I've been playing guitar for over 30 years. I've been a professional guitarist for 24 years. I just did this exercise and it made me feel like I've never picked up the instrument in my life. Thank you!! I will be doing this daily from now on.
Actually, smartie. I've been doing this everyday and I feel like it's contributing to some increased cordination, and control in my playing. Whatever works for a person. Have a nice life.
@@HansOellerich smartie ? not sure what you mean by that but i’m glad to hear man , I’ve also started trying this exercise everyday. so 🤷🏽♂️ we’ll see how that goes for me.
This channel should be bigger. No self-promotion. No filler. No rambling stories. No dramatic lighting or obscuring camera-angles. Just a tutor teaching *genuinely* easier songs in a clear and logical way.
Yep. Agreed. I think it's the approach and the true hidden intention. Instead of 'I'm going to teach you something that I know. Look at me!' kind of separated approach. Or that talking into empty space while looking at a camera vibe, sorta hollow. Lauren is more personable and inclusive. Kind of a let's learn together, I'm here to play along a with you, chilled. It's a subtle difference, but boy, is it a difference.
There's a book called Guitar Codebreaker Unlocked, and it teaches everything about playing guitar, from essential skills to advanced techniques. It’s perfect for all levels
The progress I’ve made with this exercise is insane. I’ve only been playing for a week now; couldn’t even lift my third finger at first, but now I can move it just as independently as my first finger. It’s definitely improved my chord changing too, and in such little time. Thank you!!!
Lauren, I'm an older student (63), and this exercise is wonderful for arthritic joints in the fingers. It keeps my fingers somewhat limber and as we all know, if the joint is moving, fresh blood flows to it and keeps them healthy! Thank You for this useful exercise..
@@wildalbalass4867 After the initial painful fingers and joints, not too bad. I honestly never knew there was this much involved in the guitar. I always thought it was extremely difficult, and some parts are but for the most I think it a person's love of music that carries them through. Barr chords are my biggest problem. I just can't seem to get them right. Are you doing well?
@@RealPeterGunn Cut out all processed sugar foods, and your arthrictic condition will subside over time. Give yourself a one month challenge on this. Includes sugar in coffee.
Not only have I gotten faster at my guitar picking my wife has been super nice to me lately for some reason. She must really be proud of my improvement in my scales.
GAWD!! Can we not stop with the BS upside down tabs?! Up = 🔼 Down = 🔽. There’s not a single musician past, present or future; who didn’t learn the previous sentence before they ever picked up an instrument! But just to be clear, great exercise! It’s now a daily. 🎶
This is unbelievably helpful. I've started doing it a mere once a day, 15 reps per finger, because it hurt to do more at the beginning. Takes about 2 minutes total. I could see and feel results as of the 3rd day. Yes, the THIRD day. Mind blowing. Thank you Lauren.
I started to learn guitar a few months ago, chords are really intimidating. I can never do the switches on time and ive avoided practicing chords all together- I feel like this exercise will help alot! Will update!!
I am a Bass player getting into guitar. One week. This is an exercise that yields results because it focuses on the mechanism of chord changing....it is a game changer. 20 is Plenty. Relax. No forcing. Thank you for this gift. 😊❤️
I watched this about three weeks ago and did great with my 1st and 2nd fingers, fair with my 4th and figured my 3rd finger was never going to work any better than what it did which was pathetic at best. I did every step as you described in the video, even assisting my 3rd finger from the 3rd to the 6th and 1st strings for a couple of days. After the first week all my fingers were working much better with the 3rd still a bit slower and today all four fingers are moving great independently of each other. This will be a part of my warmup and stretching exercises for as long as I'm around to play. Thank you, Lauren!
67 y/o here. This exercise is great. Thank you Lauren for this! Very helpful. In fact I appreciate your lesson aimed at older players. Don't know that anyone else is helping older folks like this.
So important! If this works, you're a hero. I'm eager to get back into guitar myself, and I know one of the most frustrating things for me was the lack of flexibility in the fingers and was disappointing when trying to play chords with uncomfortable shapes. So crucial to really have the basics down and free up your "toolbox/resources" first. A capable and resourceful guitarist is a confident and less frustrated guitarist (as I'd say it).
I LOVE this. I've been playing for 30 years and teaching 20. I've never seen this exercise. I'm happy to see that I had no issues with my 3rd finger but I can feel that it's more challenging. I can feel that burn on hand AND my forearm. I did start thinking about overdoing it so I'm glad you mentioned that. I will start sharing this with my students.
@@LaurenBateman If you count the 20 per finger as one set, how many sets do you think is good if you spread it through out the day? Is one set per day good?
This practice has changed my life. I started playing guitar 7 years ago. But those 7 can't compete with these 4 weeks of practice. I'm flying on air. Thanks mam for this precious lesson ❤️💜💜❤️💜
Thank You Lauren as an older player ( 59 ) with Arthrose , from the Netherlands Europe , where the Winters are very cold , this exercise of Yours is an eye opener and very helpfull , so thank You again , with love and respect xxx .
What helped me was a few variations. Sorry for textwall. 1. I put all fingers on G string, one finger per fret. I move first finger to top string, then bottom, then top, back to bottom, I do it 20 times, then back to G. I do this on each finger. For my first week or so, I had to use my other hand to help move a finger or hold a finger in place while another finger moves. 2. I curl one finger onto my palm. Then I slowly bend/straighten my other fingers. I have to use my other hand to help. THIS IS IT! I WAS TRYING TO FIND THIS VIDEO, FORGETTING IT WAS YOU!! THANK YOU FOR THIS, YOU SAVED MY DEAD HANDS!! I've been telling everyone about this for about 6 months now, but I forgot the video. I bookmarked it and will post this whenever I need to. Thank you!!
