Guitar Technique: The Finger Gym - Strength Development - JustinGuitar - Guitar Lesson [TE-001]

[@CodyTheGuitarist]

Hey Justin. dunno if you're ever gonna see this, but I just want to say thank you. Your lessons have been a big help. I was born with Cerebral Palsy and it made what would be my dominate right side very weak and stiff. It's because of that I never picked up guitar as a kid but always wanted too, I just never thought I could. But I realized as I got older that life is too short to not at least try and do what you love. So for my 20th birthday I got a guitar and an amp and have been playing like a madman. It's been so fun and I have you to thank as a big part of that. I may not be able to play as well as others but I've already made more progress than I ever thought I could and it's thanks to you and all the great resources out there that I'm able to play like I've always wanted.

[@JohnKeeling]

what a great thing to write! I'm happy for you, I'm on a journey to improve my guitar and i'm 70...

[@doowoppify]

After practicing for a few days I really improved. I noticed yesterday while driving I could give a guy the finger with 3 different fingers.

[@johnh5463]

doowoppify hahaha!!

[@LarsJ1977]

He must have been so confused :D

[@pouyan_m]

Lolllll

[@whybother2695]

Wtf😂😂😂

[@ShawnFumo]

This is especially funny because Justin often calls the middle finger the driving finger.

[@fastfrankblack]

I've been doing this half an hour a day for a month and noticed a DRAMATIC improvement in every aspect of my playing. Especially when isolating and focusing on the weaker fingers. I know it's not musical. I know it's boring. I know it's time-consuming. JUST DO IT! :)

[@julianferguson9212]

I dont mind doing it, but i only just started playing guitar so. Might get bored

[@neoanderson367]

+fatfrankblack whoa half an hour, no signs of overtraining?

[@tanbirnandra8144]

fatfrankblack Thanks for the reinforcement. I am glad to hear that it has helped you as well!

[@julianferguson9212]

well here i am a year later and i definitely have stopped practicing and i am hardly improving. fuck you spam you lazy shit

[@joe-un1ky]

Half an hour - ouch. I'll stick with 5-10 mins and be happy with my mediocrity

[@c46kev]

If justin is saving you a lot of money, don't forget the honour system, either by donating or buying he's products, he's a great lad and deserves it from us.

[@donjohn2239]

true. I am definitely going to donate when I am through college. Really appreciate the work he does for us.

[@tomthomas334]

I agree, is that a liberty cap on justins arm, the tattoo?

[@marshwiggle9676]

i think its a broken arrow but culd be a shroom?

[@spammyca]

As soon as I become financially independent, which could be in about a year, I will DEFINITELY donate and buy some stuff from his shop! 🤘

[@joe-un1ky]

Tom Thomas I thought so too lol - it's an arrow, check 5:50

[@chrischan001]

*Finger sequence in this lesson, starting from 1st thread* 12, 23, 34 13, 24 , 14 Flick off: 21, 32, 43, 31, 42, 41 Then 123, 234, 124, 134 1234 Flick off: 321, 432, 421, 431 4321

[@idealflaw]

"The finger gym" was also my nickname in college.

[@whisky2roxy]

I'll bet your nose was clean

[@aimeestanley9546]

Silly lol

[@bradprather6749]

😁

[@isaackanaganesan8569]

@Prophetorium 😂

[@user-io6bp3td1s]

Ane koi dibi toi

[@michaeljconway5983]

Thank You. I lost half of my left thumb in the early seventies, and struggled back from that with a VERY weak left hand. More recently, I required two tendon replacement operations on that same hand - I couldn't move my second or third fingers AT ALL. The usual physical therapy exercises don't (and couldn't) begin to address the dexterity required to play a musical instrument. In the first three minutes of this exercise, I was already feeling 'the burn'. These hammers and pull offs will definitely do more to get my hand back into playing form than anything I have managed to devised myself.

[@ShekharSuman1]

Are you playing now?

[@DC-wo2yb]

Yo give us an update! Hope you’re doing better and playing like a madman

[@M1ssKiera]

Michael J Conway Are you playing better now?

