I’m 55, just started learning guitar and your videos are a huge help. The Spider Exercise has been the best way to improve finger dexterity, muscle memory and building-up the finger tips.
Lauren, your video on avoiding mistakes with the Spider Walk exercise is incredibly helpful! Your clear explanations and practical tips make it much easier to master this challenging technique. -Macy (Team Evan)
I do play my axe with skill. However, I'm attracted to watching Lauren's lessons. They help to keep me stay grounded in endless practice. Someday I too will be teaching students in future. Awesome exercise for beginners and students 🎸
For those with some anatomical limits, such as curved pinky or ring finger, one can still perform the spider walk using modifications. Three years ago, at age 66, I realized I wouldn't be a shredder but found value in learning the frett board doing this exercise which opens up many opportunities. I now play several scales during warm-up.
She really is. I’ve tried so many others, but always come back to Lauren. She explains things in a way that I can understand and honestly, she cares about her subscribers and wants them to succeed!
Io suono chitarra classica e pratico da tempo, ma apprezzo moltissimo Lauren perché riesce a condensare in poco tempo molti preziosi insegnamenti, e trova il modo di spiegare con grande chiarezza e di farti sentire che ce la puoi fare. Lei vuole davvero che le persone riescano a suonare e questo si sente e la rende speciale. Grazie❤❤❤
So glad I came across your channel, my guitar teacher thinks I'm a natural but it's because I've been learning from you at the same time as following his instruction. You're the only teacher I've found that teaches the same techniques as him
I always think I'm doing things correctly and then I hit a wall. Then I watch one of your focus videos and I have a "oh, I missed that" moment. Thanks for taking the time to help us focus on techniques that help us to advance. Lauren you have made learning fun and that keeps me going.
Yes! These are all the points I cover with my students. I'm usually checking on them with this for at least 3 - 4 weeks to address all of these points. After playing first for 30+ years, I still use this as part of my earn up
I never learned this bit but learned the blues minor pentatonic scale on my own. It became my dexterity practice to a point that I serendipitously picked up/learned some licks on my own going up and down that scale that made me go... "so that's how that ubiquitous blues lick is done".
Thanks so much, Lauren. I'm pretty new to the spider exercises and my fingers do fly around a lot so I'll slow down and see if that gives me better control. Thank you.
Glad I found your channel while recovering from knee surgery very helpful info and practice exercises. Could you please explain the best you can the correct pressure to apply to strings on frets ?
I've taken a break from playing the ukulele since I irritated the sesa oid bones in my fretting thumb. I'm going to make a donujt brace to prevent this in the future, and this will be one exercise I'll practice as you ordered. I noticed you had a band-aid on your index. Bobo? And still making videos. A real trooper. Merci.
Should the left hand thumb be fixed ? My thumb tends to move around while climbing up/down the frets to bring my left hand to a comfortable position. Hope this doesn't qualify as bad technique.
I used to speed through my spider warmup just to get it over with. The last month, I've slowed it down to 40bpm, and it's been a game changer for my "flying fingers."
I've been playing for a little over 3 months and I figured I would be doing the spider walk forever. Never would have thought it was just a beginner exercise.
Thanks for the video explanation. I have 2 questions though. First, do you suggest that I leave my fingers on the previous notes when I move to the next string? I saw that you mentioned leaving your fingers on the same string, but you lifted your hand completely when you moved to the next string. Second, while doing this exercise I noticed that when I'm going down, my ring finger is kind of pointing in the direction of the middle finger, it makes sort of \/ shape. There's almost no gap between these 2 fingers. Do you have any tip on how to maybe fix this?
The metronome app I use has a timer. I set the timer at 5 minutes at the tempo I want and don’t stop until the 5 minutes are up. Even when I mess up I catch back up and keep going till it stops. I stepped it up every few days when I feel I can. Thanks for all the other tips. Love your videos! Subscribed!
Thank you for this comment! I never thought to look and see if my Metronome app has a timer, but it does! I will be incorporating that into my practice. Thank you.
Another great video! I really like your tip on keeping your fingers on the strings to get ones fingers to s t r e t c h! I am going to start to integrate that. Plus, my instructor also suggested to practice alternate picking last week and since YOU also said it, I will incorporate that. 😉 For the last few weeks I have been practicing the spider drill for 10 minutes WITH a timer that I just purchased. (On a side note, a timer makes a huge difference in my practice.) One other thing, I did the spider drill early in my lessons starting this past February. But after a while I stopped. Fast forward to a few weeks ago, I was discussing with my instructor that I seem to have lost some dexterity in my chord progressions along with decent finger placement, and I was getting frustrated. He suggested I start doing the spider drill again but this time don't stop until my chord progressions become really rock solid. And the chord progressions have improved quite a bit.
