I've been playing two years now and unfortunately my pinky usage just sucks ass.

My pink has no coordination and is only about 1/20th as immobile and "able" as the rest of my fingers in my left hand.

Are there any exericse that can improve my pinky usage?

thanks

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If you wanted to 'imobilize' your pinky, it would mean you didn't want to use it However, since you want to ehance your playing with it, i'd suggest legato techniques and hammerons/pulloffs

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Yeah I have the same problem... No matter how much I practice with it tho, my pinky just dont want to play

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This phrase I found helpful in that it will automate your pinky after time...its weird but yeeeah (Sweep it).



Easy sweep phrase, and the first two notes get you used to fastly incorporating your little finger. Other songs I found detrimental to learning how to use my pinky, are Cannibal Corpse's "Staring Through The Eyes of The Dead" and Fills from Nile; "Wind Of Horus".

But really the CC song is enough. Theres no easy way round it though just keep trying and trying. I remember when I first tried it my pinky just wouldnt like to trill but now its all good. second nature

|15p12-----------------
|-------14p11----------
|-------------12p9----
|-------------------11p8--
|------------------------10p7--
|-----------------------------9p6-

Those are the shit for getting your pinky cranking, (Diminished 5ths?)

You can do them anywhere on the fretboard ascending or descending, picked or hammered.

Also do a shitload of hammerons and pulloffs.
And ALWAYS use your pinky when you get a chance, i know some people use their ring finger when they should be using their pinky.

Its said on every question thread but its just practice, practice but make sure you are aware to be using your pinky more.

Just make up some of your own excersizes using your pinky too, just random patters that dont nessercarily sound like anything.

It really helped me out

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Hello. I agree on Staring Through the Eyes of the Dead. That one is great for learning to tap with the pinky. Only ImBored said "detrimental to learning how to use the pinky" when he meant "conducive to learning how to use my pinky". I'm a bass player, and I actually can't get the trills as fast as on the recording, but with practice it will come. (actually maybe I can do it now, it's been a while since I've played that one).

I agree with OpethFan though, use it whenever you can. Even for practice use it in places where it might be ridiculous. Here's an example: in the trooper by maiden, play like this:


G|------------4-----------------------------------------------
D|5---4h5p4h5-----5---4h5p4h5-5---2---2-----------5-------2---
A|--------------------------------------------5-------5-------
E|------------------------------------------------------------

Played this way you do the hammer-on pull-off part with the ring and pinky instead of the index and middle. Now if you don't know this riff first learn it the regular way, it shouldn't take too long because it's the most obvious riff in the song, then learn it this way. You'll want to take it slow at first. Oh, and sorry if it's wrong, I don't play guitar, but I'm pretty sure that's what is playedfor guitar, going from memory alone. Obviously the first E in the tab is missing because technically it is played before the riff starts. Those first notes, like the one I didn't write and the very last E in my tab, are the only notes that change, each corresponds to the chord of the bar. Depending on what section of the song it is, this will be E E C D or E E C E, so instead of 2 on D string go to 3 on A string for C etc. Typical maiden chords eh?

Here's a riff I stumbled upon for strengthening the pinky once, I think it's by a nu-metal band but if played fast or long enough this is really good pinky practice:

G|-------------------------------------------------
D|------------9-----------------------9------------
A|7--10-9--10----10-9--10-7--10-9--10----10-9--10--
E|-------------------------------------------------

G|-------------------------------------------------
D|------------9-----------------------9------------
A|---10-9--10----10-9--10----10-9--10----10-9--10--
E|10----------------------10----------------------

G|-------------------------------------------------
D|------------9-----------------------9------------
A|---10-9--10----10-9--10----10-9--10----10-9--10--
E|8-----------------------8-----------------------

G|-------------------------------------------------
D|------------9-----------------------9------------
A|---10-9--10----10-9--10----10-9--10----10-9--10--
E|7-----------------------7------------------------

By the way the time is determined by where I place the notes. You can listen (or remember) the Trooper but for this one all you have to know is that every note in the entire riff is of the same length. Enjoy.

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I found what really helped is that for a little over two months I used my middle finger and pinky for powerchords instead of index and ring(but then again I didn't have a choice ). That really really helped.