[@brennatosh4663]

Hammerings: 1-2, 2-3, 3-4, 1-3, 2-4, 1-4 Flick offs: 2-1, 3-2, 4-3, 3-1, 4-2 Triplet hammerings: 1-2-3, 2-3-4, 1-2-4, 1-3-4 4’s hammerings: 1-2-3-4 Do the triplets as flick offs: 2-3-1, 4-3-2, 4-2-1, 4-3-1 4’s flick offs: 4-3-2-1 Thanks for the exercise Justin! Very useful, although I’m sure I will come to dread it (and especially my pinky) :)

[@khai9719]

this man makes it looks so easy

[@NewMetallica]

Nice to see the old Finger Gym lesson redone in HD! In my opinion this is one of the best guitar exercises available, and I have only seen Justin teach it. This exercise makes your fingers burn and make them really strong and independent! I have been using it for years! Believe me, for strong and independent fingers, this is the lesson you want to use!

[@berniesaulnier3757]

rhi

[@berniesaulnier3757]

nice

[@kjbtrucker2820]

If you having trouble doing the spider walk this was help alot

[@teeoh9192]

I've only done the 1st half of these exercises, & the very next day, I couldn't believe the change in my ring & pinky finger strength! These exercises, are now my warm-up for playing guitar. I'm gonna watch the rest today! Good stuff & thank you!

[@Ilovequran105]

I want to thank you for teaching me a lot than i care to remember. Thank you . You are the greatest teacher ever.

[@NabilClips]

absolutely beneficial ... guys don't rush to play before mastering these basic exercises ... thank you Justin

[@Sportingalagrieska]

This kind of exercises come in really handy. Even for changing chords, as you develope your fingers' independence. Totally recommendable.

[@evangelinewilliams1239]

Dear Justin, I've watched quite a lot of your videos and read all the comment sections, but not sure I've ever commented myself, so just wanted to say a big thank you! You rock, and are such a great teacher!

[@markjhermanson]

wow, I am learning real quick, my pinky is in need of serious work

[@GeorgeHarrow]

It's been a decade since I last played guitar and my hand strength and dexterity have been shot. I can't do what I used to be able to do and I've been looking for good exercises to get that all back. I've never heard of this exercise before and I'm excited to keep going at it. Thanks, Justin!

[@prisonerofrnr]

been doing it for about 2 weeks and noticed some improvement. hammer on's are a lot easier than flick offs.

[@Sid2harth]

I've been doing these exercises for a week now, and I already feel the muscle memory getting better + some strength being built incrementally. Thank you for posting this, Justin! 😁

[@isaozturk2107]

Whats your situation right now?

[@Sid2harth]

@@isaozturk2107 I wish I kept up with this practice. Unfortunately, it's slipped off. Are you keeping up with this practice?

[@aleks5717]

never knew that my innocent pinky could piss me off so hard

[@keekz9040]

yeah sometimes when I'm frustrated i literally want to snap it off!!!!!

[@ricardotijerina886]

😁😁😁😁😁

[@orion523os3]

Been playing for a few months now and just came across this exercise today, and WOW! What a burn. This will definitely become a staple of my ever evolving daily practice routine. Thank you Justin!

[@_Jado]

Justin, this is exactly what I needed! Thanks for sharing this technique routine with us! I think this will help me a lot overtime.

[@diyatamang5537]

He is literally the best coach!!! I'm so excited to learn from him🙌❤

[@magicdaveable]

Great exercises. I learned them from a Jazz guitarist back in the mid-1960's. I begin with the 12th fret and work back to the 1st fret. Every day for the last 55 years. It really helps to maintain finger independence, strength, and muscle memory.

[@bjm2762]

I tried it and it really does work. I can now play Nothing Else Matters (Metallica) in an ok fashion without wincing in the bar chord section.

[@nitto1320i]

that guitar is beautiful. thanks for sharing these great exercises.

[@alexial]

Thanks Justin!! Tried this for the first time today, looking forward to practising more even if my forearm is sore! I've discovered some muscles I didn't know I had :)

[@0013619511]

I have been playing fity years I wish I had know this years ago . It really does help me !😀

[@johnhanna2675]

pinky no like that

[@hika5971]

.

[@hika5971]

Im just checking if theres really no one replied to this 7y and 300 likes comment lol

[@397coney7]

I feel the burn, bro. LoL

[@cralo5431]

I’m gonna do this when I get tired of practicing chords..I just started learning a few days ago

[@renjay3743]

Spot on advice here from Justin it's a great exercise and keep doing it even once you can do it. I've been a guitar teacher for many years + been playing for over 25yrs. The guitar isn't easy so if you do find progress is slow then trust me you're not the only one. But here's one of the biggest problems for anyone learning..........the amount of time you play. Might seem obvious but here's a breakdown of how that will pan out. Player A plays for 15mins a day= 100hrs a year. Player B plays for 3hrs per day= 1095hrs a year It will take player A about 11yrs to do what player B did in 1 year. When I first started on average I would play for around 4hrs a day. It took me about 3yrs to become half decent which is around 4380hrs of playing. Player A is going to take nearly 44yrs to do that. That's what makes the difference!!!