Lauren, I'm basically a beginner like a lot of us here. I don't have a question re the spider exercise, sorry. I would like some advice though. I am currently looking to get a 2nd guitar and would really need a narrow neck (as on a typical acoustic), nylon string guitar. I'd like to keep the price under $1000. I've researched the Yamaha NTX series and the Cordoba Fusion series. Both have electronics installed; not needed but not a deal breaker. Would you have any other suggestions, comments, criticisms, opinions? Thanks. My current guitar is a standard classical. I do like it but the wide neck keeps me from playing most chords cleanly.
Thanks Lauren for this and all the great tips and lessons you give, even to those of us who are at a more intermediate level. As a blind subscriber to your channel, can you tell me if you were using your Taylor builders edition Guitar in this lesson, and if it has become your favourite go to Guitar now that you have had plenty of time to build a relationship with it? Andy (UK)
16:03 Question about your spider exercise, what did you mean in the section of "To begin lift your fingers, but then keep the fingers down to help with the stritches?" Wouldn't keeping the fingers down mute the string as you're strumming it? At least if I put more then one finger down on the same string but different fret, the string doesn't ring out as cleanly or clearly. Sorry, love the way you teach. I do find you easy to follow. But I'm blind, and small details at least like this one which is more visual. It's hard to follow. Most others, because I had some vision before. I can make it out for the most part. But I do want to improve and set backs like these. Often get me to put my guitar away for long spells. And I have at least 6-8 different guitars and really want to imprrove.
If you keep your fingers down, it does help with stretching. As long as you place fingers on higher frets, leaving fingers on lower frets will not impact the sound.
Another way is to do the spider/chromatic scale with all fingers always on a string (never up in the air) it's a bit harder but increases speed and strength.
Even start on the 9th fret i can't spread my fingers so that each finger touches a fred lol and when i use my other hand to manually put my fingers on each fred it touches the snare below. Have you ever met anyone with this problem pls? I think i can never learn to play guitar because of this. Great video's btw, ty for all the free uploads
what if you have a tension between your ring and pinky fingers (when you can't move your pinky finger individually and your ring finger is forced to move with it) on your fretting hand?
Thanks for the tips! But also have another question... I really dont like using a pick.... do you recommend me to use a pick, or is fingerpicking just as good as an option?
✅ Support Lauren's Channel by Purchasing her 7 LEVEL GUITAR SYSTEM: www.laurenbatemanguitar.com/courseyt
Just start a patreon... But how much is that course... I am old school I keep my cash in a jar... I could still get a prepaid card
Can you do a video on to play Patience by Guns N Roses
@@steel6262 great song! I have a chart on my website. I will take a look.
@@Billyraybrock2024 I do have a Patreon as well. www.patreon.com/laurenbateman
I’m 55, just started learning guitar and your videos are a huge help. The Spider Exercise has been the best way to improve finger dexterity, muscle memory and building-up the finger tips.
Lauren, your video on avoiding mistakes with the Spider Walk exercise is incredibly helpful! Your clear explanations and practical tips make it much easier to master this challenging technique. -Macy (Team Evan)
Thanks for watching!
Im 69 and been playing for a few years. Started with you 2 finger cords. Luv your style. 😊 John Australia 🇦🇺 ♥️
Thanks for watching!
I am improving in spider exercise day by day thanks for giving your valuable lecture
Thanks for watching!
Lots of useful tips for elderly beginner. Very clear explanations. Thanks.
Glad it was helpful!
This is great, your lesson is really encouraging especially for me a Leaner please keep on .
I do play my axe with skill. However, I'm attracted to watching Lauren's lessons. They help to keep me stay grounded in endless practice. Someday I too will be teaching students in future. Awesome exercise for beginners and students 🎸
Thanks for watching!
@@LaurenBateman ✌
Always enjoy your practice lessons as I am a new beginner @ 70
Glad you enjoy it! 😃
For those with some anatomical limits, such as curved pinky or ring finger, one can still perform the spider walk using modifications. Three years ago, at age 66, I realized I wouldn't be a shredder but found value in learning the frett board doing this exercise which opens up many opportunities. I now play several scales during warm-up.
Thanks for sharing!
You are the BEST teacher on here ;-)
Thank you so much! 😃
She really is.
I’ve tried so many others, but always come back to Lauren.
She explains things in a way that I can understand and honestly, she cares about her subscribers and wants them to succeed!
Io suono chitarra classica e pratico da tempo, ma apprezzo moltissimo Lauren perché riesce a condensare in poco tempo molti preziosi insegnamenti, e trova il modo di spiegare con grande chiarezza e di farti sentire che ce la puoi fare. Lei vuole davvero che le persone riescano a suonare e questo si sente e la rende speciale. Grazie❤❤❤
So glad I came across your channel, my guitar teacher thinks I'm a natural but it's because I've been learning from you at the same time as following his instruction. You're the only teacher I've found that teaches the same techniques as him
Aww that's amazing. So happy for you
Thank you so much for the great tip's I to think you're the best teacher on the old interweb
You're very welcome! Thanks for watching!
