This Finger Gym is NOT a speed exercise. Still, it'll transform your playing.

If you ask me, you're about to learn the best exercise for your technical development on the guitar.

It's not an easy exercise, but if you stick with it, you'll see an overall improvement in your playing skills. You'll get a stronger fretting hand, and you'll get more dexterity too!

Some of the finger combinations we'll learn in this exercise are very difficult to execute at first. But, if you persevere, your finger independence will increase, making everything and anything easier to play on the guitar. :)

💪 This exercise is the guitar equivalent of going to the gym. It will improve every aspect of your playing if you do it regularly - just don't go too mad with it at first. You don't want to hurt yourself.

Also - don't try to rush things up. The Finger Gym exercise is not a speed competition; it's not a speed training. When first getting started, make sure you've got access to a metronome - we'll use it to ensure we get our time right!

Getting Ready for the Intermediate Stages

This Finger Gym Exercise is part of the final grade of my Beginner Guitar Course, and it'll prepare you to get full on in techniques like hammer-ons and pull-offs. It's a great practice to develop and polish your fretting hand technique, and you'll see improvements fast. I'd recommend it to any guitarist wanting to play better.

Again - this is not a speed exercise, but it'll get you playing faster once you get things right in the first place! So, keep in mind: accuracy goes over speed in this exercise!

Hammer-ons for Beginners

Hammer-ons are when you pick one note and then hammer a second finger down onto the same string. You'll get a second note without picking a second time! To practice hammer-ons on the guitar, do this exercise:

Start off with your first finger on the thickest string at the fifth fret. Play that note.
Hammer down the second finger one fret higher, so the sixth fret.
We'll try other combinations, and they'll be harder. :)

You'll see you really have to hammer it down to get a good-sounding note. Check out the video lesson, and you'll see that we can get the note without picking it, just hammering your finger down.

🚨 If you don't hammer your finger on the guitar and just put it down, you won't really get a good note! So, use the tip of your finger to hammer down, and don't do it too fast. Slow movements and accuracy are the way to go!

Also - ensure you've got the right angle position. When you get to the thinner strings, keep your fingers curled up. For this exercise, the bottom of your hand should be parallel to the fretboard, not with an angle. Take a look:

Guitar technique exercise!

Sometimes, we play with a certain angle there - but it's not the case during this exercise, so get your finger placement right.

Hammer-ons and pull-offs are part of the Legato Technique, which ultimately allows you to play faster. But for now - no rush! Learn slowly and stay away from bad habits. Before practicing flick-offs, make sure you understand the hammer-ons and practice them properly!

🎯 Your goal with this exercise is to get the notes sounding even. If you can't do it - slow things down! The Finger Gym Exercise teaches you how to control your fretting fingers. If you don't keep your time even, you will practice a reflex action and not learn to control the muscles.

Once you can play the notes evenly, I'd recommend getting your metronome on! Download my Time Trainer Metronome app if you're looking for a precise metronome with incredible training modes and tools! When practicing with a metronome, set it no faster than 80bpm.

Ready? Let's go for more. But…

Before We Move On

My teacher John McMillan first showed me this exercise back in the day. I was doing all those different pairings, as well as groups of three and four fingers. I was practicing not only the hammer-ons we've just learned but also flick-offs.

Pull-offs or flick-offs? 🤔

People call this Technique pull-offs, but here at JustinGuitar, we'll call it flick-off. It just makes more sense - the movement your finger makes is more like a flick-off than a pull-off. Calling for the right action might help you do it right, so be aware the movement is a lot more like a flick than as a pull!

Previously, I'd also recommend you get into practicing some flick-offs within this Finger Gym exercise. However, I've realized that the best way to approach this exercise is by focusing on the hammer-ons. Practicing the finger combinations that we've just learned will give you the finder independence and the strength we're looking for! :)

🚨 Be careful to not misunderstand the Finger Gym Exercise goal! We're not learning to play legato here - we're only working on our finger dexterity and agility. You can do better exercises to learn Legato Techniques on guitar - and we'll get into that later on our guitar journey!

This Finger Gym exercise is a fantastic way to develop the strength in your hand and the dexterity of your fingers. You'll be able to control your movements more efficiently!

I'm sorry! :)

For anyone who's done this exercise with me before, I'm sure you've learned a lot and got some great finger strength. However, now I know that this Finger Gym exercise is not the best way to practice your flick-offs. So, trust me, and practice hammer-ons and pull-offs with exercises that allow you to keep your fretting hand relaxed.

How to Practice Hammer-ons?

If you're following my Beginner Guitar Course, you'll find a practice routine by the end of this module. When it comes to practicing the Finger Gym exercise, follow these general guidelines:

This exercise works your finger dexterity and hand strength. It's like going to the gym, but for guitar! Do it slowly and carefully, so you don't hurt yourself.

I'd recommend doing just 5 minutes a day, maybe 10 if you work hard on your practice. But really, you will be better off doing other guitar exercises as well than overdoing just this one!

Remember to practice what you can't do, not what you can! Focus on the harder combinations for you, and don't rush things out.

Keep your time even. That's crucial in this exercise. When working with a metronome, 60 bpm is a very good time! You can play along with me too - but, in this particular case, the sound of my guitar might distract you. So, you're better off with a metronome! :)

Try to do this exercise regularly! It's the regularity and accuracy that will help your technique improve. Regularity is the key to maintaining your guitar technique too!

Don't over practice, ok? That can lead to permanent problems and a real pain! Be careful, and remember: this is NOT a speed exercise. Accuracy over speed!

What Next?

OK - so we've made it through the first Technique lesson of our Grade 3. Next, we'll look into our first Rhythm lesson for this Orange grade. If you're still (!) not following my free guitar courses, you might want to check out this lesson on How you should practice guitar. ;)

Now, let's learn a super cool and easy trick to add interest and movement to your guitar playing!