D formations

[traynor_garnet]

I'm having a problem with my technique and thought I would get some ideas.

Take your root position D major chord in the 1st position. Easy as pie. Now, play the same chord but swtich the fingering so that your pinky is on the 3rd fret of the B, your ring finger on the 2nd fret of the e, and your middle finger on the 2nd fret of the g string.

I can play the chord with this fingering but I have trouble hitting it cleanly; I often drop my pinky first then end up struggling to get my ring finger behind (often resulting in bending the note my pinky is holding).

As I start to play more complicated chords and voicings I am noticing this chord formation/fingering is farily common. I think I cannot fret it smoothly/cleanly because I lack independence in my fingers.

Can anyone suggest exercises to help?

Thanks
Steve

[Chris_F]

Hi Steve,

I saw an exercise once in a Steve Morse video that helped me develop independence of motion in my fretting fingers. It involved doing pull-offs with one finger while the other three fingers were holding down another string and preventing your hand from moving, thus forcing your finger to do all the work.

For example: In fifth position (on the b string) your index finger would be over the fifth fret, middle over the sixth, ring over the seventh, and pinky over the eighth. While your middle, ring, and pinky fingers are holding down the b string, you hammer-on and pull-off from the open adjacent g-string to the fifth-fret C natural.

After you've done this for as long as you can stand it, you put your index finger back on the b string fretting the E, and you hammer-on/pull--off from the open g-string to the C# at the sixth fret with your middle finger. Then you put your middle finger back on the sixth fret of the b string and hammer-on/pull-off from the open G to the D natural (seventh fret) with your ring finger. Then you do the same trick with your pinky from the open g string to the D#at the eighth fret.

I find this exercise to be a real pain, but it definitely has helped with the independent motion of my ring and pinky fingers specifically.

If this exercise is not to your taste, you could just stop using your index finger for a while and learn to play open chords and pentatonic scales with just your other fingers.

Hope this helps.

Does anyone else have suggestions?

[lhallam]

Try this:

SLOWLY place your fingers over the strings & fret in position without pressing down.

Take your hand off the gtr and/or play another chord

Then go back to the troublesome chord once again slowly placing your fingers over the fret positions without pressing down.

Do this a number of times until you can do it smoothly.

Now press down making sure that each note sounds pleasing.

Do this over and over doing it faster until it's a smooth process.

This methodolgy is quite helpful when changing chords.

Please let us know your results.

[traynor_garnet]

Thanks guys, I will try these tips and see how it goes.

Steve

[Chris_F]

Upon re-reading this thread, I see that my response (about the Steve Morse video technique) had almost nothing to do with what you asked. Sorry about that - it seemed like a good idea at the time. :jo

I would just listen to lhallam, as his post was on topic. But learning to fret chords without using the index finger has really expanded my ability to play 4th and 5th degree chord voicings.

Hope it works out.

[leofenderbender]

I've always done it the lazy way with my pinky on the B string and my ring on the G with the high E open. Works most of the time where I play.

[jpfeiff]

Here's a good exercise you can do anywhere to devolop some independence in your fingers. I teach it to all of my guitar students, and once you are good at it, you can confound your friends and colleagues with it! Challenge them to a contest!

Place your index and ring fingers on the edge of a table. Now lift your hand and switch to you middle and pinky and fingers on the edge of the table. Now just switch back and forth between these two pairs. It's tough at first, but comes fairly quickly.

Thew pinky and ring finger are connected by some tendons that make them want to work together, but with this exercise, you can train them to be more independent. And you can do it in the middle of some boring work meeting, on the bus, during a lecture, WHEREVER--it's simple and it really works!!

[Poppa Stoppa]

As I start to play more complicated chords and voicings I am noticing this chord formation/fingering is farily common.My advice is not to worry about this one too much.

Get the following two-chord vamp down, as used in Bill Withers' 'Use Me'. Use the same grip for both chord shapes, Em7 and A7. Play four beats on each until you get the grip into your finger memory:

E-7-----x
B-8-----5
G-7-----6
D-x-----5
A-7-----x
E-x-----5

fingering, bottom to top is 1,2,4,3 for both.

Apart from that, don't sweat it. If you need to play a harder chord shape you should be able to find a work-around such as just playing the triad on its own and letting the bass player handler the root.

[ap1]

If you're comfortable with the first position D7 (index on 1st fret of B string, middle and ring on 2nd fret of 3rd and 1st strings respectively) your D voicing is only a pinky away. Might be a good exercise to grab the D7, and then do push-ups with the pinky on the 3rd fret of the B string, striking the chord each time, D7, D, D7, D, etc., 'til you can just grab the D in that position, and all strings ring clearly.

[lhallam]

[quote=Poppa Stoppa;1893402]My advice is not to worry about this one too much.

Apart from that, don't sweat it. quote]

Kind of depends upon ones goals. In this particular case, having a free index finger allows for some bass note walking, counter-melody, whatever.

Coming from the classical, jazz and pop world there are often fingerings that you have to sweat.

If one wants to grow & explore, I suggest one should worry about it.

Good exercise jpfeiff.

[traynor_garnet]

I actually practied this last night and although it isn't directly related to my question, I was astounded by how quickly my ring and pinky tired (hand cramp!) whereas my index and middle finger could to it forever. Seems like a good strength exercise.

TG


Upon re-reading this thread, I see that my response (about the Steve Morse video technique) had almost nothing to do with what you asked. Sorry about that - it seemed like a good idea at the time. :jo

I would just listen to lhallam, as his post was on topic. But learning to fret chords without using the index finger has really expanded my ability to play 4th and 5th degree chord voicings.

Hope it works out.

[willyboy]

Here's a good exercise you can do anywhere to devolop some independence in your fingers. I teach it to all of my guitar students, and once you are good at it, you can confound your friends and colleagues with it! Challenge them to a contest!

Place your index and ring fingers on the edge of a table. Now lift your hand and switch to you middle and pinky and fingers on the edge of the table. Now just switch back and forth between these two pairs. It's tough at first, but comes fairly quickly.

Just when I thought my left hand was fairly independent.....this is harder than I thought it would be! Curses!%$@&*#$^$***