| Lessons/ Theory |
Sheet Music |
MIDI | Electric Guitar |
Acoustic Guitar |
Classical Guitar |
Promote Your Music |
Articles | Free Stuff |
Shopping Links |
Warming up and stretching are essential to maximizing your practice and your playing time. Here are a few stretches and warm-up's that will help to get you ready to play:
START EACH SESSION WITH A FEW STRETCHES
This will help to avoid injury and allow you to increase your reach.
(Take deep slow breaths as you stretch)
Hold your arm so that it is pointing straight out in front of you, fingers together, palm down.
With your other hand, grab the ends of the four fingers and pull them toward you, allowing your wrist to bend backward, your stretched fingers will now be pointing upward, hold for 5 seconds.
(repeat with other arm).
With your arm still extended, give the 'thumbs-up' sign, wrap your other hand around the thumb in the form of a fist. Gently pull the thumb backward, hold for 5 seconds.
(repeat with other arm).
With your arms at your side, extend all your fingers wide open and hold for 5 seconds.
With arms still at your side, put your fingers together, palms flat, facing inward. Bend your wrist outward and extend your thums, keeping your other fingers together. Hold for 5 seconds.
With arms still at your side, lift your shoulders as if you're bring them up to your ears, hold for 5 seconds.
Lay your head to the side, as if you were going to touch your head to your shoulder, hold for 5 seconds.
(repeat other side.)
Put your right arm onto your left shoulder, use your left arm to grab your right elbow and pull gently.
(repeat with other arm)
FOR THE FINGERING HAND:
Pseudo-Chromatic Run - With alternate picking, start with first finger in first fret of the low E string, play the note with a downstroke of the pick, set the second finger behingd the second fret and play the note with an upstroke, 3rd downstroke, 4th upstroke. Change to the A string and start over with the first finger again, continue the pattern through the 4th finger, then on to the next string, and the next until you reach the 4th fret on the high e string. Play the top note again then descend through the pattern all the way back to the 1st fret on the low E string. Only go as fast as you can keep good tone on all notes, with no mistakes.
Alternate picking methods: Start with an upstroke on each string and continue. Or, do all notes with an upstroke. Play the first 2 notes with an upstroke, the next 2 downstroke and continue.
Alternating Pseudo-Chromatic Run - Change the pattern from 1, 2, 3, 4 on each string to be a 1, 3, 2, 4 or a 1, 4, 3, 2.
Scale Variations - Instead of playing scales straight up and down, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1, alternate notes as follows: 1, 3, 2, 4, 3, 5, 4, 6, 5, 7, 6, 8, 6, 7, 5, 6, 4, 5, 3, 4, 2, 3, 1
or: 1, 2, 3, 4, 2, 3, 4, 5, 3, 4, 5, 6, 4, 5, 6, 7, 5, 6, 7, 8, 8, 7, 6, 5, 7, 6, 5, 4, 6, 5, 4, 3, 5, 4, 3, 2, 4, 3, 2, 1
Try it with three notes, e.g.: 1, 2, 3, 2, 3, 4, etc.
Try it with skipping notes: 1, 3, 2, 4, 3, 5, 4, 6, etc.
You get the idea.
FOR THE PICKING HAND:
Pick Alternating Strings of an Arppegio - e.g., if you start on the root of the arppegio it would look something like this: r, 5, 3, 8, 3, 5, 1.
Pick Chords in a Sweeping Motion - Picking all the notes of the "arppegio" in the same direction, for example all strings would be played with a controlled downstroke, sweeping through. For example, the basic barre chord would be played: 1, 5, 8, 3, 5, 8. All notes played consecutively and let ring. Then play the chords in the reverse order, Sweeping back from highest to lowest. (8, 5, 3, 8, 5, 1) Practice this in a controlled manner until you can speed it up and move the chords around the neck.
Multi-Picking - Using multiple alternating pick strokes per note. Practice the above exercises, but use 2 strokes per note. Try it with 4 strokes per note, 6 strokes..., 8 strokes...etc.
If you've worked your way through this you've just spent several minutes doing good high quality warm-up and you are ready for anything you want to take on.
Back to articles page...
How To's, Tips And Tricks, Interviews, Gear, Chords, Tuning, Effects, Writing TAB and More!
FREE Jwww.JAFGuitar.com GUITAR TIPS NEWSLETTER!
Each issue has many useful tips, links and ideas to better your equipment
and playing skills.
Sign up today and you'll receive free, 3 special reports. A value of over $30.00!
*Your information will never be sold or used for any other purpose*
E-mail: JAFMusic_99@prodigy.net
All Content Copyright © 2003 JAF Music
