Poor Pinky

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Shuffle
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Joined: Sat Apr 16, 2011 5:00 pm

Poor Pinky

Post by Shuffle »

Seems the pinky finger on my left hand has a bad hair day - he`s so weak the strings are buzzing when I try to hit a note.
Do you know some good exercises to strengthen my left hand on the guitar?

Greetings,
Shuffle
A mind is like a parachute. It doesnt work if it's not open. - Frank Zappa
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MikeJackal
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Joined: Fri May 21, 2010 10:28 pm

Re: Poor Pinky

Post by MikeJackal »

Yes play more guitar, getting more strength is a natural process the same as going to a gym, there is no quick way to get a six pack you have to work at it, play until it hurts then stop and rest until it doesn't, don't keep playing if your in pain that's just pointless. There are some exercise machines to help though if you want to keep building those muscles when your not playing, try searching for Gripmaster.
"You Only Live But Once, When Your Dead Your Done...So Let The Good Times Roll" - B.B. King
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VikingBlues
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Re: Poor Pinky

Post by VikingBlues »

Best excercise for my pinky has been lots of playing - deliberately going for notes on the scale or mode that need to be played by the little finger - it's so much stronger now, and as a result I find myself using it a lot instead of the ring finger. Very noticeable when I got my most recent guitar - I got the usual blackening of the fingers from the fretboard and the little finger was probably the most coated in black of all of them.
An improv a day keeps the demons at bay!
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Strummer07
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Re: Poor Pinky

Post by Strummer07 »

Gripmaster is indeed handy , especialy when your driving and stuck in traffic etc

But as has been stated .......there is no easy way other than getting stuck into some regular ....( like every time you pick up your guitar !!) routines
Like Chromatic scales right up and down your neck using all 4 fingers
and
hammer ons and pull offs using both ring and little finger ..use the standard Pentatonic shape .and do hammer ons from low E to High E
and Pulls offs going back up from the high E

5-8
5-8
5-7
5-7
5-7
5-8

all the notes on the 8th fret must be cleanly executed using your Pinkie

Do that every day for 3 months .....................and report back please !!! :big_smile:
"Death is just a heartbeat away"
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Shuffle
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Joined: Sat Apr 16, 2011 5:00 pm

Re: Poor Pinky

Post by Shuffle »

Thank you for your tips. I was in town but a Gripmaster was nowhere to be found. Instead I bought a funny little jelly ball that you have to squeeze with your fingers to gain hand strength. I was told that this was mostly used by freeclimbers or to recover the hand after an injury. I hope it works.
And I have widened out my guitar practice time from half an hour to a daily amount of two hours. One hour in the morning and the other in the evening.
@Strummer07: okay, I have included the exercise you suggested into my daily warm-up routine. I`ll report back in three months how much it has helped me improve my playing.

Greetings,
Shuffle
A mind is like a parachute. It doesnt work if it's not open. - Frank Zappa
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VikingBlues
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Re: Poor Pinky

Post by VikingBlues »

Having got the new guitar back with the new pups installed I've been trying it out and I'm still getting the black gunk coming off on my fingers from the fretboard as you do with a new guitar.

The black on my fingers shows how much I use the pinky.
The Curse of the Black Pinky!
The Curse of the Black Pinky!
100_0056sm.jpg (192.33 KiB) Viewed 11905 times
An improv a day keeps the demons at bay!
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2WheelsOfBlues
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Joined: Sun Nov 28, 2010 10:59 pm

Re: Poor Pinky

Post by 2WheelsOfBlues »

I have a "gripmaster" medium strong.
I have it in my pocket of my coat and every time i go out i put my hand in my pocket and push the eehh things down (i don't now the name of it).
It's like playing the guitar with out the guitar, and for my it helps to get the pinky stronger

i do not now to put a foto in here, but google gripmaster and there it is....
play guitar like the wind, mysterious but definitely present....
jeremyguitar
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Joined: Fri May 13, 2011 5:19 pm

Re: Poor Pinky

Post by jeremyguitar »

I just find a song that requires me to use my pinky and add it to my practice routine. I used to play Last Resort by Papa Roach for just that reason. I didn't really love the song but it was a great workout for my pinky
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LeftyCanuck
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Joined: Mon May 09, 2011 5:40 am

Re: Poor Pinky

Post by LeftyCanuck »

EC rarely uses his. I don't see why I need to use mine!
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oneeyedslide
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Re: Poor Pinky

Post by oneeyedslide »

Did Django use his pinky?
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VikingBlues
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Re: Poor Pinky

Post by VikingBlues »

oneeyedslide wrote:Did Django use his pinky?
ring and little fingers had been paralysed to immovable hooks :sad:
see picture around 1/3 down the page linked here (section headed "Burning in the Caravan" http://www.jazzpartout.com/jazzmanouche ... Django.htm
An improv a day keeps the demons at bay!
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oneeyedslide
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Re: Poor Pinky

Post by oneeyedslide »

Ouch! Thanks VB. Always encouraging to see how much can be done in spite of huge challenges. No worries there about building up his pinky.
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