Foro Flamenco


Posts Since Last Visit | Advanced Search | Home | Register | Login

Today's Posts | Inbox | Profile | Our Rules | Contact Admin | Log Out



Welcome to one of the most active flamenco sites on the Internet. Guests can read most posts but if you want to participate click here to register.

This site is dedicated to the memory of Paco de Lucía, Ron Mitchell, Guy Williams, Linda Elvira, Philip John Lee, Craig Eros, Ben Woods, David Serva and Tom Blackshear who went ahead of us.

We receive 12,200 visitors a month from 200 countries and 1.7 million page impressions a year. To advertise on this site please contact us.

Update cookies preferences




little finger   You are logged in as Guest
Users viewing this topic: none
  Printable Version
All Forums >>Discussions >>General >> Page: [1]
Login
Message<< Newer Topic  Older Topic >>
 
Stu

Posts: 2879
Joined: Jan. 30 2007
From: London (the South of it), England

little finger 

why after 17 years of guitar playing is my little finger still behaving so badly. infact on both hands!!!

anyone have any exercise for little finger strength/accuracy???

stu
  REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE |  Date Apr. 6 2010 3:32:53
 
NormanKliman

Posts: 1143
Joined: Sep. 1 2007
 

RE: little finger (in reply to Stu

Seventeen years? That's a shame. The Japanese have a solution for that.

Seriously, it's hard to say without seeing what you do with your little finger (serious potential for "too much information" ). Sorry. Ahem...

For your fretting hand, the only suggestion that I can think of is to look for opportunities to use it whenever you can. I'm talking about reviewing everything you play in order to make permanent changes (you'll probably find things that will warrant such changes), but you can also try using it in impractical ways as a form of exercise.

If you want a quick-and-easy method of building up strength, a method that's not too far removed from the Japanese solution, cut the tip of your index finger. Give it a good gash that will take at least two weeks to heal (and will force you to use the other three fingers). Seriously. I did that (by accident of course) when I was young and it ended up being a sort of turning point. But that's assuming that you feel compelled to play every single day. If you're too busy for that or unmotivated or whatever, it wouldn't make sense.

The best solution is to go back and look at everything you play. I can almost guarantee that you'll find opportunities that will not only build up your little finger but will actually make everything else easier for you.

_____________________________

Be here now.
  REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE |  Date Apr. 6 2010 4:11:38
 
chapman_g

 

Posts: 227
Joined: Apr. 11 2007
 

RE: little finger (in reply to Stu

I am sure he did not invent it, but Ricardo says practice make permanent not perfect so if you have been doing it for 17 years it might take some concentration to change. Check out this video from about 2:40 to 3:40.
Look at the violinist left hands too. As we know Manolo's both hands look effortless.

Many guitarists could benefit from rotating their left hand inward a little more so that there is much less stretching for notes with the little finger. Like how Manolo and these violinist have the little finger side of the hand very close to where the finger has to go to for the notes. Look at his LH position from about 3:05 to 3:19. Right hand. I am no picado expert but in the last 3 weeks or so since I have completely abandon my Paco copy position and begun to have i m alternation going while keeping a and c very loose and free of tension I have significantly increased my capacity. Can you get I and m going quickly lightly on your thigh or the couch without tensing up a and c? Get it going away from the guitar with a relaxed ring and little finger and then try to recreate that feeling when you get the guitar.
  REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE |  Date Apr. 6 2010 4:53:45
 
Chiste de Gales

Posts: 298
Joined: Jan. 13 2009
 

RE: little finger (in reply to Stu

My uncle (not a musician) suffers from a pinky problem. For several years (he's 70 now) he has noticed difficulty in extending both pinky fingers. He researched the issue and found that descendants of vikings (he is) sometimes have this problem develop late in life.
  REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE |  Date Apr. 6 2010 8:11:04
 
KMMI77

Posts: 1827
Joined: Jul. 26 2009
From: The land down under

RE: little finger (in reply to Stu

This one is not bad,

--1-4-3-4-2-4-3-4-2-5-4-5-3-5-4-5-etc...
------------------------------------------
-------------------------------------------
-------------------------------------------
------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------------

Try it on all the strings up to 12 fret and back. Good workout for the little finger.

_____________________________

  REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE |  Date Apr. 6 2010 20:08:59
 
at_leo_87

Posts: 3055
Joined: Aug. 30 2008
From: Boston, MA, U.S.A

RE: little finger (in reply to Stu

this helped one helped me a lot. so it's just a chromatic scale but here's the trick, you leave the pinky on the fourth fret until you have to take it off to play the fourth fret of the next string. then when you descend, right after you play the fourth fret, you immediately put it on the fourth fret one string down before you play the next note. so it's like the pinky is always anchored or fretting something.

$6 1 2 3 4 $5 1 2 3 4 $4 1 2 3 4 $3 1 2 3 4 $2 1 2 3 4 $1 1 2 3 4
$1 4 3 2 1 $2 4 3 2 1 $3 4 3 2 1 $4 4 3 2 1 $5 4 3 2 1 $6 4 3 2 1


_____________________________

  REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE |  Date Apr. 6 2010 21:42:44
Page:   [1]
All Forums >>Discussions >>General >> Page: [1]
Jump to:

New Messages No New Messages
Hot Topic w/ New Messages Hot Topic w/o New Messages
Locked w/ New Messages Locked w/o New Messages
 Post New Thread
 Reply to Message
 Post New Poll
 Submit Vote
 Delete My Own Post
 Delete My Own Thread
 Rate Posts


Forum Software powered by ASP Playground Advanced Edition 2.0.5
Copyright © 2000 - 2003 ASPPlayground.NET

6.201172E-02 secs.