I always think I'm doing things correctly and then I hit a wall. Then I watch one of your focus videos and I have a "oh, I missed that" moment.
Thanks for taking the time to help us focus on techniques that help us to advance. Lauren you have made learning fun and that keeps me going.
Glad it was helpful!
Yes! These are all the points I cover with my students. I'm usually checking on them with this for at least 3 - 4 weeks to address all of these points. After playing first for 30+ years, I still use this as part of my earn up
Thanks for watching!
Great session, Lauren.
Thanks for watching!
Gracias Lauren es un placer recibir tus vídeos siempre me alegro un saludo
Thanks for watching!
I never learned this bit but learned the blues minor pentatonic scale on my own. It became my dexterity practice to a point that I serendipitously picked up/learned some licks on my own going up and down that scale that made me go... "so that's how that ubiquitous blues lick is done".
Thanks for sharing!
Thanks so much, Lauren. I'm pretty new to the spider exercises and my fingers do fly around a lot so I'll slow down and see if that gives me better control. Thank you.
Thanks for watching!
Hi Lauren
it's good to see you from time to time on YT ,
thanks for the informative video as usual .
Thanks for watching!
Just came across you for the first time on this video. Very good explanations and appreciate your clear outline and suggestions.
Thanks for watching!
Thank you Lauren , love your work 🎶🎸
Thanks so much!
Glad I found your channel while recovering from knee surgery very helpful info and practice exercises. Could you please explain the best you can the correct pressure to apply to strings on frets ?
Thanks for watching! Apply enough pressure to fully press the string down so it touches the metal bar, but avoid pressing too hard.
Fantastic again, Lauren.❤
Great beginner and beyond. 👍
Thank you
Thanks for watching!
I've taken a break from playing the ukulele since I irritated the sesa oid bones in my fretting thumb. I'm going to make a donujt brace to prevent this in the future, and this will be one exercise I'll practice as you ordered.
I noticed you had a band-aid on your index. Bobo? And still making videos.
A real trooper. Merci.
Thanks for watching!
Should the left hand thumb be fixed ? My thumb tends to move around while climbing up/down the frets to bring my left hand to a comfortable position. Hope this doesn't qualify as bad technique.
This is great information thank you!
Thanks for watching!
Thank you...
You're welcome!
I used to speed through my spider warmup just to get it over with. The last month, I've slowed it down to 40bpm, and it's been a game changer for my "flying fingers."
Thanks for sharing!
I've been playing for a little over 3 months and I figured I would be doing the spider walk forever. Never would have thought it was just a beginner exercise.
Thanks for watching!
Thanks for the video explanation. I have 2 questions though.
First, do you suggest that I leave my fingers on the previous notes when I move to the next string? I saw that you mentioned leaving your fingers on the same string, but you lifted your hand completely when you moved to the next string.
Second, while doing this exercise I noticed that when I'm going down, my ring finger is kind of pointing in the direction of the middle finger, it makes sort of \/ shape. There's almost no gap between these 2 fingers. Do you have any tip on how to maybe fix this?
The metronome app I use has a timer. I set the timer at 5 minutes at the tempo I want and don’t stop until the 5 minutes are up. Even when I mess up I catch back up and keep going till it stops. I stepped it up every few days when I feel I can. Thanks for all the other tips. Love your videos! Subscribed!
Thanks for watching!
Thank you for this comment! I never thought to look and see if my Metronome app has a timer, but it does! I will be incorporating that into my practice. Thank you.
Another great video! I really like your tip on keeping your fingers on the strings to get ones fingers to s t r e t c h! I am going to start to integrate that. Plus, my instructor also suggested to practice alternate picking last week and since YOU also said it, I will incorporate that. 😉 For the last few weeks I have been practicing the spider drill for 10 minutes WITH a timer that I just purchased. (On a side note, a timer makes a huge difference in my practice.) One other thing, I did the spider drill early in my lessons starting this past February. But after a while I stopped. Fast forward to a few weeks ago, I was discussing with my instructor that I seem to have lost some dexterity in my chord progressions along with decent finger placement, and I was getting frustrated. He suggested I start doing the spider drill again but this time don't stop until my chord progressions become really rock solid. And the chord progressions have improved quite a bit.
Thanks for sharing!
Love Love LOVE the Ninja Turtles action figures!! And a 69 Camaro SS, blue with white stripes was my 1st ever model car I built. Nostalgic!
And of course, great video! Thanks for the tutorial. I'm going to start practicing this today.
Hey Lauren would you recommend students use the pick for this spider legs exercise,or is it ok to use the thumb?
They can use either. But I try to get them to use a pick.
