How can stretch the wideness between my middle and my ringfinger?

[Inisfail]

Hello everyone!

The problem is that when I'm play the flamenco scale as exemple, I have to stretch my middle finger and my ring finger so much that I doesn't feel comfort with it.. Thats damn annoying, cause I've been playing for almost 1½ year and that really slows me down when I'm playing fast.. So, can you recomend any exercise or whatever that could help me fast?

Thanx for reading this
/Anders Lorén

[Digit]

Try doing this exercise about 10 times a day.
http://www.guitartricks.com/2000/trick.php?trick_id=1595
I started doing it about a year ago and couldn't even reach the notes, now it's easy.

[Polera]

Thats the same problem i get when playing "are u gonna go my way" from lenny kravtiz, i have to strech 7, 5 and 2 which is a pain as well considering the frets are larger.

[Inisfail]

Uhm, thanx, but that wasn't the really problem.. I mean, I have no problems stretching my index or pinky..

Perhaps this will show what I mean:

e|
B|
G|
D|
A|
E|--2-3-5-6--|
i m r p

i: index
m: middle
r: ring
p: pinky

Well, this probably gonna look like crap, but use your imagination..

[Kevin Taylor]

You probably have to retrain your left hand technique as far as how you play.
It may not be a stretch so much as bringing your thumb further into the back of the middle of the neck so that your palm and fingers are elevated a little more.
Then when you do the --3--5-- part, don't stretch so much as do a very fast lift off 3, rock your hand quickly while doing a slight thumb mute on the E string, and then quickly play the next note.

You could also exercise your fingers by doing the Vulcan peace sign a lot but I wouldn't do it in public.

[SLY]

If the strech is hard for you , you can easily go through the --2-3- with your index , then complete the line with your ring and pinky ... Use exactly the same fingering for backwards.

If you want to strech more anyway , I'd try to hold some awkward chords , and make them sound perfectly clean.

[iamthe_eggman]

Originally posted by schmange
You could also exercise your fingers by doing the Vulcan peace sign a lot but I wouldn't do it in public.

I didn't read that last bit, and got swarmed by a mob of punks in the subway. But at least now I can reach the 6th fret from the 1st!

[Polera]

what i do is exactly what the tab states. I CONSTANTLY play hammer offs of the notes i have to strech. I suggest during the next show of the simpsons or something else, u just sit there, watch and continue to u strech with pull offs for at least the full 30 minutes. As i stated earlier for "are u gonna go my way" it took me a couple days to strech using the method i just told you with pull offs. Pulls offs keep the strength of your strech up as you have to keep constant pressure on the other fingers. Next you have to learn to strech your fingers quickly enough to play the faster songs. Basically comes with practice and time but remember it can be done.

[Inisfail]

Right, so I should either move my left hand very fast to make the 3--5 move easier or "slide" with my index.. Acctually. I've allready tried those to options before.. The thing is that when I play the flamco-scale in E like this:

e|--------------------------------------------------------------------------7--8--10--
B|---------------------------------------------------------------9--10--
G|-----------------------------------------------7--8--10--
D|--------------------------6--7--9--10--
A|------------------7--8--
E|--7--8--10--

It doesn't feel quit right slideing nor do the fast move-thing (allthough if I play the scale backwards I can do both without feeling annoyed). Well, I suppose the problem will disappear in the future..

Thanx for helping me anyway!
/Anders Lorén

[andy82]

Whats a vulcan peace sign???

[Digit]

Like this


http://www.nisbett.com/symbols/images/peace_8.jpg


Live wrong and perspire!

[Azrael]

try this:


e--------11-5----------
b----------------------
g------9------7--------
d----7----------9------
a----------------------
E--5--------------11--etc