Stop Your Pinkie Finger From Flying Away On Guitar

[@tomhessmusiccorp]

How long have you been trying to fix a flying pinky finger (or other fretting hand fingers)?

[@udayanmustafi3963]

🎸

[@VaGdude]

People don’t understand how IMPORTANT this video is

[@johns1159]

I've been playing guitar all wrong for over 50 years. It will be extremely difficult to reprogram my brain, but I must try.

[@cmsima]

The BEST video on left hand technique - especially the section on “intent”. That alone has fundamentally changed how I play the guitar … for the better.

[@marisolcastro1219]

I tried saying " play relax" and the switch in my head and my finger was immediately, awesome!!! It blows my mind!! TY!!

[@ssm445]

The hint about just letting go instead of actively trying to get the pinky off the board is just plain gold. Tom is the best guitar technique teacher on KZbin, and there are many good ones.

[@jedisentinel1499]

He is the best. It’s obvious he loves to teach!

[@kwarunner]

Thanks Tom. I've been trying to fix my flying pinky finger for years. The fix seems so simple now. When you said "play, relax", that did it.

[@tomhessmusiccorp]

Great to hear! :)

[@RatFace_MonkeyEar_FishEye]

The engage / disengage thing is pretty similar to what we do when typing. We don’t tell our fingers to move off the key right we just relax them. Genius move there, sir. Thank you

[@BryanGrigsby]

This is fantastic. I have been working on increasing my alternate picking for some time, and finally realized it's not my picking hand that's slow, it's my fretting hand that's acting inefficiently. These are great technique tips.

[@MARLONdaman]

Revolutionary teaching! TEACH NOW!

[@brittgardner2923]

Thanks for this video. I have been drilling to fix this problem for two months, and had hit a point where I just could not reduce the issue any further. I came into this video looking for another drill that might help me make some incremental improvement, but this turned out to be far more useful. I had everything right but the neurological aspect of it. Hand position was good, no excess tension, wasn't keeping my hand closed. It was almost entirely that I was thinking too much about releasing the note. Just spent an hour doing the same drills I already had been, but making a conscious effort to just relax that finger instead of trying to actively pull it away. I am not even kidding when I say that in that one hour, I noticeably improved my speed and fluidity on every single one of those drills.

[@razorNeel]

This video literally told me to rewire my brain and it is actually the best tip I've got. I've been only playing for about 8 months and this video has given me the best tip so far.

[@boards80]

Wow that knuckleline change made stretching across the frets like 30% easier in seconds. This was fantastic

[@swampyuk]

I've seen plenty of videos saying 'take it slow', 'train your pinky to never move more than half an inch from the fretboard' but I haven't seen folks talking about the message from the brain: play/relax rather than deliberately moving the finger away from the fretboard. Essential stuff.

[@mickleyden9240]

Great vid. Tom also has his guitar neck nice and high - almost classical guitar style. That really helps the angle at which the hand addresses the fretboard and keeps the arm relaxed.

[@anilsia1962]

Great lesson, brother.

[@paulcox6566]

Thanks for this brilliant video. I still have terrible flying fingers, but using your suggestions, particularly switching brain to on or off, plus relaxing fingers seems to be helping already.

[@jackeylin4076]

I managed to get rid of the flying finger for the first time by changing the signal of the brain. I put all 4 fingers at 0.5cm above the frets as default off position, when playing, it turns the on, when not playing, finger release to its off position. I think I might be able to get rid of my problem within a month. Millions of thanks, master.

[@Jazman342]

This is so me. Tension has always been one of my biggest problems and having just come here from the "how to hold a pick" video, I'm already getting somewhere. Both videos were more than worth the price of the $7 download and there's enough there to keep me busy for a while so thank you. I may be back in the future for a lesson plan.

[@clydespaulding5826]

Incredible video! This helps immensely and makes perfect sense. I'm recovering from a stroke, so my brain has been doing a lot of rewiring and I understand this well. Thank you so much for the info in your video.

[@anncraig6380]

So glad I happened across this video at this point in my playing. Exactly the kind of detailed information I need. Thank you for taking the time to explain important technique details like this.

[@tobiusmanning7336]

I have been doing exercises for a couple weeks, was feeling frustrated so I looked up a couple videos, and your explanation about the switch nailed it. I have been trying to lift my finger only a couple mm's and been stressing my hand to do so, causing my hand/fingers/arm/shoulder to tighten. It was seeming impossible, I've only spent 5-10 mins on it, but it feels more natural and i am being more successful. It will take time, but thank you.

