Technique: Minimum Movement Exercise (Guitar Lesson IM-114) How to play IF Stage 1

[@0mik3mik3]

3 years have passed since I first tried this tehnique. My little finger remained a rebel to this day.

[@Zarphag]

Any better now?

[@chriscooke109]

After years of playing I am finally addressing my poor technique and bad habits; in 2 months of using proper form my playing has improved substantially; this is to the extent that the last 4 years of playing if I recorded myself at the start and then the end playing the same piece it would barely be noticeable in comparison to if I had done the same for the last 2 months. To be fair I haven't taken playing seriously for most of my time playing, due to (putting it bluntly) being a lazy bastard. I have now lost interest in gaming as my main way of spending my spare time, apart from the occasional gungame match on csgo, and am doing what I should have done years ago by properly dedicating myself to playing guitar; now I have got the ball properly rolling I have got the excitement back that I had in those first couple of years after getting my first guitar. Thanks for the tips and advice you allow us to access for free, you are a wonderful person that I wish nothing but good things for!

[@tumbi97]

Never noticed until I tried this, but my pinky has a mind of its own..

[@fismajmuni]

I thought I was stupid or something because of my pinky...good to see I am not the only one who is struggling :D

[@opodrera]

For me it helps to leave the pinky slightly streched. But I'm still struggling too

[@siddharthmanumusic]

OMG my pinky just wants to stand out after every string change!

[@easyquest4024]

@@opodrera and tq

[@mirageandmidasfunksouldisc4140]

I've found it really useful combining this lesson with the one where you use minimum pressure on the strings. It makes for really fluid playing.

[@adrianfytr35]

Thanks for this video,I was about to smash my pinky off with a hammer because it keeps going off the fret board lol. Well not really but it's incredibly frustrating. I'm subscribing to your channel.

[@nubbubnub]

minimum movement? yes thats my life philosophy

[@horatio118]

Wow the improvement is actually quite marked even in 5 minutes. Definitely going to keep this in my excercise routine for a long time to come.

[@jameshansing5396]

I've been playing on and off for years now - The guitar collection is way better than my ability - but only had lessons as a kid, self taught other than that. These lessons are really helping me get some more in depth skill, precision and understanding. Thank you. :)

[@EzyoMusic]

Very helpful! I actually decided to really work on this while playing the mandolin. Bluegrass requires some crazy fast picking, so I have to do all I can to even come close to those speeds.

[@madmiller]

Thanks for the lesson! your lessons are ones of best out there!

[@robino0821]

This maybe the single most helpful tip I ever receive as a beginner. Thank you! (Now subscribed.)

[@FalseNomen]

This is a very important lesson-I've realized my fingers are really 'flying' as you call it, and that's a lot of wasted movement. Thanks.

[@serenadesilhout]

It looks so simple yet it's super hard starting out.

[@Ferretclaw444]

yeah

[@subwoofer7302]

Peter Martins Dude it’s been 6 years I don’t think he’s gonna respond

[@serenadesilhout]

@@subwoofer7302 you think? Lol KZbin notifications have changed so many times, lol

[@serenadesilhout]

@Peter Martins I had decided to focus on focusing on the piano. The guitar was my third instrument but its all muscle memory

[@serenadesilhout]

@Peter Martins The guitar is definitely the more challenging for me because it is a lot of muscle memory. I wanted to practice with my acoustic but its stuck at my home in miami

[@raghav28489]

My Pinky is a flying fuck!

[@ibropwns]

man, it fuckin itches me while im trying to keep that fucker close to the fretboard

[@DanLokar]

This was the perfect lesson.. Short, Well explained, Direct.. This is how all the guitar lessons should be.

[@stabber63]

holy hell haha. I've been using flying fingers like the whole time! Thanks Justin, you're the best dude

[@tonnnn86]

This is solid, after playing for a good 9 years or so with "wandering fingers", it's impossible to keep the little finger staying down! This should be lesson 1, along with the scale for any new guitar player, as boring as it seems.

