EXERCISE #1 0 ois: VERTICAL STRETCHING The focus of this exercise is on developing your ability to stretch between strings (as opposed to, frets) as well as your overall strength. Many times, a piece will ask you to play two notes on the 6th and the 1st string simultaneously, perhaps with your 3rd and 4th finger. Mastering the following exercises ‘ensures that a stretch like that will never be an issue for you. They are ordered below by difficulty. Work through each and notice where you feel challenged. a. Ist & 4th string a= 12 2,354 1,2,3 1,2,3 23,4 = b. 1st & 5th string o> 12 2,3,4 1,2,3 is © 1,2,3 2,3,4 is ¢. Ist & 6th string o> 12 2,3,4 1,2,3 1,2,3. 2,3,4 o>VERTICAL STRETCHING CONT. ® d. 1st & 4th string (with stretch) > 2,3,4 1,2,3 1,2,3 2,3,4 o> e. Ist & 5th string (with stretch) o> 12 2,354 1,2,3 = = 1,2,3 2,3,4 os f. 1st & 6th string (with stretch) a 23,4 1,2,3 ARTYOM’S TIPS Notice the change in hand position as you move higher up the fret board - in the lower frets, the wrist is behind the fret board, but around the 12th fret, it moves in front. Beginners should start with their fingers on the 1st and 4th strings (1a) and work up to the 1st and 6th (1c)EXERCISE #2 © “THE SPIDER” “The Spider” builds on the same vertical stretching principle from Exercise #1, but instead of moving both fingers at the same time, you move them one at a time. This gives the creepy effect of a large, tan spider crawly up and down your guitar fret board! Once again, if the stretch from the ‘st to the 6th string is too difficult, move the bass notes to a higher string such as the 4th or 3rd. You can also stop and return at the Sth fret - find what works for you! a. 3 fingers 12 2,3 1,2 3.4 12 3,4 b. 4 fingers ARTYOM’S TIPS Keep it slow- the task here is stretching not speed. Also, make sure both voices are legato, not detached. If you feel discomfort at any time, stop and relax. Don’t force yourself because an injury can completely derail improvement.EXERCISE #3 © HORIZONTAL STRETCHING Now that we have sufficiently stretched our hands vertically, it’s time to do so horizontally! With this exercise, it is especially important to go slowly. In fact, the slower you go, the more effective it will be. If the stretch starting on the tst fret is too large, try moving up to the Sth. As you may have noticed, the frets get closer together the higher up the fret board you go, so starting higher up will make it easier for beginners and indi luals with small hands. a. 1 fret gap e= es Qs o> b. 2 fret gap sir * 1 2 3 val “4 43 r? 0 > ® ARTYOM’S TIPS Don’t turn your hand to a “violin” position. While it makes the stretch easier, it defeats the purpose of the exercise You may, however, release the thumb from the back of the neck. This does not hamper the effectiveness of the stretch.EXERCISE #4 © TWO FINGER ALTERNATION Time to give the left hand a break and move to the right! When it comes to right hand technique it is crucial to develop all the fingers, not just the i and m finger. That is why with this exercise, we begin the alternation with a and m. However, you should also do this exercise with m-i and a-i combinations as, well. Every time you reach the 12th fret, make sure you switch your starting finger. You can do either rest and free stroke - whichever needs more work! a. Ascending o> 2 2 Ss soe a> o> 0123432104324321 012343210,4,3.24321 (continue pattern up to the 12th fret)TWO FINGER ALTERNATION CONT. ® b. Descending (continue pattern back to the 1st string and all the way back to the ‘st fret) ARTYOM’S TIPS With this exercise, the end goal is to improve velocity, but at the start, go slowly. Practice with a metronome so you can feel the progression of your work. You can also play the same pattern on the bass strings, but be careful if you have weak nails.EXERCISE #5 Oo: THREE FINGER TECHNIQUE This exercise builds off of #4 by introducing a new technique in the right hand: three finger scales. Here, the left hand is exactly the same as the last exercise. However, in the right hand, you begin using the a finger, thus “three fingers.” Using the a finger in this way can be very strange feeling, especially if you have never tried it before. That is why we recommend starting this exercise very slowly and gradually building up tempo over time. a. Ascending aom i aom i aom i aom i aom ia (continue pattern to the 3rd string and up to the 12th fret) b. Descending (continue pattern to the 3rd string and down to the ‘st fret) ARTYOM’S TIPS If you want to increase speed, using three fingers (as. opposed to two) will always be faster - it’s simple mathematics! Most guitarists are used to the tremolo pattern (A-M-I), so to make this