Lauren, I'm basically a beginner like a lot of us here. I don't have a question re the spider exercise, sorry. I would like some advice though.
I am currently looking to get a 2nd guitar and would really need a narrow neck (as on a typical acoustic), nylon string guitar. I'd like to keep the price under $1000. I've researched the Yamaha NTX series and the Cordoba Fusion series. Both have electronics installed; not needed but not a deal breaker. Would you have any other suggestions, comments, criticisms, opinions? Thanks. My current guitar is a standard classical. I do like it but the wide neck keeps me from playing most chords cleanly.
I have many students who LOVE the Cordoba guitars.
@@LaurenBateman -- Thanks for responding. 🙂
Thank you. Do you have any Guitar Courses on line? I will be going to a guitar store to try some guitars as you recommended yesterday.
Thanks for watching! Please visit www.laurenbateman.com/courses/
Thanks Lauren for this and all the great tips and lessons you give, even to those of us who are at a more intermediate level. As a blind subscriber to your channel, can you tell me if you were using your Taylor builders edition Guitar in this lesson, and if it has become your favourite go to Guitar now that you have had plenty of time to build a relationship with it? Andy (UK)
Thanks for listening! I'm using my Crafter for this video
good job sister
Thanks for watching!
16:03 Question about your spider exercise, what did you mean in the section of "To begin lift your fingers, but then keep the fingers down to help with the stritches?" Wouldn't keeping the fingers down mute the string as you're strumming it? At least if I put more then one finger down on the same string but different fret, the string doesn't ring out as cleanly or clearly. Sorry, love the way you teach. I do find you easy to follow. But I'm blind, and small details at least like this one which is more visual. It's hard to follow. Most others, because I had some vision before. I can make it out for the most part. But I do want to improve and set backs like these. Often get me to put my guitar away for long spells. And I have at least 6-8 different guitars and really want to imprrove.
If you keep your fingers down, it does help with stretching. As long as you place fingers on higher frets, leaving fingers on lower frets will not impact the sound.
The spider seemed stupid at first. I was surprised how much it helped. Every word you said was my experience. Time frame, everything. 100%.
Thanks for watching!
Another way is to do the spider/chromatic scale with all fingers always on a string (never up in the air) it's a bit harder but increases speed and strength.
Thanks for watching!
Laura can you please do a lesson on double strumming??
Thanks for watching!
Even start on the 9th fret i can't spread my fingers so that each finger touches a fred lol and when i use my other hand to manually put my fingers on each fred it touches the snare below. Have you ever met anyone with this problem pls? I think i can never learn to play guitar because of this. Great video's btw, ty for all the free uploads
Thanks for watching! Keep on doing finger exercise and try to reach what you can reach
Love the Ninjas. Vaya con Dios
Thanks for watching!
My pinky does not want cooperate and find myself getting frustrated and setting a bad vibe for the rest of my practice
I too had that issue at first. It gets better.
Keep on practicing and don't rush!
As a guitar teacher, I always recommend this exercise to all my students, however most people won't do this exercise.... I don't know why...?
🤷♀️
I've been doing this everyday for my warmup for 5 minutes. Should I do it more than once a day?
Thanks for watching! you can do it more than once a day but don't overdo it.
what if you have a tension between your ring and pinky fingers (when you can't move your pinky finger individually and your ring finger is forced to move with it) on your fretting hand?
You have to go slow to work on that independence
❤❤❤❤ i cut 6 strings on my 12 string just because i cant use my pinky....❤❤❤❤
Thanks for watching!
Hey Lauren can you do a video how to strum and sing " I will never love again" from the movie a star is born?
Thanks for watching! For any song request, please submit it to www.laurenbateman.com/faq/
Thanks for the tips! But also have another question... I really dont like using a pick.... do you recommend me to use a pick, or is fingerpicking just as good as an option?
Thanks for watching! It will depend on your liking! if you are a fingerpicking person, then that's ok
🙏🏽
Thanks for watching!
My problem is short fingers, so going up the fretboard helps.
Thanks for watching!
I wish that I could send you a picture of this new guitar that I just bought
Thanks for watching!
@@LaurenBateman you are very welcome
Can you do a video on how to play patience by guns N Roses
Thanks for watching! I have that on my Guitar Chord Chart www.laurenbateman.com/patience-chord-chart/
@@LaurenBateman thanks would it be possible to do a video on the future
I found setting my metronome to 5 minutes sure makes 5 minutes go by fast. But no click and it feels 20 times longer.
Thanks for watching!
Working on relaxing my fingers as I put playback speed to 1.75....🤭
Good lesson but looks like you are putting on some weight?
Thanks for watching!
Hi pretty hugs love and kisses how are you rock on.
Nice One Lauren amazing advice Your Definitely A Super Hero did you get rid of the prs already don't see it hanging up Great Stuff 🦸👍®️