Basic Technique Exercises

This page has exercises to help establish basic technique as outlined in this lesson.

Fingering Exercises

Economy Fretting

This exercise focuses on economy in fretting, by minimizing unnecessary finger movement. Hold the frets with each finger behind the current fretting finger:

             p
          r-----r
       m-----------m
    i-----------------i

  --4--5--6--7--6--5--4--
    i  m  r  p  r  m  i

This exercise applies the above principle to an open position C scale.

       i--i                             i--i     i--i
                m--m     m--m     m                 
          r        r        r              r        r
 E--------------------------------------------0--1--3--
 B-----------------------------------0--1--3-----------
 G-----------------------------0--2--------------------
 D--------------------0--2--3--------------------------
 A-----------0--2--3-----------------------------------
 E--0--1--3--------------------------------------------

The above exercise is simple and demonstrates the possible economy holds on the different strings, but it does not demonstrate the benefit, which occurs when ascending and descending on the same string. It is also more evident outside of first position:

    i--i     i--i     i-----------i              i--------i     i--i     i-----i     i---------------i
                         m-----m                                   m--m                 m     m------m
       r--r     r--r                    r-----r     r--------r              r     r
          p        p        p        p     p           p     p        p                          p---p
 E------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
 B-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------5--6--5--6--8-/10--
 G-----------------------------------------------------------------------5--7--5--7---------------------
 D--------------------5--7--9--7--5-----------------------------5--7--9---------------------------------
 A-----------5--7--8-----------------8--7--8--7--5--7--8--7--8------------------------------------------
 E--5--7--8---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------