[@markustheguitarist]

Thanks Tom, you just solved my flying fingers problem. I'm so grateful to you and your lessons. They are helped me, and many other guitar players, alot!

[@beerbeer8703]

Thank you. You made playing a lot easyer and faster for me. 👍🏻

[@MaxRadin]

Good advice. I've also heard to keep the elbow of your fretting hand close to your body.

[@dharmendrathacker165]

Superb superb Sir ! The very basic stuff you have taught very microscopically is superb 👍 and must be understood thoroughly and followed by the beginners so as to perfect the guitar playing ! Thank you soooooo much Sir for such a lovely Tutorial dealing with technical problem in Guitar 🎸 playing. God bless you and your family and your team so much. You have really gone far deep into the nature of and solving the problem ! Voooow !!!

[@papajerrytv8315]

Tom you are a genius. I knew there were ways to train your brain to connect with your fingers and the guitar but I didn’t know where to find this information. Oh, and by the way, thanks for solving my flyaway pinky it was my knuckle alignment.👍

[@nobullziggster4070]

OK I am truly amazed at the Hands ability and brain to make the connection in order to play.

[@arisgazetas2920]

Thanks Tom, the timing of this lesson couldn’t have been better! Been currently trying to improve pinky laziness 🙏

[@tomhessmusiccorp]

Great to hear, Aris! :)

[@jenniferthomson849]

Do U practice internal wing Chun. Cos really good

[@hashishen.palestino]

Great video! the explanation was perfectly concise i recognize the importance and simplicity way more now

[@intensefitnesslb1801]

I'm new to learning guitar (seriously learning) and REALLY focused on self-correcting bad technique now, in my first few months. I really appreciate this in-depth lesson. I have I guess what I'd consider a "moderate" problem with my pinky going up about 3/4 inch while running scales. Anatomically, I just don't see how I can keep my pinky knuckle parallel with the fret board. It's definitely at an angle, but I am working hard to adopt the relaxation and brain messaging techniques you provided. Thanks again!

[@alanhardwick9694]

I love the logical scientific explanation you have produced in this video. It makes perfect sense now. Many thanks. PS I have subscribed and intend checking your other videis out

[@hardtruthsoldier]

After so many years of not playing guitar I returned to play, and your lesson´s are so awesome und well explained that I´m pretty sure that my guitar play will be better then anything I have done before. You are truly my hero and saviour! Btw I tried to make an account on your site but it failed due to the captcha sadly...after 20 tries I stopped.

[@tomhessmusiccorp]

Glad I could help! :) About the website, please email Alexander at [e-mail] and let him know what issues you encountered with the captcha, he'll help you.

[@deansayers7435]

Tom you are totally awesome I've yet to see anyone come close to how good your lessons and advice are...bravo

[@HeadHOod20]

Wow thank you for the 3rd point, WOW.

[@user-kj1ql9dk3n]

Good explanation.

[@TheBanana93]

Im pretty sure this is a huge factor in my wrist pain issues which is the ulnar which is below the pinky.... honestly been so frustrating hopefully this helps!

[@marcell9437]

this video really helped me with the basic understanding of the problem.

[@MiketheNerdRanger]

Thanks a bunch for the lessons, but two big questions: 1) Whenever I align my knuckles parallel to the neck, it *really* hurts my elbow and wrist. Is it supposed to feel this bad, or can this be mitigated? 2) When I tell my fingers to relax, they *still* fly too far from the board. Not as far anymore, but still too far. I'm not pulling them away, I just stop pressing the string. Do I actively reign them in, or do they move closer as I practice this? I know I'm supposed to practice this before I get better, but I don't want to ingrain errors, or worse, injure myself.

[@nogbadthebad2609]

Really great lesson Tom. I have this issue and my hand cramps up. Made me think about the fretting hand in a totally different way. I will be applying this. Thank you.

[@tomhessmusiccorp]

My pleasure, and glad it helped!

[@heatherjackson920]

Wow, amazing video.

[@jenniferthomson849]

It also helps the wrists I had that problem and starting to get bad tendent problems.

[@Marcelomedeiros76]

Very interesting! Excelent explanation!