I started on the electric at 17 but then sold it just a few years ago. At 52, I've picked up the acoustic, and I'm trying to do the many things I did wrong on the electric right. This is an intriguing exercise and I think I'll be following your channel. Thanks
Great finger exercise! You've addressed another one of my challenges: my fourth and fifth fingers don't seem to want to stretch much. I will give this exercise a try!
Honestly glad the youtbe algorithm recommended this video to me I've seen alot of things saying it will help you get faster but this is the first one that actually felt like it helps it addresses the problem at it source and I think I'll finally get out of my slump with this technique
Brilliant work. I had developed some of my own before your video and all your analysis of the fingers especially the ring finger is so spot on. I used to think that I was cursed. Now I know that it is normal. Your warning is also spot on. It does hurt pretty quickly. Thank you so much.
It's techniques like these that are incredibly underrated. Absolutely good medicine for your guitar technique that's going to have a pretty immediate impact on your playing.
I am SO HAPPY I found this video. I am older, mid-60's, played basketball in HS and college and beyond and as you can imagine, multiple jammed/dislocated fingers throughout my career. Fast forward to just 2 months ago and just starting to play guitar. I find my finger movements are...uh...strained. I have been doing a variety of other finger stretches and playing, well, attempting, the spider drill, which all have helped quite a bit actually. But, like you pointed out, my 3rd and 4th fingers are not cooperating as I'd like. They're like teenagers, they will NOT do as I tell them. My brain says "3rd finger, go to the high E string 3rd fret." It says "NO! I'm gonna follow my siblings, 1st and 2nd fingers up to the low E and A strings. Screw you!" Sheesh....teenagers! All joking aside, I am looking forward to adding this exercise to my daily practice schedule and I am very hopeful it will allow me to better move my fingers from C --> G --> D7 --> Em, etc. THANKS!
Definitely add this in. I played bball for many years so I know all about the jammed fingers. Take it slow but use this as a warmup and it should help a lot.
I'm right handed, and I've been playing guitar, strumming style, for well over 50 years. I can work my left hand fingers fairly well independently. They've been forminng accurately and fast chords for a long time. My right hand has to catch up and learn independent movement. Thanks for the explanation. I'm 72 yrs old and loving my 2019 Martin D-18 that I recently acquired in order to learn the joy of finger style picking. Thanks for your help. Great lesson.
Quick Update. I start to see a little bit of a difference in my pinky, which was stiff and not really able to move around freely or even stretch up to the 1st string. My ringfinger, to my own surprise, was doing alright from the get-go. It feels easier to change chords now (which I also still practice a lot). For now, this exercise does make a difference! I can also recommend doing the spider exercise and it's vast amount of variations, but the best I can recommend, is to play scales, for a musical approach. Choose a key and practice e.g. pentatonic, Blues and major scales in an alternating way. It's fun!
@@logjpg I don't do this exercise regularly anymore. I feel like, the more you play chords changes the faster you eventualy get. I do variations of the spider exercise on a daily basis now, which feels great :)
Thank you very much for this exercise! I´ve been playing guitar for 19 years and never heard of this exercise befor. It´s great and i love it. I was training my ring finger with some exercise i created on my own: Let your fingers touch your palm. Now raise your middle finger. Well... as i think about it, you better don´t practise in public^^ Lower the middle finger and raise the ring finger. Lower the ring finger and raise your middle finger. Do this for 20s. This shoud be enough. So 1 and 4 are always on the palm. You Raise 2,3,2,3,2,3,2,3... I call it cycling. After a few days you might notice that your fingers become more independent.
Good suggestions for finger exercise. How can one humme the strings or give a stroke string to go down and up in return? Will appreciate the help, thanks
Hi Lauren. again I'm 66 years young I've been working on learning the guitar for at least four years and my biggest Challenge is that I have arthritis of the fingers but I'm not a quitter with that said do you have any suggestions or exercise that can help me with chord shapes switching and speed that can help me with the arthritis issue
Joe, I would recommend using a heating pad to warm up your fingers before you play. Many of my students find that helpful. More frequent but shorter practice sessions depending on pain. Also, keep things simple at first to build dexterity and flexibility, then progress from there. This exercise can help. My spider exercise can also help. Check out my free crash course: www.laurenbateman.com/crashcourse
ah, that darn ring finger: commitment, responsibility; no wonder it leads the pinky and the up-yours astray, but faithful practice leads to a harmonious union....thanks for the exercise, Lauren.
This is definitely gonna be helpful to me. I started playing guitar back when I was 11 but i did not resume playing until I was given an acoustic guitar towards the end of the summer. I played for tips on the street from day 1 but it is freezing cold outside so i am forced to practice at home and not getting tips for it. ( yes I know enough chords to not totally stink). This is a good exercise. Thank you!
I’m a 72 year old beginner and have been doing your 14 day crash course, which is great by the way. I already have some arthritis and carpal tunnel, but I need to do this exercise. Playing a “C” chord is a real stretch for my ring finger.
This is a fantastic tip Lauren. While I have developed great independence with my fingers in many styles, I now find after seeing the sheet music to Paganini's Caprices only recently I am considering how to apply personal practice techniques to attempt to learn some of those passages. I already can see how through your lesson I can extend my practice. Thanks for the upload.
Thank you Lauren! I've been playing 23 years and just recently decided to start incorporating exercises (self taught and unfortunately never really learnt any). I've been looking for something to work the tendons and this exercise works great especially part of my warm up to loosen my hands. Take care ✌
this is a great exercise. i learned it in the book pumping nylon by scott tenant. i'm sure he was not the first person to come up with it but had to give him a shout out
I’m going to try this this weekend, I’ve been wanting to get back to my practicing on my acoustic but was so frustrated with not able to change chords quickly. I hope this works
I already have carporal tunnel i had the surgery for it 19 years ago and i thinks it's come back... i've been off work for years with many other issues, and i have touched a guitar in 13 years... I lost touch with my friend and teacher about 40 years ago even typing hurts after a bit... I'm going to check out your beginners lessons in a minute
I’m a black belt in kung fu and a musician. She had me at “I was a boxer…” and sure ‘nuff, she knows stuff. “Relaxation, breathe” Thank you Lauren. I liked and subscribed.
