Confession #22 - Finger 3-4 Independence! (Exercise #2)

In Confession #16 - Finger 3-4 Independence! (Exercise #1)  we learned a one string exercise that introduced our ear to the phrygian mode and challenged our 3rd and 4th fingers to work independently.

This week we'll learn a new finger 3-4 independence exercise.

FINGER 3-4 INDEPENDENCE - EXERCISE #2

This exercise is great because it challenges our fretting hand in 3 different ways:

• It changes strings,
• It stresses independence for all of your fingers, and
• It moves "backwards".  I think most players are more comfortable moving from finger 1 to 2, 3 and 4 then they are moving from finger 4 to 3, 2 and 1, which this exercise requires you to do.

Finger 3-4 Independence - Exercise #2
(Click to Enlarge)

As always, take it slowly at first.  Don't expect to nail this exercise in one sitting.  It took me 5 minutes of daily practice for several days to get this to the point where I could play it comfortably at the tempo shown in the second half of the video.  I often use this as one of my warm-up exercises.

Next Week's Confession - Sing What You Play!