[@tunefunds]

love your lessons man... i'm getting into jazz guitar and this is so incredibly useful in terms of getting good technique and ergonomics

[@drheroodoo]

tom you are great i really appreciate you and your knowledge.thank you

[@johnvaras1742]

Easily the most helpful video

[@yoloswagginsguitar]

I have been stuck with this problem for a while...I play tech death and always felt a little something was sloppy, now I know why. I'm practicing suuuuuper slowly like 50 bpm focusing on not raising the pinky up...let's hope I can succeed

[@joemoore4803]

This video is why I subscribed. Thank you so much Tom

[@markcummings1319]

This guy is the bomb!

[@scottreading]

Great video Tom...thank you!! What sort of exercises would you recommend to help this?

[@tomhessmusiccorp]

Use any exercises you are already practicing, Scott. Simply practice them while focusing on all the principles I laid out in the video.

[@TheRoseCityRockers]

Fantastic video. I have this problem too, thought it was just me.

[@tomhessmusiccorp]

Glad it helped Jimmy!

[@דןשדה]

Amazing Tom

[@chikung]

This is very interesting and enlightening but I think I might be an exception :-) My pinky is very small compared to my annular and, if I do for example 3-4-3, I have to commit so much for my 4 to cover my 3 that it is impossible to do without a certain tension. If I just let the 4 drop naturally, it does not reach the string and goes under! Consequently, once I've managed to apply my 4 after 3, I've committed so much that it is impossible to release it without a certain contrary effort. I've tried all sorts of way to fight this to a point where I busted my pinky. I'm really beginning to think that I have a very low technical limit on the guitar even if I've played for decades! Just ventilating here ha ha Still glad there are people like you and thanks alot.

[@tonyred...]

Great advices great lesson

[@gustavo.dracul]

Hello, Tom! This was a great video. My question is: And when the problem is the opposite? the fingers are too close to the strings and end up bumping when played fast

[@mikephilippov8735]

Great video on an important topic. Thanks Tom Hess!

[@tomhessmusiccorp]

My pleasure!

[@A20Y11]

Perfect solution!

[@tomhessmusiccorp]

:)

[@tartarusdivision1054]

10/10 glad i ran into this

[@malegria9641]

I just realized that one of the reasons I’ve been struggling so hard is that when I first bought a guitar I also bought elastic hand trainers that basically forced my pinky to be splayed 😅 bad muscle memory

[@MichaelGrecoGuitar]

Thank yoinks much for these helpful tips. I’ve never struggled with my pinky, but I’ve developed some bad habits recently. The whole brain signal things makes so much sense. Thanks for the tips. Cheers from Philly

[@gitaristenegitarskole9104]

This is a great lesson! I know so many people out there struggling with the topic of this video! Thanks for sharing this :)

[@tomhessmusiccorp]

My pleasure, glad you enjoyed it! :)

[@HarbingerOfAnarchy]

Mike Philippov advises using a non-parallel grip when playing the first three strings. What is your opinion on this?

[@neilmurphy7594]

For me, the entire cause of pinkie flyaway was cause #4: pressing too hard with my index finger. That's it. A lighter touch with the index finger completely eliminated pinkie flyaway.

[@renejohnkerkdyk5006]

Excellent video! The four causes of the flying fingers are super clear. Thank you, Tom Hess!

[@tomhessmusiccorp]

My pleasure, Rene, glad it helped!

[@cesartalves]

To be more technical: you don't need your extension muscles to lift the fingers - only relax the flexor of your pinky. Is that it? 🙃 That's one of the first lesson piano players learn! An edge case is when your fingers'd block another finger - like the pinky blocking the ring one - then you need to tell that extenson to lift the finger ever so slightly?

[@tomhessmusiccorp]

Yes, correct about not needing your extension muscles to lift the fingers (when playing on a single string at least. Obviously you need to extend your fingers somewhat when moving from string to string).

[@stvspr1129]

Thank you sir.

[@puppie569]

My god, I've been playing guitar for close to 15 years (started in middle school) and I've always had this problem

[@michaelvarney.]

Four factors for foiling forever flailing flying fingers finally found…

[@rodelfsaldivar]

Thanks for sharing..

[@johndavids4780]

I am a beginner. A very old beginner looking for a new challenge in retirement. In your open hand technique I find that the pads of my fingers tent to mute accompanying strings where the tips of my fingers don't. How do I use the open hand and get the tips of my fingers on the string? Or ... am I missing something?

[@johannesdebeer]

How do you keep the knuckle line parallel when playing on the lower frets far from your body?

