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I am a beginner Guitar learner and want to play guitar smoothly with all my four fingers.
I searched on internet and found below useful links to stretch the fingers:
Do you have any other suggestions then please do share. Any help will be appreciated.
Might be a good idea to combine finger stretching exercises with actually learning some guitar basics. If your goal is to eventually play solos/lead guitar, then you could learn the pentatonic scale in the most common shapes. There are tutorials like this one all over the web.
I often struggle with the stretches for just one or two chords (basically bar-chords over 4 or 5 frets), then it's best to just perform the chord changes over and over again. You'll gain reach real quick, you'd be amazed.
Play within your reach. The time necessary to stretch out for certain +1 and +2 chords may inhibit you from playing them at tempo. If you must, use them at the beginning or after a suitable rest period, so that you have time to set them up.
If you take the opportunity to watch jazz masters, you may discover that there are an incredible number of chords right under your fingers. Of course, barre chords are part of the learning process, but move past them as soon as you can. Assuming a pick/plectrum rather than fingerstyle, use string dampening on your fret hand to mute the unplayed strings and sound out just the chord voices that you want to express. Your vocabulary will grow and become more expressive.
There will be times when stretch chords may be necessary, but I recommend that you explore everything within your reach before you worry about extending your reach. You may find some helpful material here. You will need to explore and discover and sound for yourself what works and what doesn't. Enjoy the process. Use youtube for educational value; there a number of instructional guitarists creating very helpful material. One that I enjoy is Reg523; he is fast, fluid and seemingly never out of shape. I can't recall seeing him stretch for much. We can all learn a great deal from him.
On the other hand, if you want to cover Allan Holdsworth, you will need to stretch. And hopefully you can palm a basketball as well. The stretch chords make pretty pictures, like the barre dom7(9,13) -- and that one actually utilizes just the four frets of your current position, not even a +1 or +2 stretch. Explore. Learn. Enjoy.
Good sites and great suggestions especially in the second link. Give them a try. But always stay under the limit and don't go beyond such that you end up breaking your precious fingers.
For practicing on the guitar I would suggest following finger exercises (while playing):
Using fingers 1 and 2:
$6 1 3 $5 1 3 $4 1 3 $3 1 3 $2 1 3 $1 1 3
and back up. Make sure your 1st finger is in the 1st fret when you play the 3rd fret with your 2nd finger.
With fingers 1 and 3:
$6 1 4 $5 1 4 $4 1 4 $3 1 4 $2 1 4 $1 1 4
and back up. Make sure your 1st finger is in the 1st fret when you play the 4th fret with your 3rd finger.
With fingers 1 and 4:
$6 1 5 $5 1 5 $4 1 5 $3 1 5 $2 1 5 $1 1 5
and back up. Make sure your 1st finger is in the 1st fret when you play the 5th fret with your 4th finger.
Follow the above pattern (by playing a fret higher than your comfort zone/fret) for EVERY PAIR OF FINGERS (except 2nd and 3rd fingers as it can become quite uncomfortable playing this pair, but you can always give it try and it might work well with you).
This can be a great exercise for finger stretching and can help you in the long run either for chords or soloing.
PS: (If you have learned hammer-on and pull-off, the above exercises can be used for them too)
Let's face it. Musicianship is allot like athletics. The greatest champions must have the widest stretch and fastest speed (and highest aesthetic aptitude).
The solution to maximum monster finger stretching is pragmatic common sense. But the problem is it's not necessarily fun. So nobody wants to do it. In fact they'll make up any excuse to avoid it.
Here's how: Play practice exercise scales with the widest fingering stretches between frets as humanly possible. At least 1 or 2 frets between each position, up and down the fret board and diagonally across the strings. Use all 4 fingers, especially the 3rd & 4th. No cheating!! Just do it.
Do this all day, every day. Or as much as you can. I promise you this is the ONLY way to be the greatest master super genius.
Conventional methodology based on the standard scales and music theory will only keep you stuck in a rut making those type teachers rich.
Now, do you have what it takes to meet the challenge. Or will you wimp out? Please don't kid yourself. There's no other way around it.
