I've been working on extending my chord vocabulary. Now, i've been doing it in a particular way (which I'll explain in a second), but I have hit something of a plateau concerning the pinky finger landing on time. If anyone has faced and overcome a similar difficulty, I really would appreciate some advice on the matter.
I've been working in the key of C, and learning all the corresponding variants of Major, Minor and 7th chords that would be 'allowed', musically, in this key. I've come across some chords that I really like the sound of and that I really want to own. Here's how I've been going about it...
I'll generally start on an open Am chord and play a full four-beat bar of 8th notes, releasing the Am on the last off-beat and heading up to, for example, a Dm6 on the 5th fret. My rhythm/strumming goes uninterrupted and, whilst counting in my head, I will make a mental note of which beat or off-beat of the bar I have the full chord down on,whilst cycling through the Am/Dm6 pattern continuously. Using this as a marker, I will then aim to have all my fingers planted a half-beat quicker come the next cycle and so on.
This has proven to be quite effective and I find my fingers planting themselves in sync with my strumming, which has a nice effect and sounds musical and interesting, but which is by the by in view of what I'm trying to achieve: ie, having ALL my fingers planted bang on time.
This method works as far as the off-beat of the first beat, or the 'and' of the first beat, which is where my plateau comes in - this seems to be as fast and accurate as my pinky gets.
Any tips or suggestions of other things I could try to get my left hand moving as a solid, in synch, unit? Or any good exercises I could do to help my pinky develop that kind of independence/control?
Thanks for taking the time to read this first of all - I didn't mean it to be so lengthy, and thanks in advance for your advice.
Carpet
Pinky finger difficulties. Any advice?
So what you are trying to do is pretty hard. And just doing it over and over will eventually train those fingers. But you didn't say if you were picking or strumming.
Here's my two cents worth - when studying classical guitar, you learn to "layer" your fingers on, rather than planting them all at the same time. The trick is to get the fingers on the right strings/frets before you strike, or pick, their note. Can you make something like that work for you? Izzy
Here's my two cents worth - when studying classical guitar, you learn to "layer" your fingers on, rather than planting them all at the same time. The trick is to get the fingers on the right strings/frets before you strike, or pick, their note. Can you make something like that work for you? Izzy
Firstly, thanks for responding so promptly.
I'm strumming. I'm going to save finger-picking for later.
Layering my fingers on - that's such an accurate way to describe what I have been doing, but I've been trying to build up the speed so that all my fingers are planted at once.
If i could use the Dm6 chord to highlight a difficulty I've found with layering... The pinky finger will fret the F on the 2nd string, 6th fret whilst the ring finger frets the A on the first @ 5. This would mean that my pinky should be set down before my ring finger, but moving the ring finger down to that string after the others have been planted seems a physical impossibility!
I can plant my first three fingers all at once, the difficulty is in having the pinky move in synch with those three, to where I want it to be - there's a time lag of half a beat where the pinky is concerned that I can't seem to bridge.
Is this common, and are there any ways I could help it along, other then what I have been doing? I expect I should probably just plough through until it rectifies itself, right?
I'm strumming. I'm going to save finger-picking for later.
Layering my fingers on - that's such an accurate way to describe what I have been doing, but I've been trying to build up the speed so that all my fingers are planted at once.
If i could use the Dm6 chord to highlight a difficulty I've found with layering... The pinky finger will fret the F on the 2nd string, 6th fret whilst the ring finger frets the A on the first @ 5. This would mean that my pinky should be set down before my ring finger, but moving the ring finger down to that string after the others have been planted seems a physical impossibility!
I can plant my first three fingers all at once, the difficulty is in having the pinky move in synch with those three, to where I want it to be - there's a time lag of half a beat where the pinky is concerned that I can't seem to bridge.
Is this common, and are there any ways I could help it along, other then what I have been doing? I expect I should probably just plough through until it rectifies itself, right?
Got it. If there are other good ideas, you will certainly get them here. So do you have to remove all and re-plant? Or can you slide anyone, which could potentially speed up the plant of the other ones? Sorry don't have my guitar handy so can't test your description. But I will and see if I can come up with anything.
No, I mostly have to remove and replant all my fingers for the chords I'm switching from. I've kind of set my practice out that way intentionally so that I will be able to do just that when the time comes. If I'm trying to make some music though, I'll generally look to make one thing lead to the other, but it's the ability to switch chords quickly, accurately and completely that I'm after as well.
Test it! I'm sure you'll find that, unless you have magic yoga fingers, your ring finger just doesn't/can't move that way!