[@AnonymousRapper]

But I relax my pinkie n don’t recoil it then it’s touching the string n kinda muting it how do I fret a note on that string ? Plse help I really want this to work 😢

[@Alienxmilk]

Its actually insane how I just hacked my brain with something so simple.

[@henrygoleau]

My pinkie flies away only when I engage my 2nd (middle) finger. For example if I do scales on one string and apply finger 1, then 2, then 3 then pinkie, I have some control. When descending the scale, releasing pinkie, then ring finger, pinkie doesn't stray too much off the fretboard but as soon as I apply my 2nd finger it flies off 2 inches away from the fretboard it's been driving me nuts. So for me the middle finger and the pinkie are somewhat connected and not independent from one another.

[@rasndiz]

Sir is it the fact that in acoustic guitar we need to press the string with much power... Or is that I am an absolute beginner that is why having problems... And as a byproduct my fingers are hurting very much and automatically tension is being built up... The distance of string to fret board is more than 5 mm in my guitar... Some people say it is more than what's needed, that's why may be i need to press it with more power or am I being too much skeptical about things... Please help

[@19MadMike95]

My pinky doesn't fly up after I release a fret, it goes up when my ring finger presses down on a fret. How do I fix that? Is it different?

[@tomhessmusiccorp]

Follow the same steps I described in the video. Once you get the fundamentals in place - it's really all the same (your hand will be in a better position and more relaxed - making it easier to relax the pinkie).

[@qwertyzxcv123]

Shawn Lane and Nuno Bettencourt have the most aligned fingering hand that I ever saw. Yngwie Malmsteen too. However personally, I believe this technique is not applicable to all guitarists who have big hands and long fingers like Paul Gilbert, Steve Vai and the likes.

[@jamowallace]

Is that a Chapman guitar? A Tom Hess sig? Looks like an ML-1 with the neck from a V?

[@tomhessmusiccorp]

No, it's not. It's a custom Svet guitar a student gave to me years ago at one of my live events.

[@jamowallace]

@@tomhessmusiccorp superb, thanks for the reply and keep up the astounding work

[@dethmaidenfan]

My pinky just wants to curl up or slide under the fretboard. It’s driving me nuts and causing me to get frustrated with practicing because I can’t seem to make any progress

[@ryanrachal5458]

amazing

[@mattrickard3716]

did I just watch the most important guitar technique video on KZbin? Well, it looks like I have 30 years of bad habits to break.

[@guloguloguy]

..THE FINGERS SHOULD DEPRESS THE FRETTED STRING, ONLY, AS NEEDED, AND, THEN, "RETURN TO THE "OFF", ("UP") POSITION, BY THE NORMAL ACTION OF THE OPPOSING TENDONS, (AS WOULD HAPPEN, WITH A "MOMENTARY "ON" SWITCH,.. HELD DOWN, ("ON"), BY PUSHING DOWN, AGAINST A THE LIGHT PRESSURE OF, "RETURN SPRING".

[@jedisentinel1499]

Hi Tom, thanks for the lesson. My pinkie seems to fret the note fine when playing 1234 up the fretboard but loses power when leading off descending 4321. It seems to stick with the ring finger and moves with the ring finger when I don’t want it to. I’ve progressed enough where I’m playing Megadeth riffs but accuracy I’m still wrestling with. Is it a strength and flexibility problem?

[@vabriga1]

My problem is that my middle finger triggers the pinky. As soon as middle finger press the string the pinky is catapulted up. Seems hopeless.

[@oded2304]

What a wonderful lesson. Thanks Tom Hess!

[@tomhessmusiccorp]

My pleasure, glad you liked it Oded!

[@michaellanning5852]

Been trying to get my pinky to stop since 2012

[@alexsmart5452]

Reading the thumb nail I thought this was going to be some Robert Smith technique for using your pinky on the guitar.

[@Sinzbad]

Came for the video, stayed for the beard.

[@maxstirner8717]

This is great and all, but my pinky is two inches shorter than my middle finger, and 1 3/4" shorter than my ring finger. This makes it physically speaking, virtually inescapable.

[@haseenkumar3843]

That’s awesome ❤ nice sir 👍 no body share like this information ….. lots of reaspect ….. 🙏🌹

[@rjjrdq]

5. Ligaments, tendons. nature...

[@MyAteSpiders]

I call this the "Blues Finger"🤣🤣 Learning the basic pentatonic without modal knowledge causes that little bugger to hide away