Now then, have you been doing your Spider Excercises? More Stuff Added!

[Johnny Mac]

Anyone got one to exercise two yet?  :lol:


EDIT I've only just noticed that these didn't get emailed to those who were there on Saturday at the BKP meet. Sorry! So here they are.

The spider exercises. Ok you move one finger at a time, so you will always have 3 fingers pinned to the board. Start at the 5th fret if the 1st is a bit tricky. Ascend and descend in that position and move up a fret when your back at the 6th string

The second one is a killer but good. Start 1st finger, 1st fret, 1st string and descend to the 6th string in the pattern shown. When you get to the 6th string take all fingers off and ascend back to the start position and move up a fret

Once you have gone through these in one position ascending and descending move up a fret and go up as high as you can then back to where you started.

Take it easy at first with these as they're designed to stretch your tendons. Don't over do it!


*Correction

[Johnny Mac]

gwEm has been doing well expanding his third eye! 

[FernandoDuarte]

expanding his third eye! 

:lol:
This is a serious mean joke in Brazil :P

WTH are Spider Exercises?

[Philly Q]

Anyone got one to exercise two yet?  :lol:

Yeah.... -ish.  :(

I'm finding it really difficult, though, going from low to high strings.  Like when you have your first finger on the A string and the other three still on the low E string, I can't get the note to sound because the other fingers damp the string.  Unless I use the very tips of my fingers, at 90 degrees to the board, with my thumb on the back of the neck, which isn't how I usually play at all.

And I'm so SLOW - can't see me ever playing these things at any kind of speed.

[Johnny Mac]

Anyone got one to exercise two yet?  :lol:

Yeah.... -ish.  :(

I'm finding it really difficult, though, going from low to high strings.  Like when you have your first finger on the A string and the other three still on the low E string, I can't get the note to sound because the other fingers damp the string.  Unless I use the very tips of my fingers, at 90 degrees to the board, with my thumb on the back of the neck, which isn't how I usually play at all.

And I'm so SLOW - can't see me ever playing these things at any kind of speed.

Well that sounds like progress to me!  :D  You have to play these with the thumb behind the neck, which will make your fingertips arrive at more of a right angle, which will fret the note cleaner. You will get used to it. The ascending part of these is harder. Your muscles and tendons will get stronger, trust me! You can start at say the 5th or 7th fret before tackling the 1st to start these off.

[Will]

I have been through all exercises you emailed (slowly) a couple of times. Should I master one before moving on?

[Johnny Mac]

I have been through all exercises you emailed (slowly) a couple of times. Should I master one before moving on?

What ever works for you Will. He was teaching me about 3 things at once when I went for lessons.

[AndyR]

WTH are Spider Exercises?

Yeah... wassisthen Johnny?

I'm guessing they're part of this hippy-mind-expanding-guitar-training you were talking about a while back - but if you've managed to get Philly doing these, they must be reasonably down-to-earth and believable...

(that's a compliment btw Philly :roll:.... :lol:)

[Johnny Mac]

WTH are Spider Exercises?

Yeah... wassisthen Johnny?

I'm guessing they're part of this hippy-mind-expanding-guitar-training you were talking about a while back - but if you've managed to get Philly doing these, they must be reasonably down-to-earth and believable...

(that's a compliment btw Philly :roll:.... :lol:)

No  :lol: no third eye stuff involved with these, just follow the diagram attached. The key is to keep 3 fingers conected to the fret board while one is moving.

I'll amend the original post!

[Philly Q]

I'm guessing they're part of this hippy-mind-expanding-guitar-training you were talking about a while back - but if you've managed to get Philly doing these, they must be reasonably down-to-earth and believable...

(that's a compliment btw Philly :roll:.... :lol:)

Yeah, my third eye is staying firmly closed.  To the cosmos.  Maaan.   

I'm not sure what these are meant to do, exactly... I guess it's a "muscle memory" thing for developing independence/strength of the fingers.  It's bloody difficult.

[gwEm]

still struggling with the first one... it looks so easy on paper :/

[AndyR]

I see...

