Training your pinky

[silverbullet]

I was just wondering if anyone has any excercises for training your pinky to stay close to the fretboard. I have been practicing more than my finals should allow me, and I am having some trouble still getting my pinky not to pull back farther than the rest of my fingers when I play. I think if I can get my pinky to stay closer to the fretboard it could help my playing alot... any suggestions?

[edeltorus]

jep.. a easy exercise:

Your pinky is jumping because you fret with to much force and tension in the right hand. It's relative easy to get away with it.

Play whatever you like, but play it slow.. So slow that you have 100% control over your pinky. Make sure your right hand is relaxed. Try to fret the notes as lightly as possible. Think about touching a butterfly or so. To get control over your pinky: Sometimes it helps to stare at him.

Make sure that every note rings out as clean as possible. And use a metronome if you have one.

Do that 15 minutes per day and don't raise the tempo. Stop when your body starts to tense up and do a break.

A nice exercise to learn this one is the good old major scale in the three notes per string form 'cause you'll have two easy stretches on the b and e string.

If you have troubles with the lower three strings just practice on the higher strings first.

You'll see improvement in two or three month..

[silverbullet]

Thanks dude, I know what you mean about staring at the pinky. For some reason it does help. Thaks for the reply.

[mapleleafs791]

heres another my guitar teacher showed me that help not only the pinky stay close but the rest to
-----------------------------------------------------5-6-7-8---------
------------------------------------------5-6-8-8---------------------
-------------------------------5-6-7-8--------------------------------
---------------------5-6-7-8------------------------------------------
-----------5-6-7-8---------------------------------------------------
-5-6-7-8----------------------------------------------------------------

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

the catch is as you play dont lift your finger say the index until you get to the 5 the fret on the next string so pretty much all you fingers are always on a note on the fretboard. so until that finger has to play another note dont lift it. as you pick up speeds you will need to keep your fingers closer to the board since you fingers are always on it you cant spare the extra time it takes to put you funger on the board from a high hight. make sure you dothis with proper teqnique especially for you pink as you approach the high e string as thats the finger and the place i find the most troubling to keep down

[Jesse Jordache]

That last exercise helped me a lot. Before that I was ready to do a keith richards and just pretend my pinky wasn't there.

[apokas]

Play:

--------------------------5-6-5------------------------------
----------------------5-6--------6-5-----------------------
------------------5-6----------------6-5--------------------
-------------5-6-------------------------6-5----------------
--------5-6----------------------------------6-5----------
--5-6--------------------------------------------6-5---------


using only the fourth finger and your pinky
You can play it in reverse you can play it while holding with your other two fingers on other places on the fretboard.You can play 5 -7 to add a strech in the excersice. Try to play it as smoothly as possible.