Ear Training For Guitarists

[Pernille Pennebaker]

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Finally, make sure you are doing all exercises with both of your hands. Regardless of whether you are looking to improve strength specifically for fretting hand or picking hand purposes, you need to keep a balance of strength between the two hands.

The Grip Master comes in different levels of tension. I eventually got to the point where I was using the light, medium, and heavy tension models for different exercises. However, I started off just using the light tension model. I used it for a few months before going up to the medium tension model. I then used it for a few months before switching to heavy tension.

For the first one, you hold the Grip Master in your hand, place the tips of your fingers on the keys, and press repeatedly with each finger. I would just do enough reps with a finger until that finger felt tired, and then move on to the next finger.

For each of the Grip Master exercises, I would focus on preventing movement in my other fingers. For example, if I was doing reps with my index/first finger, I would also try my best not to move or press down with any other fingers. This helps to exercise the finger you are working on more intensely, while also developing good finger independence.

To strengthen my thumb, I would turn the Grip Master around in my hand and press 2 keys at the same time with the thumb. Like the other exercises, I would do enough reps to where my thumb felt tired. While doing this, I was careful to make sure that I was pressing the keys down using only movement from my thumb, without extra movement coming from the fingers on the other side of the Grip Master.

The Grip Master exercises are good for developing the muscles on the underside of the hand that are used for squeezing or bringing your fingers down on the strings. I also wanted to develop the muscles on the other side of the hand that are used in raising the fingers. My own reason for this was to help with being able to finger pick more quickly, but it can also help with bends or trills with the fretting hand.

To work my index, middle, ring, and pinky finger, I would do the exercise shown in the photo below. I would loop 1 or more hair ties under my thumb and around the finger I was exercising. I then used my other hand to hold the hair tie in place on my thumb, and would extend my finger outward. I paid close attention to make sure my thumb was stationary while my other finger extended.

As long as you proceed with caution and restraint, strength training can be an excellent way to build a greater sense of ease into your guitar playing. Always beware of any pain you feel either during or after a strength training session. If you do feel even the slightest bit of pain, take a break from doing the exercises for however long it takes for the pain to go away.

If you're starting again after a long break, you might want to consider taking the opportunity of revising your technique. I was fortunate enough to be given classical guitar lessons at an early age, and the first thing I learnt was that the thumb goes on and behind the neck opposite the fingers, not sticking out this side with the neck cradled in the web between thumb and forefinger. It was strange for a few weeks but I could see immediately that it brings the fingers into a much better relationship with the fretboard, and makes using equally all four fingers simplicity itself. So I continued with it, including on 12-strings and electrics (and electric 12-strings) when in bands. At this period I noticed that few electric players did this, and that therefore few of them could use the pinky properly either. Some asked me why my technique looked so simple, and this was basically the reason.

You lose the ability to cheat and use the thumb to complete the F chord on the bottom string, although actually you shouldn't be playing 6-string chords anyway .... But that's another discussion. Anyway the barre also becomes much easier with the thumb behind.

although @luser covered pretty nice most of the techniques you could use to train your pinky, but i found that this wasn't enough. sometimes after you stretch and reach out for a far fret using your pinky, what's happening is that you are stretching the muscles and tendons of your pinky so the moment you want to use it again in a semi-relaxed position you'll find it difficult.

in this riff you are starting with your pinky on 4th fret of the G then stretching it to reach 5th on E and 5th on B. and after that there's a little break down where you'll have your pinky on 4th of the D. that's when you'll feel that you can't relax your pinky enough to fret the 4th of the D.

A John petrucci training exercise I used a while back helps a lot with finger dexterityYou start off with a basic chord of :1234XXThen move your index up a fret and switch positions with the middle finger like so:2134XXThen you move up the whole 4 strings you are fretting with the indexWhen you're done you should have:4123XXThen you start moving your middle finger same patternGo through the last two fingers including the pinky to reach the first chord again:1234XXThe idea is to keep all your fingers on the fret board except the ones that are being switchedIt will start off as being clumsy but then it will really strengthen your fingers and give you dexterity in all of the fingers and finger independenceIf you don't understand what I mean I'll make a more detailed answerThe pattern ends with the same starting chord so rinse and repeat

I find practising scales exercise the pinky quite a lot (with the "correct" fingering). Plain old major scale up and down will do fine, but also try e.g. 1-3-5-2-4-6... (The numbers refer to scale degrees, so for an A major scale it would be A-C#-E-B-D-F#...) If you e.g. start with your middle finger on the lower E string, 5th fret A, the pinky will be used on the E and the B and so forth. This can of course be varied infinitely with different scales and patterns.

This guy's "neoclassical" lick is very easy to learn, but emphasizes using the pinky in a way I have found to be a great exercise for this, especially if you try it alternating between pinky and ring finger. I was very clumsy at first, but doing this regularly has helped my picking, and especially my pinkie strength and dexterity.

All of the skills mentioned above are crucial to the development of any guitar player who really wants to become an excellent guitarist and musician. But the single most important skill that most guitar players don't have, and don't know how to practice, is Ear Training! (also known as aural skills). We are dealing with music here right?! How do most of us enjoy making music? By listening to it! So why is it that most guitarists have poor aural skills (an unskilled ear). Non classical guitarists have traditionally played by ear, but surprisingly most of these players' ears are still not as good as they could be and should be.

In the fall of 1994, I enrolled at Harper college as a music major. In addition to many other requirements, all music students are required to complete 2 years of Aural Skills classes. It was not long after I went to my first aural skills class that I realized how much my ear needed more training. Fortunately I had a very encouraging teacher who knew that guitarists often had problems with aural skills. After the first semester (1/2 year) I realized that my problems related to musical creativity (improvising, songwriting / composing, etc.) were improving and more importantly, I realized that my problems were not due to a lack of creativity. They were due to the fact that my ear had not been developed enough to release all of my creative potential! This realization was one of the most single greatest moments in my musical life. I felt liberated in knowing that I really do have creative talents. Then all I needed to do was train my ear further so that my creative ideas could then manifest themselves into my music.

There are lots of ways in which you can improve your aural skills. I've listed many of them below. The idea here is not to pick just one of these ideas from the list and expect miracles. Do as many of these things as you can, as often as you can.

Ear training is critical to any musician's development as musician. Remember to persevere and be patient with yourself as your ear develops. Expect progress to be like your physical guitar playing, slow but steadily moving forward each day. Your ear needs constant practicing just like your hands do, so don't neglect the most crucial tool that you have - your ears!

The short answer is it depends on what you want to play. If you only want to strum a few chords to go with your singing, then no, learning guitar is not hard. If you want to rip into some crazy solos or play complicated music, then yes guitar can be hard to learn.

Acoustic and electric guitars feel different to each other. The strings on electric guitars are easier to hold down with your fingers. So for many guitarists, electric guitars feel easier to play. But then there are nylon string acoustic guitars. These guitars are even easier to hold the strings down, which make them very comfortable to play.

If you want to learn metal, get an electric guitar suitable for metal. If you want to learn blues, get an electric guitar suitable for blues. If you want to learn classical music, get a classical acoustic guitar.

Ear training is key to becoming a better guitar player. In fact, ear training (done right) can transform your entire experience of listening to and playing music. But how exactly should you train your ears as a guitar player? Which of all the ear training apps, tests and exercises will help you improve?

This is your ability to hear music in greater detail. To be able to pick out the different instruments playing on a track, note by note. Training your ears can turn your experience of listening to music from watching an a grainy, 15-year-old YouTube clip, to watching an HD 4K video.

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