Test it! I'm sure you'll find that, unless you have magic yoga fingers, your ring finger just doesn't/can't move that way!
Sounds like you are torturing yourself by playing the Am open and Dm6 on the 5th fret, but I understand it is an exercise.
This is going to be very difficult to do smoothly unless you can keep a reference point -- sliding down with at least one finger covering the string you want it to arrive on.
But I'm not sure from your description quite what chord you want to land on at the 5th fret. You said your pinky was going to an F on the 6th fret of the 2d string while your ring finger goes to an A on the 5th fret of the first string.
I don't have a guitar handy, but really cannot visualize how you are going to pull this off. To form a Dm6, in addition to the F you're covering with your pinky, you're going to want to catch the D on the 5th string at the 5th fret with your forefinger while also picking up a B somewhere (1st string, 7th fret? but you're playing A on 1 at 5). Where's your middle finger?
Shouldn't you be building this chord from a Dm barre on the 5th, then move the pinky to the first string for the B on 7 and mute the 3d string with your ring finger that's holding the A on the 7th fret? And if you did it this way, wouldn't it just be a straight slide down the neck from your Am?
I'm not trying to be critical at all. It's just that I've spent half an hour trying to understand what you are doing here and it's left me puzzled.
This is going to be very difficult to do smoothly unless you can keep a reference point -- sliding down with at least one finger covering the string you want it to arrive on.
But I'm not sure from your description quite what chord you want to land on at the 5th fret. You said your pinky was going to an F on the 6th fret of the 2d string while your ring finger goes to an A on the 5th fret of the first string.
I don't have a guitar handy, but really cannot visualize how you are going to pull this off. To form a Dm6, in addition to the F you're covering with your pinky, you're going to want to catch the D on the 5th string at the 5th fret with your forefinger while also picking up a B somewhere (1st string, 7th fret? but you're playing A on 1 at 5). Where's your middle finger?
Shouldn't you be building this chord from a Dm barre on the 5th, then move the pinky to the first string for the B on 7 and mute the 3d string with your ring finger that's holding the A on the 7th fret? And if you did it this way, wouldn't it just be a straight slide down the neck from your Am?
I'm not trying to be critical at all. It's just that I've spent half an hour trying to understand what you are doing here and it's left me puzzled.
no problem. The first finger actually frets the B on the third string fourth fret, whilst the middle finger frets the D on the 5th at 5 whilst simultaneously deadening the 4th string. Fingering goes like this...
1st - B on 3rd string at 4th fret,
2nd - D on 5th string at 5th fret, muting the 4th string,
3rd - A on 1st string at 5th fret, and
4th - F on 2nd string at 6th fret
From an open Am chord, no finger can be retained on the same string.
1st - B on 3rd string at 4th fret,
2nd - D on 5th string at 5th fret, muting the 4th string,
3rd - A on 1st string at 5th fret, and
4th - F on 2nd string at 6th fret
From an open Am chord, no finger can be retained on the same string.
I see what you're saying now. That's a really tough fingering for this chord, but I understand that's part of the point since it is an exercise to improve your dexterity.
Although I don't have a guitar with me to compare the sound or judge the difficulty, I would still probably rather play this chord
1st - barre 5th fret to sound D on 5th string
2nd - F on 6th fret of 2nd string
3rd - A on 7th fret of 4th string and muting 3rd string
4th - B on 7th fret of 1st string
This sounds D A F B rather than D B F A and I tend to think these chords are doing their job when the added 6th note stands out high; but, again, I don't have a guitar with me now to compare the sound.
I know this doesn't help with your original question.
Although I don't have a guitar with me to compare the sound or judge the difficulty, I would still probably rather play this chord
1st - barre 5th fret to sound D on 5th string
2nd - F on 6th fret of 2nd string
3rd - A on 7th fret of 4th string and muting 3rd string
4th - B on 7th fret of 1st string
This sounds D A F B rather than D B F A and I tend to think these chords are doing their job when the added 6th note stands out high; but, again, I don't have a guitar with me now to compare the sound.
I know this doesn't help with your original question.
carpet wrote:
Good luck with your fingering exercises.
Sad, but true. That's why I have to go on line and get a fix here. I'm travelling on business this week and suffering serious withdrawal. I'll play them both myself when I get home this weekend and drop you a line if I have any further thoughts.You never have your guitar! I actually tried your chord. I like it, but I'm gonna add it to my vocabulary rather than substitute it for the original - they both sound interesting and different.
Cheers
Good luck with your fingering exercises.