    I can’t get my ring and pinky fingers to work inderpendently. Any ideas on exercises I can do would be much appreciated.

    Warm regards 🤗🧐

    ChuckS replied 3 years, 5 months ago 4 Members · 13 Replies
  • 13 Replies
  • Bill_Brown

    Member
    August 14, 2021 at 8:04 am

    Hi @riverjordan_61 , Welcome to TAC – hope you have a fun and rewarding guitar journey here🤩 In the “skills” section, you’ll see a “5 Day Pinkie Challenge” course – perhaps you should give that one a look🤔 There are other exercises that you’ll come across here, but give that one a try😎

  • riverjordan_61

    Member
    August 14, 2021 at 7:15 pm

    Thankyou Bill for the input. I’ll have a go there soon. Trying to keep up with 30 day program as wel at the moment and thanks again😊

    • Bill_Brown

      Member
      August 15, 2021 at 6:38 am

      I agree Craig ( @riverjordan_61 ), Stay focused and finish the 30 Days first👍

      • riverjordan_61

        Member
        August 17, 2021 at 12:46 am

        Hi Bill. I am now wrestling with the blues boogey. Good finger exercise here.

        However I keep turning the guitar over on my lap to see the strings.Not good.

        Any tips appreciated. Thanks Craig

      • riverjordan_61

        Member
        August 17, 2021 at 12:53 am

        Sorry Bill. I hadn’t read your profile. I am so sorry you lost your boy.

        I can imagine your pain as I lost a baby son many years ago.

        I hope your healing journey is not to painful. Many sympathies Craig😪

      • Bill_Brown

        Member
        August 17, 2021 at 6:48 am

        Thank you Craig ( @riverjordan_61 ), as you’re aware, that journey is a long one.

        I think @Kristin1 has a good way to help you with the “looking” problem. I think looking is ok, but you don’t want to turn the guitar onto your lap to look, then your wrist will be all out-of-wack and will cause more pain in your hand and fingers. On the edge of the guitar neck, there should be some kind of dots – those dots line up with the ones on your fretboard. Using those dots to “look” should help you to keep the guitar in a more proper position👍🎸

  • Kristin1

    Member
    August 17, 2021 at 1:13 am

    Play the boogey – or just small parts of it – a few times with looking. Try to be as accurate as possible🙂.

    Right afterwards play the boogey – or just a small part of it – without looking. Lower your standards regarding accuracy a bit😉.

    Change between looking and not looking several times in one practise session.

    SLOWLY shift your focus to less looking and more non-looking sessions over the next practise hours / days / weeks. Think tiny! Baby steps!

    Example:

    1st step: 4 looking, 1 not looking, 4 looking, 1 not looking,…

    2nd step: 4 looking, 2 not looking, 4 looking, 2 not looking…

    3rd step: 3 looking, 2 not looking, 3 looking, 2 not looking…

    ??? step: 1 looking for a good start, 1 just a glance at the most difficult change, all others not looking🤩

  • riverjordan_61

    Member
    August 17, 2021 at 3:40 am

    Thanks, Kristin very much. I’ll give it a go tomorrow. Im all guitared out tonight😂🤣😭

  • riverjordan_61

    Member
    August 19, 2021 at 6:16 am

    Hi guys.

    I have a problem trying to play the blues boogey.

    My pinky finger just won’t stay with my ring finger on top of the fret board. It keeps going behind the neck of the instrument and try as I may i can’t control it. I was gonna try taping the fingers together but I think that may be a dumb idea.

    Any input appreciated. Craig

  • Kristin1

    Member
    August 21, 2021 at 1:25 am

    Have a look at the course “Daily stretch for guitar” 😉

  • riverjordan_61

    Member
    August 21, 2021 at 5:37 pm

    Thak you Kristin I will do that. Craig🧐🙂

  • Kristin1

    Member
    August 22, 2021 at 1:29 am

    Just the “hands and fingers” lesson… not the whole course.

  • ChuckS

    Member
    August 22, 2021 at 6:44 am

    I am right there with you on trying to get those fingers to work independently. There is a real good exercise I found on You Tube by Tom Strahle that really helped me with this. I have been doing it for about 1.5 years now and it has made a difference. As is usually the case, this guy Tom makes it look easy, but it is not easy, especially for someone like me with short fingers. So, realistically I can’t physically hit a couple of the stretch notes cleanly (or at all for that matter), but it has helped me a lot with getting some finger independence. I try to hit it at least 5 times a week. It is called ” “The Killer Finger Independence Exercise” Here is the link = https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fHCzbnv_s-A&t=27s

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