The Guitar Player's Resource
Is finger independence a part of your regular practice as a guitar player? Do you have ways to work on relaxing your hands while playing your instrument?
Guitar is an instrument that requires finger independence to be played properly. The unfortunate thing is that most beginner players don't even know this is something that can be practiced.
Many will put the blame on their hands when they clumsily make their way around the fret board. They think the ability to move your fingers independently is something that you are just born with. It can be very discouraging.
If this sounds like you, I am happy to say that there are exercises that I am going to share with you that will train your fingers to start working in these new ways. It only takes 5 minutes to start noticing a difference.
Are there any other simple exercises like this that you've been using to develop your finger independence? Feel free to share yours in the comments!
Tommaso Zillio is a professional prog rock/metal guitarist and composer based in Edmonton, AB, Canada.
Tommaso is currently working on an instrumental CD, and an instructional series on fretboard visualization and exotic scales. He is your go-to guy for any and all music theory-related questions.
