Finger Stretching Exercise

Being able to play in a fluid manner has a lot to do with the initial foundation of your technique. With this in mind, this exercise will help your tendons to stretch in a meaningful way that addresses the guitar fretboard.

Ged Brockie from GMI Premium takes you through an evergreen exercise as well as giving some helpful tips and advice about finger stretching exercises in general.

A WORD ABOUT TAKING CARE OF YOUR HAND

As mentioned in the video, please take care of your left hand (if you are right handed and visa-versa if you are left handed). Many students of the guitar think that in this realm, if it’s hurting, it’s working…wrong! It is very easy to go absolutely Hell for leather and end up hurting your hands not just in the short term, but permanently so you have been warned! If you do feel pain starting to develop, leave well alone and let your hand recover.

WHY ARE STRETCHING EXERCISES SO USEFUL?

The main reason we want to undertake these exercises is to stretch the tendons of our playing hand so that we can effect chords that are of a larger fret size. It also means that in our soloing and general playing, we can reach things quicker and without to much stress. Musical mistakes usually happen after a build up of not quite getting there. We end up rushing to make the next chord or note and this has a cumulative effect. Eventually the dam breaks so to speak and a mistake happens. That is why working on these exercises is so useful.

There are many stretching exercises available to view on video websites, however, we feel the exercises shown in this lesson will serve you well. Use these exercises as a warm up before actually playing.