[@samfar28]

correct

[@s0cks1985]

I don't think that is entirely accurate. There are some brain functions going on that don't make it quite so linear. For example; we actually learn more quickly in smaller chunks. 10-20min, and then a few hours break, this builds the neurons for specific tasks much more quickly than just practicing 2-3hrs straight. Our brain builds and refines those neurons when we rest, not when we are actively trying to use them. It's also why practicing just before bed is better than in the morning, because sleep is crucial at cleaning up those pathways. Also, it depends a lot on how you practice. Someone noodling around on stuff they already know (guilty!) won't advance nearly as fast as someone who targets their practice efficiently (i.e. working on a bunch of specific techniques for 10 min each, each day).

[@renjay3743]

Gary Weddle Trust me it's 100% accurate.

[@itudor]

but what am i suppose to exersize for 3-4 hours a day? Let's say this exersize takes 30 minuets, some stretchings 5 minutes, 30 minutes chords and 30 minutes chord changes.. but that's already a lot. I can't just repeat the same thing over and over a day for 4 hours. What should i exersize in order to take that ammount of time?

[@renjay3743]

Tudor Ionel You'll end up playing X amount of hours a day not because you have to but because you want to. The more the guitar is in your hands the better you will get. It's that simple. Learn to play what it is you want to play. If you really want it you will get it. It takes time and dedication, there are no short cuts.

[@Bobsuruncle1959]

This will really help me as my hand is missing a digit. This will really help give my hand a good work out and push me to engage my pinky finger a lot more. Thanks Justin👍

[@mrinmoysarkar589]

Justin should at least put an ad on these videos.... he's one of those youtubers whome I wouldn't mind watching an ad for....

[@kikomihov007]

I just do 10-20 finger pushups per day..

[@cathean19]

fucking legend

[@rashidbayg7641]

hahahahaha I'm weak

[@cadagerardo.8794]

I do push ups with no hands at all just my breath

[@Stavros-ki7wn]

Gerard Cada whomst’d’ve

[@shubhamdasgupta8605]

I can’t do regular push ups. I have to modify them. Lol.

[@ceejaymyburgh4432]

Needed some tapping exercises for my left hand. My goal with this exercise will be to play "Rob Scallon - For that second". After just one round I can already feel the improvement. Thanks Justin ;)

[@kh5476]

These lessons are great. Thanks Norm Macdonald.

[@yesindeed5608]

Kieran Hogan I don’t understand this comment

[@yesindeed5608]

Kieran Hogan but I like it very much

[@wadepatton2433]

@@yesindeed5608 Justin resembles Norm Macdonald just a bit.

[@LonskiBig]

...I got a roofing job for a while....and it helped my guitar playing a lot...

[@SanjiXII]

You're an inspiration sir.🙏🙏🙏🙏. I will never forget how much you have contributed to learners. Always in your support.🙏🙏🙏

[@threeofeight197]

Haha. I never realized (in 2 weeks of recent Justin practice) and years of fiddling around that my pinky and ring finger are as one in my brain. What a cool exercise. I hope I can train my mind to control these two separately!!!

[@jomama55ful]

I was told at an early stage to play my open G chord using my middle and ring fingers on the 5 and 6 string (top) and my pinkie on the 1st string. This allowed me to build independence in the pinkie. Both forms of Open G are correct, depending on your needs for the various flavors of G in a song, but that one tip really helped with separating my pinkie from my ring finger. I can now do the 3 finger salute using my ring finger... and bend my pinkie separately from the rest of my fingers when they are pointing straight (ring finger stays straight with the rest) .

[@TheBladepolisher]

Great drill. Like you said Justin, the magic is in the slowness of the exercise. Felt a big change after doing it for 3 days. Thanks ! ! !

[@justinguitar]

Glad it's helping. Cheers 😊 | close2u | JustinGuitar Official Guide [ www.justinguitar.com/ ] & Moderator on JustinGuitar Forum

[@shockafter7]

8 month beginner. got given a acoustic a few months ago and i've been super patient taking it easy to build strength for the acoustic and although its gotten a bit easier, i'm still struggling. hope this exercises helps :)

[@shanesharpnack6999]

This one of the BEST exercises for me ive found that works on most of my problem areas! Thanks so much!!!

