hehehe...lol...
Thats a good observation...but....not for now for now you MUST isolate the fingers for strength...

Actually you just hit on Double Sarod....:)))

I gotta make that dang video...

Zitat

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dlraben: looks and sounds really good and consistent. have you tried baring with the first finger while sfifting strings with trills?

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Thanks for the feedback. Yes, I've tried barring. That's a trade-off for me though; it helps a ton when changing strings in position (+/- a fret or two), but it makes it a lot harder to shift positions and include open strings. It also brings about more string noise when playing with high gain. So I have things to work on whether I barre or not.

Guys, thanks for all the advice, this is really really helpful. I think I'm just going to print off this thread and try work at this stuff in front of the mirror for the day.

Just to clarify one thing - for now I should emphasise the movement of the finger to build strength, but ultimately I should be using my forearm as my main point of motion?

Dont think about the forearm yet....
If you do you will end up compensating for finger strength...you dont want to do that.
the forearm movement is yet another technique that must be thought of by itself. Finger strength first....later it will come.
I am making a video...hopefully soon I will post a question thread as to the validity of this idea and the uses of it.

Just spend the time and isolate your fingers for strength.

Frakh is 100% correct. The curvature of the fingers is actually fairly extreme. This is one thing Pebber corrected me about very early on. A lot of players BELIEVE they are playing on the very tips of the fingers. Of course. How else would one play? However, they are not. The majority of rock players are not. The classical players and jazz players, yes.

The fingers must be curved and only play on the tips. This is for ultimtae control and intonation of the string.

We all mess it up, especially live as Frakh said. But, in the bedroom when practicing, you should always strive for 100% perfection. Very slowly. Over time, it will become the way you play always.

Trill with the 4th finger as much as possible. I would say 30 minutes a day at least for many months/years.

Frakh & Ursin, would you be kind enough to offer feedback on the video I posted higher up in this thread? Based on the advice you've given, perhaps I too am doing something wrong. Thanks!

Yes...I was giving advice according to the video.

Just keep going with it...takes time...

FRaKh

Dlraben, I watched the video. You are on the right track and have the right idea and the speed is coming. Just make sure the fingers are curved more and that they are not flying too far from the fretboard, if at all. The closer and tighter the hand can be, the better. It will come around. You are on the right track.

Thanks to you both for your feedback. I truly do appreciate it!

Keep fingers curved. Pull fingers back into palm of hand. When tapping, pull tapping fingers back into palm of hand.

Try and keep fingers as close to fretboard as possible. Use trill, spider, and ladder exercises to do this.

Do trills, ladders, and spiders with tapping hand.

Regarding the trills. The 2-4 and 3-4 are beasts for me. I'm months into practicing them with little if any improvement. I've got my fingers curved but it seems like I just lose mobility when I do that. I'm actually better with 3-4 than 2-4. I'm looking for any advice on finger tip placement. Should the pinky tip be hitting straight down in the center of the tip or at an angle where the outside corner of the tip is pulling down off the string? Ive tried both ways and suck at both haha. When I come down in the center of the pinky tip I can get right behind the fret for good articulation. When I angle the pinky and come down on the outside corner of the pinky tip I get a more fluid motion (seems more natural) in the trill, but it lands further behind the fret and I lose articulation.

Yes. I feel like my pinky is a wimp. But it's not for lack of effort, I swear. My wife just read your post and said " If he only knew!" I spend a lot of time on trills and arpeggios right now and I can really hear my wimpy pinky there. I will double the effort though. My wife will be so happy :)

If you have a camera maybe record yourself playing trills and get some feedback. The guys in this forum critiqued my technique a month or two back and their advice helped A LOT.

If I ever meet any of you guys I'm buying you a drink!

I also found taking a balanced approach helped in a big way. Use all of the spiders and ladders that isolate the pinky as well as working the trills. Also, it was pointed out to me that you need to apply this stuff to your normal playing straight away. I think this helped too.

I have no idea what level you are at, but I did an hour a day of trills, followed by an hour of trills focusing specifically on my pinky. If you do that you will improve fast. I noticed a difference after a week. After a month my hand felt far more limber, strong and accurate. I still have a very long way to go, but to me the difference is astounding. After banging my head against a wall for a long time, I now feel excited about my guitar playing again.

Haha that's good to know. I've played guitar from aged 15 (back in 2000) until now without paying any attention to my fourth finger. I started working on it properly when I realised that I would never be able to play any of the Jazz that I had become interested in. At least I know these exercises got you out of the same hole that I'm in, Pebber.

Ten years you say...

I better get back to it so.