Thank you for this as a beginner this is a great finger practice...no forcing and no pressure and after a week my finger moves much freely...recommend this one👏👏
Wow thanks alot. I never thought about doing that. As you seem to be a genius in my eyes. Can you think of what I could do to help heal and strengthen a weak and painful left thumb (I'm right handed) that has probably arthritis in it. I think it is the cmc I think it's called or cvc. Something like that. It has been 5 miserable years of dealing with this and I play a tenth of how good I used to play like. I figured you might know what to do. Please and thank you
Thank you so much for this! What a great exercise. It's interesting reading comments from people who have been playing for decades discovering and loving this exercise. Makes me feel so fortunate to have access to as many experts and teachers as I could want through the internet--I can't imagine being self-taught 30 years ago. Thanks for doing what you do :)
Lauren you are such a compliment to my teacher for guitar. You give only what is needed and never fluff. I love what you are doing in this extremely competitive market of guitar instructors. Keep up the great work and thank you. That's a great exercise and you are right - this is one you don't want to overdue. I have one small request -> Father and Daughter by Paul Simon. I can't figure out that riff at the beginning of the song. It's definitely a scale but it's not obvious to me. Thanks (oh and it's a great song too)
I've been trying to make some progress since I haven't touched my guitar since a long time now. I can clearly see the improvement and I'm able to take control of whatever I'm playing! Thanks a ton for making me feel alive again!!!I'm gonna do these regularly!!!!
Hello Lauren, i got my first guitar (electric Stratocaster) 3 days ago, i'm 17 and it's my first time ever picking up an instrument, really excited to learn with you, i just dunno how to hold my guitar or wear it with a strap, could you paste a link for where to start
I didnt start learning guitar to help cope with anxiety, I just want to make music. But relaxation and releasing tension is something I really struggle with. I think guitar will really help me with this. It gives me a positive motivation to relax and takes the focus off of my inner issues. Thank you for the lesson!
It works. I have very small hands (I am 5'1") and its helped a LOT in my chords and chord changes. Thank you. Will try on right hand as well to see if it iproves finger picking.
I have always taken the advice by Jamie Andreas about "sympathetic tension". Especially the pinky wants to move or curl in sympathy with the ring finger. The key exercise is to move the ring finger, keeping the pinky in an idle state (not fretting anything) and focus on NOT DOING anything with the pinky. Relaxing helps. This exercise is more related to what actually happens when playing, more so than the one you have on display. Moving the ring finger up and down the strings while keeping the other fingers fretted is not something that happens in reality, so the muscle memory of that exercise doesn't transfer into actual play.
Idk if im doing it right. Muscle in my wrist moves when moving my pinky. Wrist moves a tiny bit overall but not like what’s shown in the video. It also hurts but not a lot. Is the wrist supposed to not move at all or is it okay to move slightly as long as youre not depending on it to reach the strings?
Just started doing this today. Feeling motivated with all these comments. I can't barely move down my 3rd finger, currently I'm just trying to down one string and it takes an eyernity
beginner here, i can feel it all over the tendons in my hand (the back and thumb..yes i need the practice barre chords...). I have short fingers as a guy and everything feels so difficult with harder chords so hopefully this will help. surprisingly its my pinky that is causing issues, the stretch to the top string is far for me and i'm hard muting the 2nd and 6th string each time. the ring finger was actually fine, no other finger lift off unless i started to actively concentrate on it then it would go all wrong lol so stop thinking haha really looking forward to seeing how this feels after a week. can't believe i only found your channel yesterday, quickly hitting top 3 guitar channels for me.
I am brand new to the guitar. Only picked it up a few short weeks ago. I can barely even hold my fingers that spread apart, let alone try to move them. I will keep practicing this. Seems like a great exercise.
I left my violin practice because my ring finger could not move independent of my pinkie, but all of my friends (non-musicians) could effortlessly do so. This exercise looks super like a very effective way to achieve this. All stringed instruments (including piano) players can benefit from this
OMG! It’s so good to hear the that I’m not the only person having an issue with the ring finger. Here’s the kicker though, I was born with a short ring finger, which make playing guitar even harder for me. I’m going to start this practice tonigh when I get off of work.
@@LaurenBateman Thank you!! I knew of this practice technique but was never told to hold your fingers if you need to. I did your drill last night and had some success with my ring finger. It’s such a bummer that my ring finger is practically the same length as my pinky finger. I will not give up!
I barely just started playing guitar!! 🎸I will start this exercise today, will comeback in a week and tell you how it went, comment to keep you guys updated!! 😁😁😁
Im fond of music and i love to see other ppl play certain instruments which make wanna start learning but i can't decide whether i should learn a guitar or a violin....i love both of the instruments equally but every time some one plays violin at fast pace i love it but i also like peaceful guitar music so any advice about which to learn would help🙏🙏 I'm 17 yrs old currently and I'm really looking forward to my future in music....so advice on this is also welcomed
Very cool exercise. I've been an on-off player for over 40 years and am picking it up again since I retired at 63. I want to REALLY be able to play before I... well, you know - we start thinking about these things when we reach into our 60's. You can just feel where in your hand this is working. I will add it to my daily practice. Thank you.
The beginning of this video is why I wish I broke my left hand instead of my right when I was a kid. I can move my pinky and ring finger completely independently on that hand.
i love this and thanks, it IS harder with that ring finger but, i had been doing stretches to get a wider stretch to 4 frets and it seems that my ring finger is way too close to my middle finger when curled to make chords! CHORDS ARE HARDER NOW, after 4 months playing well, so WHAT is the deal with that?
I appreciate that as I'm learning that just like with my art and advertising career, it's work, dedication and time in pushing boundaries, pushing past what's comfortable and then practicing for muscle memory with the brain (I tell my golfer hubby that!) if you want to do anything with EXCELLENCE. Blood swest snd tears! Lol. Gotta choose what you want to get out of it. Are you an artist or crafter. Being older now fighting arthritis and picking my guitar up after 50 years requires WORK
i play guitar for only 3 months and didnt have much trouble at all doing this. Maybe because I'm left handed but I play regular guitar. The ring finger was a bit of struggle though but I think can manage to make it fast in a few training sessions! Thanks for the video!
This is an awesome lesson. I asked a question about speed during your recent live video and this adds to the answer you gave me back then. You’re instructions are clear, useful and easy to understand. Thank you for what you do. 😊
I have seen a few videos so far and I must say that you have a lot of knowledge. The fact that you are willing to show us this all for free is an added bonus. Years ago I have had five teachers that let me play with the right arm in 45 degrees and closed with a fist. So I got pain between thumb and index finger. Not able to play anything! Move faster one said but I couldn''t. Nowadays I can play this song accurate. Unfortunately I developed chronical RSI/CANS so I don't know how it is to play healthy and I have a lot of pain and failure. Most courses have nothing included regarding technique. Thanks again.
I like your comment about relaxing to get a fast punch. The great Bruce Lee introduced that technique to produce his fast punch. He would relax during the punch and clench at impact. He called it "The Snap".
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We’re learning the A Minor pentatonic scale from your UA-cam video. You’re a great teacher! 🎸
Thanks for your tip , I'm a beginner and I'm working on scales and some chords but I was having trouble with the spider walk this I can do better.
Box sings. You teach us things. :0
I can move my third finger without moving any fingers.
I want beginning guitar and please teach
I've been playing guitar for over 30 years. I've been a professional guitarist for 24 years. I just did this exercise and it made me feel like I've never picked up the instrument in my life. Thank you!! I will be doing this daily from now on.
Same! I had been playing for maybe 10 years and I felt like I had never played before.
How’s the results ? i’m intrigued how much you’ve improved by this haha
Actually, smartie. I've been doing this everyday and I feel like it's contributing to some increased cordination, and control in my playing. Whatever works for a person. Have a nice life.
@@HansOellerich smartie ? not sure what you mean by that but i’m glad to hear man , I’ve also started trying this exercise everyday. so 🤷🏽♂️ we’ll see how that goes for me.
Good job
This channel should be bigger.
No self-promotion. No filler. No rambling stories. No dramatic lighting or obscuring camera-angles. Just a tutor teaching *genuinely* easier songs in a clear and logical way.
Aww thanks Joe! Appreciate the kind words.
Yep. Agreed. I think it's the approach and the true hidden intention. Instead of 'I'm going to teach you something that I know. Look at me!' kind of separated approach. Or that talking into empty space while looking at a camera vibe, sorta hollow. Lauren is more personable and inclusive. Kind of a let's learn together, I'm here to play along a with you, chilled. It's a subtle difference, but boy, is it a difference.
I totally agree with you.
There's a book called Guitar Codebreaker Unlocked, and it teaches everything about playing guitar, from essential skills to advanced techniques. It’s perfect for all levels
Would this book be good for a total beginner
Whats the name of the author? I didn't get the book online, if you have the link please share. (22/12/24)
I’ve been playing guitar for 97 years and this exercise really aggravates my wife so I’m going to do it every day.
🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣
😂😂get rest
🤣
😂😅
Hahaha
The progress I’ve made with this exercise is insane. I’ve only been playing for a week now; couldn’t even lift my third finger at first, but now I can move it just as independently as my first finger. It’s definitely improved my chord changing too, and in such little time. Thank you!!!
Woo hoo that's so awesome!!!
This comment really motivates me to do this exercise more
@@ananttiwari1337 haha same
yooo nice omoi pfp lol
Lauren, I'm an older student (63), and this exercise is wonderful for arthritic joints in the fingers. It keeps my fingers somewhat limber and as we all know, if the joint is moving, fresh blood flows to it and keeps them healthy! Thank You for this useful exercise..
Peter you're so welcome. Glad it helps!
Im 63 too. I started to learn 9 months ago. Lauren is most encouraging and helpful. How are you getting on?
@@wildalbalass4867 After the initial painful fingers and joints, not too bad. I honestly never knew there was this much involved in the guitar. I always thought it was extremely difficult, and some parts are but for the most I think it a person's love of music that carries them through. Barr chords are my biggest problem. I just can't seem to get them right. Are you doing well?
I'm 61, and I hope you're right!
@@RealPeterGunn Cut out all processed sugar foods, and your arthrictic condition will subside over time. Give yourself a one month challenge on this. Includes sugar in coffee.
Not only have I gotten faster at my guitar picking my wife has been super nice to me lately for some reason. She must really be proud of my improvement in my scales.
😂
My finger at foreplay became faster I don't know but it was really helpful.
Lauren improving your guitar playing and your marriage!
GAWD!! Can we not stop with the BS upside down tabs?! Up = 🔼
Down = 🔽. There’s not a single musician past, present or future; who didn’t learn the previous sentence before they ever picked up an instrument!
But just to be clear, great exercise! It’s now a daily. 🎶
Are you kidding?🎉😂
This is unbelievably helpful. I've started doing it a mere once a day, 15 reps per finger, because it hurt to do more at the beginning. Takes about 2 minutes total. I could see and feel results as of the 3rd day. Yes, the THIRD day. Mind blowing. Thank you Lauren.