[@dunjacvjeticanin]

Ooft, this is incredible. It takes me back to my early days of technical work on the piano a million years ago - hard work but SO worth it. And here I was thinking guitar would just be a fun new instrument to learn as a hobby :D.

[@nugsboodlepoo]

this has really, REALLY improved my accuracy. seriously people, you will see improvements in just a few days

[@anepicflyingbrick_4872]

U still playing guitar 4 years later?

[@robinsonchristian702]

Thank you...God Bless you..

[@tankjoyride7533]

Excellent! thanks Justin. Yes, it is to some extent it is similar to lifting. Pace and weight/pressure is a determination of the result. quick pace increase the endurance of the muscle groups and how long ypu can play. While weight/pressure increases the amount of time you can hold a specific chord/note/position without a exhausted or fatigued feeling. As Justin said you won't get anything from a strength exercise if you go faster then waht your supposed to. Apologies my scientific mind got the better of me....😊

[@beandipcartography]

My ring finger always wants to cling to my second finger. This excercise is def. helping, though. Sometimes, simplicity is best.

[@1337KickerAss]

***** You're literally saving me thousands of dollars of guitar lessons mate. Thanks a ton!

[@JohnSmith-cy8hq]

So donate a couple of bucks.

So donate, my friend !

[@1337KickerAss]

Of course, when I stop being broke, I will.

[@JohnSmith-cy8hq]

Vipul Tripathi Excuses

[@1337KickerAss]

John Smith or a broke med student.

[@swapnilg.5996]

Woah thanks.!! But my gf seems to love it more than my guitar

[@thegangbrothers1700]

lmao

[@dolphin5808]

Omfg lmao

[@raymondagafenachukwu4952]

Thanks Justin. It’s perfect what I’m looking for. Though, it’s a hell of challenging but I’m enjoying it. Keep it up boy.

[@odd-jobs-chick281]

3:07 workout starts

[@lionforlambs9167]

Watch the whole thing,it's important

[@MFDOOOOM]

Tiktok brain lol

[@johnmalone3256]

you can feel the muscle pump after. thanks

[@Helfer95]

How long did it take till you guys saw progress? I did it the first time today and my Fingers are super weak - il do this daily now!

[@shashanksherkar392]

I am 48 and playing guitar for more than 6 years now with exercises for fingers. This exercise is worthwhile to give strength to my pinky only, my all other fingers are already strong enough with other exercises. Good work Justin! But ask your viewers to keep fingernails trimmed like you. Most of the times even a bit of too much fingernails will ruin this exercise and people will be guessing what went wrong!

[@Cables_]

Other then marty this is my go to dude

[@musicletters7214]

it is like learning how to play the guitar without your right hand :-)

[@georgeb8701]

Justin you're a Prince dude. Thanks from the U.S. of A, and just know that your efforts to share your knowledge and experience of playing the guitar is definitely not in vain. ✌🏻🇺🇸

[@Anndrew154]

Thank you so much! this is so hard for me, especially on my fingers 3 and 4. I'm excited to watch my progress.

[@CatheFeinOlson]

This just what I needed! My hammer-ons sound so wimpy. Thanks!

[@miguelfernandez594]

Wow this exercise is kicking my butt. Thank you.

[@rohandisley720]

If people want further excersizes if they get bored of these ones and want a few variations, look up Aaron Shearer classical guitar excersizes. They are the ones that I use at my uni, but he has hundreds of these published in heaps of places and I'm sure you can find some tutorials on them on youtube.

[@MrBeftackel]

Damn when i was 13 trying to learn playing guitar. my dad learned me this exercise because my finger tips couldnt reach the highest snare. Now 9 years later im gonna try to learn playing again ;)

[@drjay927]

Taught*

[@TokyoBlue587]

Justin, your video beginner course is helping me, and your music theory course is great

[@michaelchappell6570]

Great lesson Justin, I am always doing Finger Gym in different formats but this is good doing the power Notes and Pull Offs and making sure the thumb is where it should be behind the fret Board. I often do this in front of the TV so that I always have a guitar with me..I'm one of your customers and will be buying some stuff shortly..Happy New Year 2019 to you and family..

[@sindollface]

I need a lot of work on 1 & 4 . Can’t do them in the correct fret. But I didn’t think I’d ever reach 3 frets & I have. I have faith these little hands will stretch more!