I'm no shredder or wot-have-u, not even remotely, I'm just this blues-er bloke... but I found these loads easier than I was expecting... :oops:

The second one takes a bit too much thought for me at the moment to make sure that three fingers always remain anchored - on this one I tend to have two anchored naturally, then the one that is about to fret and the next one are usually moving. But if slow right down, I can see what this exercise is giving me :D

The first one - sorry about this guys - if you ask me to play those notes, I naturally do exactly what the exercise is asking me to do :lol:

I've always assumed that this is the easiest way to play the wretched thing anyway:
- only move if you have to,
and, when you are at any "position":
- your index finger plays all notes required on the "1st" fret at that position,
- your middle finger plays all "2nd" fret notes,
- ring finger all "3rd" fret,
- little finger all "4th" fret
... no sneaking the middle up to the "3rd" fret, or forgetting that your little finger is for the "4th" fret notes... :lol:

Then you kinda step across strings as necessary, and move your "position" up and down the neck.... I do remember forcing myself to do this (20-odd) years ago, but I guess I was just lucky figuring that lot out when I was young.

So - those of you finding this somewhat "un-natural", DO IT UNTIL IT IS! You won't regret it... :lol:

OK, I'm prepared to entertain this chap's theories a bit more now... what's this about a 3rd eye? (probably turns out I've been doing that as well :roll:)

[Philly Q]

and, when you are at any "position":
- your index finger plays all notes required on the "1st" fret at that position,
- your middle finger plays all "2nd" fret notes,
- ring finger all "3rd" fret,
- little finger all "4th" fret
... no sneaking the middle up to the "3rd" fret, or forgetting that your little finger is for the "4th" fret notes... :lol:

I do that part already, one-finger-per-fret. 

But having my first finger on one string while the other 3 are anchored on a lower (i.e. musically lower, not closer to the ground!) string feels completely unnatural.  As I say, they end up damping the string I'm trying to play. 

I'm surprised no-one else has the same problem - I don't have sausage fingers!

[AndyR]

How much do you play chords Philly? Say, open chords like C and G. I was originally an accoustic guitar strummer and "arpeggio-picker", just to accompany my own singing - I did years of that before electric took over - but I had real problems getting all the notes to ring in simple chords like C and G sometimes. Eventually I got it sorted. Even now, if I haven't strummed chords for a while, it takes me a while to get back into it...

If it turns out you have the same issues on chords like that, it's probably the same thing. You could try strumming or picking open chords for a bit, concentrate on getting the best ringing chord you can - just to get the fingers seated nicely and remembering where they're meant to be going and how not to get in the way of the other strings when the brain gives them the orders. (IE do this separately from an exercise that's asking the fingers to move at the same time :lol:)

But on another issue
... ARGGGH!

I can't believe this... since I posted earlier, claiming "ease" on exercise one, I have had my tea, helped the wife rip a CD, sat down with my coffee, typed half the above to you... and now I can't do exercise one anymore!!! What?!!

Before tea, three fingers always rooted to the fretboard, widdly-widdly, ha-ha!, a suitable "I'm fab" response posted on BKP, everyone happy...

After tea... :(  I just can't keep more than 2 fingers on the board when I switch string... I agree with the rest of you! It's not easy at all is it? I'm b*ggered if I can do it naturally now...  :lol:

[Philly Q]

... ARGGGH!

I can't believe this... since I posted earlier, claiming "ease" on exercise one, I have had my tea, helped the wife rip a CD, sat down with my coffee, typed half the above to you... and now I can't do exercise one anymore!!! What?!!

Before tea, three fingers always rooted to the fretboard, widdly-widdly, ha-ha!, a suitable "I'm fab" response posted on BKP, everyone happy...

After tea... :(  I just can't keep more than 2 fingers on the board when I switch string... I agree with the rest of you! It's not easy at all is it? I'm b*ggered if I can do it naturally now...  :lol:

 :lol: :lol: That's cheered me up!

You've sussed me out on the chord front, I've always had trouble playing your basic "cowboy" chords and sounding all 6 strings cleanly.  :(

As I hinted at the top of the thread, I don't really fret with the very tips of my fingers - more sort of halfway beteen the tip and the pad, so my fingers are slightly flattened against the board.  I also tend to have my thumb over the neck, not planted on the back inna classical stylee.

So this is a complete technique re-adjustment for me.  Which is fine I guess, but I don't really want to have the guitar strapped under my chin looking like this:



Or even this: