Howdy folks! If you want to be able to play lead guitar really well, you will have to train your fingers to do what you want them to do.
To do this, you'll have to build up strength in ALL of your fingers including the hard-to-train pinky finger.
Strength training exercises like the ones I'm about to show ya'll will help with this.
Look at the 2nd position fingering position picture below. This is where we are going to start.
When you do these exercises, I want you to follow two rules:
1. Pick every note with either a down or an up pick.
2. DO NOT REMOVE A FINGER FROM THE FRETBOARD UNLESS YOU ARE FORCED TO DO SO IN ORDER TO GET A NOTE OUT. This allows you to play more smoothly and quickly without having your fingers flying around the neck when they don't have to.
The great lead players make it LOOK easy.
Here are 2 pattern examples. The numbers are your fingers.
1. 1 2 3 4
2. 1 3 2 4
Pattern #1: (1 2 3 4) Start with putting your 1st finger down. Next put down your 2nd finger WHILE LEAVING YOUR 1ST FINGER DOWN. Next add your 3rd finger WHILE KEEPING YOUR 1st and 2nd FINGERS DOWN. Then add your 4th finger while KEEPING THE 1st 3 FINGERS DOWN. Once a finger was down, IT STAYED DOWN. Got it?
Pattern #2: (1 3 2 4) Start with your 1st finger, then follow with your 3rd finger while keeping your 1st finger down. Next put down your 2nd finger. Now in order to hear the note from the 2nd finger, you MUST remove the 3rd finger. But still keep the 1st finger down as it was not necessary to move it. Lastly, put down your 4th finger WHILE KEEPING the 1st and 2nd fingers down.
So... to review:
1. Do not remove a finger from the fretboard unless you are forced to do so.
2. You ARE forced to do so when the note that you have to play in the pattern is LOWER in pitch (or tone) than the previous note.
Here's more stuff:
3. 4 3 2 1
4. 4 2 3 1
5. 1 4 2 3
6. 1 4 3 2
7. 1 2 4 3
8. 1 3 4 2
9. 2 3 1 4
10. 2 4 1 3
11. 2 1 3 4
12. 2 4 3 1
13. 2 1 4 3
14. 3 2 1 4
15. 3 2 4 1
16. 3 4 1 2
17. 3 4 2 1
18. 4 1 2 3
19. 4 3 1 2
20. 4 1 2 3
Now here's the deal...
1. Do each exercise on every string.
2. Do each exercise in every position that is possible to play in on your guitar.
3. Start out SLOWLY while making sure that you are doing the pattern right, then little by little pick up your speed for each pattern.
Okay, is this boring or what?
Boooooooooringgggggg!!!!
Of course it's boring! But your fingers will be stronger if ya do this.
But, (wah) it's really REALLY boring! But your fingers will be able to move in complicated patterns quickly and cleanly -- if ya do this.
If ya want to be a really good guitar "shredder" (lead player), you have to be able to make your fingers go where and when you want them to go.
But we ain't done just yet. Here's a higher form of torture for ya.
Do the same exercises, but this time do this on 2 DIFFERENT STRINGS WHILE ALTERNATING STRINGS. I would do them on strings that are next to other first, then skip 1 string.
Huh?
Let's look at the 1st exercise 1 2 3 4.
For example, put down your 1st finger as before on the 6th string 2nd fret (You're in the 2nd position here). But then instead of following it up by putting your 2nd finger down on the 2nd fret of that string, put that finger down on the 5th string. Then put your 3rd finger down on the 1st string, and your 4th finger down on the 5th string.
6th string -- 1st finger
5th string -- 2nd finger
6th string -- 3rd finger
5th string -- 4th finger
If ya do these here thingies, don't worry about rule number 2. You can take fingers off as you go.
Then try:
6th string -- 1st finger
4th string -- 2nd finger
6th string -- 3rd finger
4th string -- 4th finger
In other words, I alternated strings
You can also:
5th string -- 1st finger
6th string -- 2nd finger
5th string -- 3rd finger
6th string -- 4th finger
And
4th string -- 1st finger
6th string -- 2nd finger
4th string -- 3rd finger
6th string -- 4th finger
This time, I not only alternated strings, I SKIPPED a string.
Do this for all of the exercises.
Alright... Does this seem like a bit much?
It can be. These are only exercises -- NOT licks (although some of these can be parts of licks). Nobody likes to do these things.
If by this time, you are starting to get serious about being good at the guitar, make at least some of this stuff part of your weekly (NOT DAILY) practice. There's so much other stuff to do and ya don't want to spend all of your time on exercises like this.
BUT... If you spend some of your time on this, it will help ya. You have to train your fingers. In order to be able to play great and fast lead lines, your fingers have to be able to move quickly to wherever you want them to go.
But at first, they won't want to.
So...
Okay. That's enough torture for one day. But I'll be back!
Professor Bruno Noteworthy
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Contributor's Note
Professor Bruno Noteworthy is a toon music professor who loves teaching the guitar to kids (and other humans).
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