[@gibbanna7933]

This is exactly what I was looking for. Thank you

[@Tiggzg]

This was so helpful. Thanks

[@DonChillum]

This is by far the best finger workout I´ve found, I can really feel the tendons in my wrist all worked up and it feels SOOOO GOOOD. Thought I used my pinky enough, tried to hammer on, horrible result, keept trying SLOWLY with your video going on in the background and made improvement in 5 minutes. Wow, thank you

[@blackopsbro]

Thanks Justin! You are the man!

[@Sk3tchey]

I'll be truthful that I thought this exercise was a little bullshit at first. but after a week of doing it to see if it would help in anyway, I went from my pinky being locked straight to being able to bend freely (though not accurately), I think another week and I'll have almost complete control over it, thanks Justin, don't know why I doubted you!

[@mukhtarhussain2659]

this is something i was looking for. great job

[@PoorGurlGaming]

my pinky finger is useless

[@vfwarlordforever9589]

pancake It feels like that doesnt it? At least initially. You have to keep working at it .

[@thulomanchay]

My pinky has a mind of its own. Its straightens up, when the other fingers are playing, so it has a long way to go when its turn comes.

[@Destructo209]

My pinky has a mind of it's own as well just bought a guitar about a week ago and I feel my pinky will never be useful

[@cadagerardo.8794]

just cut it then

[@HuntersMoon78]

My pinky wants to tuck itself out the way and at this stage it's so weak

[@debbiecurry8900]

Thank you! Finally someone I understand :)

[@Canabai]

You should add the 1 and 5 stretch to the list. Also add 1-3-5 to the triplets. Nice add for practicing hammer-ons and pull-offs otherwise.

[@zaxapitsa]

my hand feels super fly, thanx!

[@cltcwarrior1]

Will certainly be giving this a go, thanks Justin.

[@cltcwarrior1]

Excellent exercise, Justin. Thank you for this.

[@bars8965]

It really helps me a lot my gf is so happy because mg finger performs well. Stronger than it was before.

[@Rude-Bird]

Kyle bruh😂😂😂

[@jolox.]

Great exercises! I've been playing for over 50 years and this is so useful! Yes, as others have alluded below, the pinky is the weak link. Any ideas or specific vitamins that will beef the little guy up? I guess these exercises will help. Thanks for the video. You got a new subscriber! Can't wait to see your other videos!

[@justinguitar]

A pinky workout perhaps? www.justinguitar.com/guitar-lessons/pinky-workout-b2-907 | LievenDV | JustinGuitar Official Assistant

[@melecity]

So helpful! Thank you!

[@justinguitar]

Glad it was helpful Mindy and thanks for the super thanks. Cheers 😊

[@robnilapple]

Thanks

[@justinguitar]

Thanks for the thanks 😊

[@Micktech88]

Awesome so excited to try this just what I needed thank u

[@mjb9455]

The third finger is being HILARIOUS!

[@jai5812]

Starts at 3:30

[@anastasialesko3139]

thank you!!

[@jai5812]

Run through all 2 finger combinations at 7:00

[@doroteaarango7841]

awesome advice for fingers, thank you!

[@guacamolegoblin]

im doing this for barre chords

[@nuhaadavis8519]

index- good middle- good ring- good pinkie- who do u even know here?

[@lovelyoatmeal5846]

man i love you justin, thank you

[@get_downed_boi6270]

I thought Justin was kidding when he was like ay chill on this one

[@guitarbalaji]

I was so confused about the flick-off exercise on how to pull-off and not play the adjacent note - But it suddenly occurred to me that Justin might be actually muting the adjacent strings with one of his other fingers!!

[@jantradaach.4996]

the flick off with pinky is especially challenging, and it does make my arm and hand sore

[@SmiteSpainAndMore]

Just don't stop practicing, it takes time and patience.

[@MrVinylment]

Very well done, thanks for sharing it.

[@bulzah]

combine this and minimum movement exercise and u will get perfect smooth legato

[@diwakartechie1581]

Thanks Justin for sharing convenient information.. Keep it up dear.. Thanks again

[@Nektar.]

i have trouble barring chords with my pinky finger and ring finger so ill be practicing this method

[@V21IC]

My guitar do not have an electric pickup so the hammer on and pull off don't sound off much past 2 frets

[@Virag100ni]

Very Helpful Finger Exercise.. Thx Sir

[@jrviade85]

What we came for starts at 3:08 You're welcome