Awesome!
2 minutes in total? It takes me 2 minutes just to put all my fingers in place! 😂😢
I’m a beginner player and this has made a huge difference. I struggle much less with the chord changes. Thank you!!
Happy to help! You're welcome!
I started to learn guitar a few months ago, chords are really intimidating. I can never do the switches on time and ive avoided practicing chords all together- I feel like this exercise will help alot! Will update!!
Thanks for watching! Yes! Finger exercise will help a lot! It will take some time but it's worth it
I am a Bass player getting into guitar. One week. This is an exercise that yields results because it focuses on the mechanism of chord changing....it is a game changer. 20 is Plenty. Relax. No forcing. Thank you for this gift. 😊❤️
Well said! 100%
I'm still at it. This will remain part of my warm up because it really does work. Rock on!
Hey I wanna know hows ur progress? Going good?
I watched this about three weeks ago and did great with my 1st and 2nd fingers, fair with my 4th and figured my 3rd finger was never going to work any better than what it did which was pathetic at best. I did every step as you described in the video, even assisting my 3rd finger from the 3rd to the 6th and 1st strings for a couple of days. After the first week all my fingers were working much better with the 3rd still a bit slower and today all four fingers are moving great independently of each other. This will be a part of my warmup and stretching exercises for as long as I'm around to play. Thank you, Lauren!
That's awesome, sounds like you're off to a good start. Definitely keep this in until you get those fingers moving faster
67 y/o here. This exercise is great. Thank you Lauren for this! Very helpful. In fact I appreciate your lesson aimed at older players. Don't know that anyone else is helping older folks like this.
Glad it was helpful!
So important! If this works, you're a hero.
I'm eager to get back into guitar myself, and I know one of the most frustrating things for me was the lack of flexibility in the fingers and was disappointing when trying to play chords with uncomfortable shapes.
So crucial to really have the basics down and free up your "toolbox/resources" first.
A capable and resourceful guitarist is a confident and less frustrated guitarist (as I'd say it).
Incase you're wondering, this works. I started doing this three days ago and have slready noticed small improvements!
I LOVE this. I've been playing for 30 years and teaching 20. I've never seen this exercise. I'm happy to see that I had no issues with my 3rd finger but I can feel that it's more challenging. I can feel that burn on hand AND my forearm. I did start thinking about overdoing it so I'm glad you mentioned that. I will start sharing this with my students.
Glad it was helpful!
@@LaurenBateman If you count the 20 per finger as one set, how many sets do you think is good if you spread it through out the day? Is one set per day good?
This practice has changed my life. I started playing guitar 7 years ago. But those 7 can't compete with these 4 weeks of practice. I'm flying on air. Thanks mam for this precious lesson ❤️💜💜❤️💜
Amazing!!!
Thank You Lauren as an older player ( 59 ) with Arthrose , from the Netherlands Europe , where the Winters are very cold , this exercise of Yours is an eye opener and very helpfull , so thank You again , with love and respect xxx .
You are welcome!
This is crazy. I can't believe the improvement I've made from doing this. Has to be hands down, one of the best exercises I've found.
Awesome!
What helped me was a few variations. Sorry for textwall.
1. I put all fingers on G string, one finger per fret. I move first finger to top string, then bottom, then top, back to bottom, I do it 20 times, then back to G. I do this on each finger. For my first week or so, I had to use my other hand to help move a finger or hold a finger in place while another finger moves.
2. I curl one finger onto my palm. Then I slowly bend/straighten my other fingers. I have to use my other hand to help.
THIS IS IT! I WAS TRYING TO FIND THIS VIDEO, FORGETTING IT WAS YOU!! THANK YOU FOR THIS, YOU SAVED MY DEAD HANDS!! I've been telling everyone about this for about 6 months now, but I forgot the video. I bookmarked it and will post this whenever I need to. Thank you!!
I started on the electric at 17 but then sold it just a few years ago. At 52, I've picked up the acoustic, and I'm trying to do the many things I did wrong on the electric right. This is an intriguing exercise and I think I'll be following your channel. Thanks
Shane, welcome aboard!
Great finger exercise! You've addressed another one of my challenges: my fourth and fifth fingers don't seem to want to stretch much. I will give this exercise a try!
You can do it!
That fretboard is gorgeous! Clearly a self motivated, fearless accomplished person. Thanks for sharing and wishing you continued success!
Thank you so much Johnny!
I have been trying to force my finger speed for decades. So glad to have this tutorial - thank you, Lauren!
Glad you're finding the videos helpful! Thanks for watching!
Honestly glad the youtbe algorithm recommended this video to me I've seen alot of things saying it will help you get faster but this is the first one that actually felt like it helps it addresses the problem at it source and I think I'll finally get out of my slump with this technique
Brilliant work. I had developed some of my own before your video and all your analysis of the fingers especially the ring finger is so spot on. I used to think that I was cursed. Now I know that it is normal. Your warning is also spot on. It does hurt pretty quickly. Thank you so much.
I always light a candle when doing these exercises. Very relaxing.
Oooo. Nice!
It's techniques like these that are incredibly underrated. Absolutely good medicine for your guitar technique that's going to have a pretty immediate impact on your playing.
Thanks!