-4-3-4-2-4-1 or 3-4-2-4-1-4

Do these up and down the strings and frets

Haha, the guy that posted above me is in my computer class as we speak

thats what I was going to post shred!
also just put it into riffs where you might not normally use it to get it used to playing. like say you would normally use your ring finger just use your pinky in its place.
learn the intro to staring through the eyes of the dead by cannibal corpse it has a great pinky trill riff in it.

edit: that song was already mentioned, owell

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The fast bit from slayerw raining blood was the thing I learned first to play using my pinky. It really helped fast. It goes something like this:
-5-3-2-0--6-4-3-0--5-3-2-0--6-4-3-0--

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This helped me alot:
G---4-2-1--2-1----1-
D---------4----4-2--4-2-1-4-2-1
A------------------------------4

Use your pinky on every 4.

everyday when you watch a movie or tv, unplug your guitar, sit down with it and trill with your pinky for two hours.

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Okay here we go

X|-3h4p3h4p3h4p3-4h5p4h5p4h5p4-5h6p5h6p5h6h5-6h7p6h7p6h7p6-

This is really cool practice (and it got really horrible sound)
Hold for example 3d fret and hammer on 4th with the finger you wanna practice and then move up to the next fret just like in the tab

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Try that George Lynch gothic octave shit. It's quite effective

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i find that scales work good, and hammer-on pull-off stuff



i always play that riff like this :

|-4-3-2---5-4-3---4-3-2---5-4-3----|

with my 1, 2 and 3 fingers

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I like this pattern through each string/position;

|-1-4-3-4-|

And the slight stretch to get it working with your second finger;

|-1-5-3-5-|

If you're finding the execises aren't working so well, make sure you do it with a metronome and you'll feel the muscles working.

The ending of Morbid Angels "Lions Den" off Covenant has a serious pinkie pulloff exercise. (as copied from this site, warrick's tab)

|----------------------------------------------------|
|----------------------------------------------------|
|----------------------------------------------------|
|---------------------5------------------------------|
|---------------------3-2h5p2h5p2h5p2-4p1h4p1h4p1-6--|
|000000-000000-0-1-3-----------------------------4--|

it's fast but it sounds good when you can do it right.

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1-2-3-4-4-3-2-1-1-4-3-4-2-4-3-4
thats works pretty well...also if you want to fingerpick do this and try these right hand fingerings
i-m, m-i, i-a, a-i, m-a, a-m, a-m-i-m-a, i-m-a-m-i

i=index finger
m=middle finger
a=ring finger

begin with i-m start on whatever string you want, go up to the 12th fret
go back to 1st fret and begin with m-i go up to 12th
so on and so forth...

it works

i suggest either doing the 1234(chromatic) method or triton's(diminished 3rds/5ths) those help out the best. what seems to work for me is to unplug the guitar sit down and watch t.v and play at the same time. after a while u wont even notice ur still doing it, but dont forget to utilize the fretboard.
good luck i have to go now. so see ya later
and on powerchords use ur pinky instead of ring finger

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learn some necrophagist riffs, foul body autopsy has lots of pinky. I used this guitar pro tab. I learnt it slow and gradually speeded it up.

Indeed I am, Indeed I am...but that was last class, and this is well...this class.

I play powerchords either with index and ring or with middle and pinky, depending on which is closer. And that's on bass...

Actually, a few of my fellow musicians who play guitar have told me that they have found that a great way to develop finger strength is to play a little bass before starting to practice. You have to puch the strings down harder obviously for bass.

Another good thing to do is to whale on the ''bitch acoustic'' that you might have lying around in the house somewhere. Usually the strings are pretty high on those and the necks are in bad shape so you have to press down really hard too.

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this bit by Old Man's Child is a challenge for your pinky.
the second part is a decent stretch, too.

|-----------------------------------|
|-----------------------------------|
|-----------------------------------|
|10-9-10-7-10----10-9-10-7-10-----|
|--------------7----------------7---|
|-----------------------------------|

|---------------------------------|
|---------------------------------|
|---------------------------------|
|9-7-9-5-9----9-7-9-5-9----------|
|----------5-------------5--------|
|---------------------------------|

if you want to hear it played, check out "My Demonic Figures"