exercise more difficult, start with |-M-AEXERCISE #6 Oo: THUMB TECHNIQUE To finish off this batch of right hand exercises, we are now going to do basically the same exercise as #4 and #5, but now with the thumb! Therefore, we will be playing the left hand pattern on the bass strings instead of the treble. Apart from this small change, the overall pattern remains the same (you should be quite good at it by now!) Make sure your right hand stays relaxed throughout the exercise, and while the end goal is speed, start slow. (continue pattern back to the 6th string and up to the 12th fret) ARTYOM’S TIPS Raise the wrist to give more freedom for the thumb - a lower wrist can be used to play with flesh and make different colors, but here you should go for volume. For even more sound, try experimenting with more hand movement while making sure the fingers are relaxed.EXERCISE #7 © LEGATO (SLURS) You knew they were coming... slurs! Any decent technique routine contains a good amount of slur practice, and here, Artyom is making sure you get that on a daily basis. While the execution itself is relatively simple, the following routine will effectively build up your hand's strength and speed when executing slurs in any piece. While Artyom asks you to go to the 12th fret, find the distance where you begin to feel the burn and go to there. a. One finger a moi a m i a moi a m = x. abs Saar UV o10 101010404 R47 OFTO1O]}L O10] (continue pattern to the 12th fret) i m a i m a an a 22 + eo 10101 b. Two fingers 1 Ds = =a am. i a od ay te 3 mi a i (continue pattern to the 12th fret) 212121212121 212121212121 Ao eS ; i m oa i m a (continue pattern back to the 1st fret) B B =LEGATO (SLURS) CONT. ® c. Two fingers (with gap) 1 2 ne ae ne Bo i am i me RT RR lm (continue pattern up to the 12th fret and back to the 1st fret) ARTYOM’S TIPS Keep the left hand fingers close to the strings when they are not being played. Don't allow them to float aimlessly around in the air. Make sure the second note sounds as loud as the first.EXERCISE #8 Oo: SLURS FROM NOTHING This exercise is a short add-on to the slur practice we did in #7. However, here you use only the left hand - thus, they are called “slurs from nothing.” The pattern below can be done pretty much anywhere on the fret board. For instance, Artyom starts it on the Sth fret of the first string. This is a good spot to start, but if you are looking for a more thorough workout, try taking it all the way back to the tt fret of the 6th string, while going up to the 12th fret and back down. 1 2 street hee (perform this exercise without the right hand) ARTYOM’S TIPS Once again, try to keep the left hand fingers hovering close to the strings - don’t allow them to flail about. And as always, start slow!EXERCISE #9 © SINGLE FINGER TREMOLO While the application of this technique may not be immediately apparent, single finger tremolo is great for developing overall control in the right hand. As Artyom suggests, start with the thumb doing slow 16th notes. Speed it up gradually and when that becomes easy, try the sextuplet option written below. Move to each finger in the right hand, and once you've done that, try doing the thumb and a finger at the same ve! a. One finger vtytyt 6 to P= (continue pattern to the 12th fret and back down to the 1st) b. Two fingers ARTYOM’S TIPS Don't move the whole finger - the majority of the movement should come from the phalanx. At first, support the right hand by resting your thumb on the second string or wherever feels comfortable. Later, try doing it without support, keeping your fingers relaxedEXERCISE #10 © LEFT HAND TRILLS You've made it to the last exercise, congrats! To finish your routine off, we're headed back to the left hand. the exercise itself is quite simple: going up and down the fret board doing different combinations of single, two, and four finger trills. once again, you should find a level that works for you, going up to just the Sth fret and back down or whatever you find is best and work up from there, all the way to the two strings exercise at the very bottom (104). a. Single finger treme tree tr tm we ~ ge O101.. 0101 (continue pattern to the 12th fret) b. Two fingers (continue pattern to the 12th fret) c. Two fingers (with gap) tren fo tren tren treme tren gy tree 5 13 13 24... 24a... (continue pattern to the 12th fret)LEFT HAND TRILLS CONT. d. Two fingers (with large gap) d. Two strings tree fie tee 12. 12. ARTYOM’S TIPS Make each note super clear and strong while keeping the fingers not “trill-ing” relaxed and close to the strings. This exercise will help enormously when playing Baroque music - ornaments will start to feel effortless.