I am SO HAPPY I found this video. I am older, mid-60's, played basketball in HS and college and beyond and as you can imagine, multiple jammed/dislocated fingers throughout my career. Fast forward to just 2 months ago and just starting to play guitar. I find my finger movements are...uh...strained. I have been doing a variety of other finger stretches and playing, well, attempting, the spider drill, which all have helped quite a bit actually. But, like you pointed out, my 3rd and 4th fingers are not cooperating as I'd like. They're like teenagers, they will NOT do as I tell them. My brain says "3rd finger, go to the high E string 3rd fret." It says "NO! I'm gonna follow my siblings, 1st and 2nd fingers up to the low E and A strings. Screw you!" Sheesh....teenagers! All joking aside, I am looking forward to adding this exercise to my daily practice schedule and I am very hopeful it will allow me to better move my fingers from C --> G --> D7 --> Em, etc. THANKS!
Definitely add this in. I played bball for many years so I know all about the jammed fingers. Take it slow but use this as a warmup and it should help a lot.
I'm right handed, and I've been playing guitar, strumming style, for well over 50 years. I can work my left hand fingers fairly well independently. They've been forminng accurately and fast chords for a long time. My right hand has to catch up and learn independent movement. Thanks for the explanation. I'm 72 yrs old and loving my 2019 Martin D-18 that I recently acquired in order to learn the joy of finger style picking. Thanks for your help. Great lesson.
Thanks for sharing!
Starting this exercise right now. I am excited to see some results in 1 or 2 weeks! Thanks for sharing, Lauren! :)
You got this!
Quick Update. I start to see a little bit of a difference in my pinky, which was stiff and not really able to move around freely or even stretch up to the 1st string. My ringfinger, to my own surprise, was doing alright from the get-go. It feels easier to change chords now (which I also still practice a lot).
For now, this exercise does make a difference! I can also recommend doing the spider exercise and it's vast amount of variations, but the best I can recommend, is to play scales, for a musical approach. Choose a key and practice e.g. pentatonic, Blues and major scales in an alternating way. It's fun!
@@nope3581 any updates?
@@logjpg I don't do this exercise regularly anymore. I feel like, the more you play chords changes the faster you eventualy get.
I do variations of the spider exercise on a daily basis now, which feels great :)
@@nope3581 any updates ? is it useful for the beginner ?
Thank you very much for this exercise! I´ve been playing guitar for 19 years and never heard of this exercise befor. It´s great and i love it. I was training my ring finger with some exercise i created on my own:
Let your fingers touch your palm. Now raise your middle finger. Well... as i think about it, you better don´t practise in public^^ Lower the middle finger and raise the ring finger. Lower the ring finger and raise your middle finger. Do this for 20s. This shoud be enough. So 1 and 4 are always on the palm. You Raise 2,3,2,3,2,3,2,3... I call it cycling. After a few days you might notice that your fingers become more independent.
Yes! You got this.
i never skip finger day 😎
😂😂
I have such a skinny thumb cause i just use my finger
Good suggestions for finger exercise. How can one humme the strings or give a stroke string to go down and up in return? Will appreciate the help, thanks
I'm not sure I understand the question.
Hi Lauren. again I'm 66 years young I've been working on learning the guitar for at least four years and my biggest Challenge is that I have arthritis of the fingers but I'm not a quitter with that said do you have any suggestions or exercise that can help me with chord shapes switching and speed that can help me with the arthritis issue
Joe, I would recommend using a heating pad to warm up your fingers before you play. Many of my students find that helpful. More frequent but shorter practice sessions depending on pain. Also, keep things simple at first to build dexterity and flexibility, then progress from there. This exercise can help. My spider exercise can also help. Check out my free crash course: www.laurenbateman.com/crashcourse
ah, that darn ring finger: commitment, responsibility; no wonder it leads the pinky and the up-yours astray, but faithful practice leads to a harmonious union....thanks for the exercise, Lauren.
Good luck with it!!
Great exercise, im a 43 years old beginner struggling with chord changes , hope this helps, by the way great content, subscribed
Thanks for the sub!
This is definitely gonna be helpful to me. I started playing guitar back when I was 11 but i did not resume playing until I was given an acoustic guitar towards the end of the summer. I played for tips on the street from day 1 but it is freezing cold outside so i am forced to practice at home and not getting tips for it. ( yes I know enough chords to not totally stink). This is a good exercise. Thank you!
You’re so welcome!
I’m a 72 year old beginner and have been doing your 14 day crash course, which is great by the way. I already have some arthritis and carpal tunnel, but I need to do this exercise. Playing a “C” chord is a real stretch for my ring finger.
Carl, do the best you can. I have some students with arthritis that like to use a hand warmer before they start playing.
Thanks Lauren. I’ll give that a try.
You the one you nomber one what you explained about how to watch you to play the quthar thanks very much what you doing today
You're welcome Jimmy!
Wow ,fantastic !! I've been a guitarist for 49 years i will definitely be using this exercise, feels great!!
Rock on!!!
This is a fantastic tip Lauren. While I have developed great independence with my fingers in many styles, I now find after seeing the sheet music to Paganini's Caprices only recently I am considering how to apply personal practice techniques to attempt to learn some of those passages. I already can see how through your lesson I can extend my practice. Thanks for the upload.
This is awesome John. Keep up the good work.
Thank you Lauren! I've been playing 23 years and just recently decided to start incorporating exercises (self taught and unfortunately never really learnt any). I've been looking for something to work the tendons and this exercise works great especially part of my warm up to loosen my hands.
Take care ✌
You're so welcome!
Too fast... too much dialogues.... Didn't played...
this is a great exercise. i learned it in the book pumping nylon by scott tenant. i'm sure he was not the first person to come up with it but had to give him a shout out
Thanks for watching!
I’m going to try this this weekend, I’ve been wanting to get back to my practicing on my acoustic but was so frustrated with not able to change chords quickly. I hope this works
Thanks for watching! Keep on practicing!
seems like a great exercise to do when your brain is too tired to play complicated stuff but you want to keep improving.
Definitely!
Not only is your video very informative, you actually take your time and explain
Thank you very much!
