EXERCISES

1) Dexterity for left and right hands

Repeat for all strings up the fretboard

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--------------------------------------------------------------8-------7--------
6--------5-------
------------------8--------7--------6--------
5--------------------------------------------------
-5-6-7-8----5-6-7------5-6---8----5---7-8------6-7-8----5-6-7-----5-6---8----5---7-
8------6-7-8-

Use this exercise to work out how to place your fingers on the fretboard to avoid
muting other strings when playing.
Make sure fingertips are at 90 degree angles, pointing as straight down as
possible. Put your palm and thumb
wherever you need to at first to make this happen, then move your thumb so that it
pinches against the back
of the neck.

Do this across all strings (note - the G/B combination will sound strange. If you
want it not to,
change the second fret note to a first fret but keep the 3rd)

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-2--2--
2----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------
-0--3--
0----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------
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Moving on to this exercise, with the first finger doing the second fret, then 4th,
3rd and 2nd fingers
doing the 5th, 4th and 3rd frets respectively. If this is too hard at first, play
the lower line (504030)
on the G string (so it would have 2524232 then just 0 on the D string) to get the
movement down, then
go on to the exercise itself

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-2-2--2-2-2-2-2-
2----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-----
-0-0--5-0-4-0-3-
0----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-----
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This finger crossing exercise requires you to use the second finger for the
repeated 2, the third for the
3rd fret D, then the first finger needs to reach over to do the second and first
fret D notes.

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-2-2--2-2-2-2-2-
2----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
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-0-0--3-0-2-0-1-
0----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-----
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2) Stretching

See how far down the neck you can go with these patterns

Fingering:
4--3--2--1

-
14---------------------------------------------------------------------------------
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----
12---------------------------------------------------------------------------------
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-------
11---------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------
-----------
9----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
---
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Fingering:
-4--2-1

-10-8-6-------------------------------------------------------------------------6-
8-10------------------
---------10-8-6----------------------------------------------------------6-8-
10-------------------------
-----------------10-8-6-------------------------------------------6-8-
10--------------------------------
-------------------------10-8-6----------------------------6-8-
10---------------------------------------
--------------------------------10-8-6-------------6-8-
10-----------------------------------------------
---------------------------------------10-8-6-8-
10-----------------------------------------------------

For extra toughness (and back up at the end as above):

-10-8-
6----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-----------
---------10-8-
6----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
---
-----------------9-7-
5-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
-------------------------9-7-
5---------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------8-6-
4--------------------------------------------------------------
---------------------------------------8-6-
4------------------------------------------------------

3) Moving Positions Quickly

Get these as fast as you can

The key is to develop economy of motion. If your fingers are too far away from the
fretboard
(i.e outstretched as far as they can go) then they have to much space to move
through.
Keep your fingers an inch away from the fretboard.

Have supplied fingering chart above the exercise for this one. 1= First finger. 2=
middle finger and so on

When repeating this one, you'll have to change fingers on the same fret when doing
the 8.
When doing this, make sure your whole hand moves up along with it so that you're in
the right position
to run up the neck to the 3-5.

Make sure you start slowly, moving your hand accurately into position from the 7th
position to the 3rd, rather
than jerking your hand and missing or hitting due to luck.

-3-2-1-1-4 -1-4 -3-4 -1-2

-----3-5-10-
7----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-
-8------------10------7-
8-----------------------------------------------------------------------
---7-------------
9------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-------------------
10---------------------------------------------------------------------------
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For the first chord, use second finger for the 8th fret, first finger for the 7th
fret, fourth for the 10th

For the second chord, barre the two 3rd frets and the fourth finger for the 5th
fret

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-10---5---
10---------------------------------------------------------------------------------
----------
-7----3---
7----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------
-8----3---
8----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------

For the first chord, use second finger for the 6th fret, first finger for the 5th
fret, third for the 7th

For the second chord, use first finger for the 2nd fret, second finger for the
third fret.

This is to practice moving the fingers closer together and further apart when
moving about the neck quickly.

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-7---3--
7----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-----
-5---2--
5----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-----
-6---0--
6----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-----

This exercise requires you to barre the fifth fret, but only on the bottom and top
E strings.
You'll be barring across all of the strings, but only the top and bottom strings
will use the
barre to make the note.

Use the second and third fingers to do the 6 and the 7, then third and fourth to do
the 7 and 7.

Alternatively, you can play this without the barre. Make sure your first finger
(doing the fifth fret)
moves fast to get across the whole fretboard in time for each chord.

-5-------
5----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
------
-6-------
6----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
------
-7-------
7----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
------
-----
7----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
---------
-----
7----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
---------
-----
5----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
---------

Use Third finger for 5th fret, fourth finger for the 6th fret then first finger for
the first fret

See how high you can get the 6/5, so try 7/6 to 1 afterwards

-6------
6----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-------
-5------
5----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-------
-----
1----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
---------
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For added toughness, swap around the 5/6 when you come back up, keeping the same
fingering.

-6------
5----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-------
-5------
6----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-------
-----
1----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
---------
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4) Harmonic Exercises

In tab, <this is a natural harmonic>, this is a pinch harmonic*

In this one, strike the harmonic with your fourth finger.

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<7>--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
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-0-0-0-5-----
4----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
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Make sure you deaden none of the following harmonics in the following exercises.
Let all of them ring out across the whole riff

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-----<5>--
<7>--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
---
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-
<5>--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
------------
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------
<7>--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
----------
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-
<7>--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
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------------
<7>--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
----

Make sure you play this one at a steady pace. Play it slowly until you master
twisting your thumb back into position.
Do NOT play it as 7*....... <9> <9>. There is no shame to having a gap of even half
a minute between them.
Practise simply 7* to <9> until you get the wrist motion right before adding the
next harmonic,
which is there just as a test to keep the wrist in motion and to keep the motions
fluid and not just stopping dead once the motion is finished.
Isolating the part which is causing you trouble is the key to productive practise.

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<9>--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
----
-------
<9>--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
---------
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--
7*---------------------------------------------------------------------------------
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