Any Piano Player: "Oh really, you can not bend your pinky finger without moving your whole hand? Guess I can skip that..." :D
I don't play any instruments yet, but I can totally move my pinkie on it's own
lol fr tho
I already have carporal tunnel i had the surgery for it 19 years ago and i thinks it's come back... i've been off work for years with many other issues, and i have touched a guitar in 13 years... I lost touch with my friend and teacher about 40 years ago even typing hurts after a bit... I'm going to check out your beginners lessons in a minute
Don't pressure yourself and take it slow.
I'm gonna start this today because I just started Bar Chords and I find it excruciating:) the tension is crazy. Gonna check out your lessons too.
Thanks for watching!
I’m a black belt in kung fu and a musician. She had me at “I was a boxer…” and sure ‘nuff, she knows stuff. “Relaxation, breathe” Thank you Lauren. I liked and subscribed.
Thank you :D
I'm into JuJitSu love it and trying to play my guitar.
Thank you for this as a beginner this is a great finger practice...no forcing and no pressure and after a week my finger moves much freely...recommend this one👏👏
Thanks so much! Appreciate the feedback.
Lauren you are inspiring and I already feel I am learning by just watching you. Doing this to help!
Awesome! Thank you!
Wow thanks alot. I never thought about doing that. As you seem to be a genius in my eyes. Can you think of what I could do to help heal and strengthen a weak and painful left thumb (I'm right handed) that has probably arthritis in it. I think it is the cmc I think it's called or cvc. Something like that. It has been 5 miserable years of dealing with this and I play a tenth of how good I used to play like. I figured you might know what to do. Please and thank you
Happy to help!
thank you! only been doing it 2 days and already seeing improvement in the ring finger. aahh, finger independence, many thanks!
Awesome!!!
Fantastic! Thank you so much! Short video and so life changing ❤️
Glad it was helpful!
Thank you so much for this! What a great exercise. It's interesting reading comments from people who have been playing for decades discovering and loving this exercise. Makes me feel so fortunate to have access to as many experts and teachers as I could want through the internet--I can't imagine being self-taught 30 years ago. Thanks for doing what you do :)
Happy to help!
Lauren you are such a compliment to my teacher for guitar. You give only what is needed and never fluff. I love what you are doing in this extremely competitive market of guitar instructors. Keep up the great work and thank you. That's a great exercise and you are right - this is one you don't want to overdue.
I have one small request -> Father and Daughter by Paul Simon. I can't figure out that riff at the beginning of the song. It's definitely a scale but it's not obvious to me. Thanks (oh and it's a great song too)
Thank you for the recommendation. I get lots of song requests so I cannot guarantee that I will get to it, but I will definitely add it to my list.
I've been trying to make some progress since I haven't touched my guitar since a long time now. I can clearly see the improvement and I'm able to take control of whatever I'm playing! Thanks a ton for making me feel alive again!!!I'm gonna do these regularly!!!!
That's awesome! I'm really glad it was helpful. Keep it up :D
Hello Lauren, i got my first guitar (electric Stratocaster) 3 days ago, i'm 17 and it's my first time ever picking up an instrument, really excited to learn with you, i just dunno how to hold my guitar or wear it with a strap, could you paste a link for where to start
Please go to this link and sign up for the free guitar crash course: www.laurenbateman.com/crash-course/
@@LaurenBateman thank you can't wait to get started!
A lot of helpful tips! Great video!
Glad it was helpful!
1:30 👀whoo. thanks for the tip!
Thanks for watching!
I didnt start learning guitar to help cope with anxiety, I just want to make music. But relaxation and releasing tension is something I really struggle with. I think guitar will really help me with this. It gives me a positive motivation to relax and takes the focus off of my inner issues. Thank you for the lesson!
Happy to help!
It works. I have very small hands (I am 5'1") and its helped a LOT in my chords and chord changes. Thank you. Will try on right hand as well to see if it iproves finger picking.
Glad it helped!
I have always taken the advice by Jamie Andreas about "sympathetic tension". Especially the pinky wants to move or curl in sympathy with the ring finger. The key exercise is to move the ring finger, keeping the pinky in an idle state (not fretting anything) and focus on NOT DOING anything with the pinky. Relaxing helps.
This exercise is more related to what actually happens when playing, more so than the one you have on display. Moving the ring finger up and down the strings while keeping the other fingers fretted is not something that happens in reality, so the muscle memory of that exercise doesn't transfer into actual play.
Very interesting! Thank you for sharing.
Nice! I've been playing for about 21 years and I have never tried that excercise! Seems nice, I'll give it a try on my next practice session.👍
Rock on!!
Idk if im doing it right. Muscle in my wrist moves when moving my pinky. Wrist moves a tiny bit overall but not like what’s shown in the video. It also hurts but not a lot. Is the wrist supposed to not move at all or is it okay to move slightly as long as youre not depending on it to reach the strings?
Wrist would eventually move 😂
But what's to do is that let your fingers feel comfortable with the stretches , don't force ...
Ideally, the wrist should not move.
Legend watching this without having guitar
Same here I'm wanting to learn how to play
😂😂
😅😅😅😅😅
Just started doing this today. Feeling motivated with all these comments. I can't barely move down my 3rd finger, currently I'm just trying to down one string and it takes an eyernity
beginner here, i can feel it all over the tendons in my hand (the back and thumb..yes i need the practice barre chords...). I have short fingers as a guy and everything feels so difficult with harder chords so hopefully this will help. surprisingly its my pinky that is causing issues, the stretch to the top string is far for me and i'm hard muting the 2nd and 6th string each time. the ring finger was actually fine, no other finger lift off unless i started to actively concentrate on it then it would go all wrong lol so stop thinking haha really looking forward to seeing how this feels after a week. can't believe i only found your channel yesterday, quickly hitting top 3 guitar channels for me.
Welcome aboard!
Yes i can....
Omgee i needed this my fingers are small and dont stretch 😂 ill be adding this to my daily practice
🤣🤣
This video helped because I’m a starter
Rock on!!
I am brand new to the guitar. Only picked it up a few short weeks ago. I can barely even hold my fingers that spread apart, let alone try to move them. I will keep practicing this. Seems like a great exercise.
Welcome aboard!
I left my violin practice because my ring finger could not move independent of my pinkie, but all of my friends (non-musicians) could effortlessly do so. This exercise looks super like a very effective way to achieve this. All stringed instruments (including piano) players can benefit from this
OMG! It’s so good to hear the that I’m not the only person having an issue with the ring finger. Here’s the kicker though, I was born with a short ring finger, which make playing guitar even harder for me. I’m going to start this practice tonigh when I get off of work.
You're not alone John. Not by a long shot. Keep going.
@@LaurenBateman Thank you!! I knew of this practice technique but was never told to hold your fingers if you need to. I did your drill last night and had some success with my ring finger. It’s such a bummer that my ring finger is practically the same length as my pinky finger. I will not give up!
I barely just started playing guitar!! 🎸I will start this exercise today, will comeback in a week and tell you how it went, comment to keep you guys updated!! 😁😁😁
You got this!
Your exercise seems like genius. I am an absolute beginner. Thank you.
Blessings, Grace and Peace 😊
Thank you so much!
Im fond of music and i love to see other ppl play certain instruments which make wanna start learning but i can't decide whether i should learn a guitar or a violin....i love both of the instruments equally but every time some one plays violin at fast pace i love it but i also like peaceful guitar music so any advice about which to learn would help🙏🙏
I'm 17 yrs old currently and I'm really looking forward to my future in music....so advice on this is also welcomed
Both are great instruments. I know the violin takes a bit more time because of the bow technique.
Very cool exercise. I've been an on-off player for over 40 years and am picking it up again since I retired at 63. I want to REALLY be able to play before I... well, you know - we start thinking about these things when we reach into our 60's. You can just feel where in your hand this is working. I will add it to my daily practice. Thank you.
You can do it!
The beginning of this video is why I wish I broke my left hand instead of my right when I was a kid. I can move my pinky and ring finger completely independently on that hand.
Ouch! That sounds painful.
*I tried it with my girlfriend guitar and she said "oh fuck im coming home"*
Literally bro!?🤣
😂😂😂
😂😂😂😂😂
Great
Thanks for watching!
i love this and thanks, it IS harder with that ring finger but, i had been doing stretches to get a wider stretch to 4 frets and it seems that my ring finger is way too close to my middle finger when curled to make chords! CHORDS ARE HARDER NOW, after 4 months playing well, so WHAT is the deal with that?
You got this Lisa. Don't give up.
I appreciate that as I'm learning that just like with my art and advertising career, it's work, dedication and time in pushing boundaries, pushing past what's comfortable and then practicing for muscle memory with the brain (I tell my golfer hubby that!) if you want to do anything with EXCELLENCE. Blood swest snd tears! Lol. Gotta choose what you want to get out of it. Are you an artist or crafter. Being older now fighting arthritis and picking my guitar up after 50 years requires WORK
i play guitar for only 3 months and didnt have much trouble at all doing this. Maybe because I'm left handed but I play regular guitar. The ring finger was a bit of struggle though but I think can manage to make it fast in a few training sessions! Thanks for the video!
Thanks for watching! Keep playing!
Oooo I forgot about this exercise. Learned this first in your 7 level guitar program. Time to add it back into daily practice.
It's one of the best.
This is an awesome lesson. I asked a question about speed during your recent live video and this adds to the answer you gave me back then. You’re instructions are clear, useful and easy to understand. Thank you for what you do. 😊
Fantastic!
my gf send me this, i dont even play guitar help
Are you looking to start playing?
This is the best comment
I don't think she means the guitar
Umm I don't think she talking about guitar
Lol, mate, idk if she's necessarily talking about guitar
I have seen a few videos so far and I must say that you have a lot of knowledge. The fact that you are willing to show us this all for free is an added bonus. Years ago I have had five teachers that let me play with the right arm in 45 degrees and closed with a fist. So I got pain between thumb and index finger. Not able to play anything! Move faster one said but I couldn''t. Nowadays I can play this song accurate. Unfortunately I developed chronical RSI/CANS so I don't know how it is to play healthy and I have a lot of pain and failure. Most courses have nothing included regarding technique. Thanks again.
Thanks for sharing
I like your comment about relaxing to get a fast punch. The great Bruce Lee introduced that technique to produce his fast punch. He would relax during the punch and clench at impact. He called it "The Snap".
Thanks for sharing!
I knew you was a fighter when I seen them turtles
What does that mean, turtles? Just curious.
@Sheri... teenage mutant ninja turtles 🐢 ♥️
I’ve been playing guitar for 45 years. Playing professionally for 0 years. This exercise is killing me.
You got this!
i bent my pinky and non of the other fingers moved 💀💀.
👍
Must be nice
So simple yet I have no doubt it is helping. Feels to Me that picking the string adds additional benefit.
Awesome!!!
THANK YOU. I don't know what else to say. Have been playing for several years. The wisdom on the ring finger... wow.. that made everything!
Thanks for watching!
"Don't forget to breath" 💀
🤣🤣
Sometimes it's mad how long you stop breathing when you focusing so hard xD
Patrick bateman
Exactly bro😂
If you are not breathing, you die lol
Ain't that the truth!
Hi Lauren, Went from 5 seconds to 5 minutes. fingers are getting hard.Yes the rum did help.Have a great day and thanks for all the tips.
Thank you for watching!