[@61Philemon]

I uesed this lesson also for different purpose. When I play some difficult piece of music, I use to get better with proactise. But there are limits, some chord changes never really work. SO as with "everything she does is magic". Okay, her ist what I have learnde from Justin's lesson. I played the chord changes in slow motion, looked at my fingers and tried for about 10 minutes to reduce finger movement. After this I played the song as usual and guess what, it gets better!!

[@maze9189]

This makes me feel a bit better, I'm glad to know I'm not the only one who has a pinky that just won't agree for shit.

[@DrZiplock]

"It's a lot harder than it looks" Boy, you weren't kidding. I've never felt in less control of my fingers in my life. It seems like no matter how much I will it otherwise my fingers will just wander off on their own like misbehaved children whenever they feel like it!

[@tung93i]

Justin: Quite possible your G Major Scale looks something like this. Me: This guy just read my mind and future. 100% same mistake 😂

[@BouvierLovesDesrosie]

Now that you mentioned it, I noticed that my pinky is all over the place. The other fingers are just fine but the pinky will need some more training. Thanks!

[@UtzChips2009]

@NeutralNewt Thanx! Your direction took me stra8 2 the website & it's almost exactly what I have been doing & it's getting better. My variation of the exercise is to leave the index finger planted on the string, try & keep the other 3 a consistent distance of the string & lower 1 finger, without raising the 2 unvoluntarily, playing the note, then raising the finger & placing the next one, going up and down. It's getting better, but it's slow progress. It gets harder with the 4th ,5th, 6th string

[@aryanruizaki]

And it is all totally free, no bull. No sample lessons, no memberships, no free ebook. Just tons of great lessons :)

[@Powerslider]

Holy smokes, this is difficult!! Been doing it wrong for 12 years. Hard to change the habbit. i think ill make 5 hours out of those 5 minutes lol!! Great lessons! Ill stick to this channel!!! Thanks Justin!!!!

[@MaximillianCallender]

I had been thinking for some time why my middle finger is always 'in the air' and while I was practising my scales I noticed that it happens when I play things quickly. It's funny that just after I had noticed this thing, I found THIS video!

[@himanshuvora1980]

Thanks Justin, you are covering very trivial things or mistakes to upgrade guitar playing. Like how to move fingers.. Awesome.

[@UtzChips2009]

@naughtywarth I do not believe you're making that statement after having practiced at least 5 minutes a day for 2 weeks. The reason I say that, is because I am 56 years old, felt the same way you did & now can do the Gmaj scale at 208 bpm without feeling pressured. That is HUGE for me, because when I first started, I didn't think I'd ever gain control of my pinky. I have a long way to go, however, I can remember having trouble doing 144 bpm just once & down the scale without error.

[@iltavolino8302]

big problem - very good lesson. I fight to solve it and I think it works. For me a bit easier: play c major scale at the 8th fret... Thanks a lot Justin for all the really good lessons...

[@Will-Yin]

Hey Justin, take a look at this video. v=fregObNcHC8 Krist Novoselic is playing a scale if I'm not wrong and his fingers are quite obviously flying all over the place. You can get a clear look around 2:00. It seems to work for him so why is this important again?

[@MiguelSanchez-cl4di]

ive been struggling with the floating pinky too but what helped me out along with this video is moving my wrist as i played down and up the fretboard, you can see justin doing it too. you kinda just gotta barely move it as you play and keep your thumb in one spot... before my forearm/wrist was really tight because i was focusing so hard on not letting my pinky float

[@ayypapi9857]

Moving your wrist as you play up and down?? Please elaborate, my pinky is going wild and I'm frustrated. Also, how long did it take you to calm your pinky lol.

[@NickHodge91]

There's a video by Kiko Loureiro called "The best exercise for a proper left hand technique" that suggests climbing the scale but not lifting any fingers off the note on the previous string until you need it for the next string (if that makes sense, just look up the video) but it's really helping me keep my pinky from flying away

[@UtzChips2009]

@wintersnowman Probably isn't important if you can play 288 notes per minute, cleanly, without any mistakes. Can you? Krist isn't playing anywhere near that fast and when you're playing notes as slowly as he is in that song, it doesn't much matter, so long as you hit the notes cleanly. Slash shows how it's done properly. Search Slash Max Sessions By the Sword. Starts around 3:35 I think. Has several other songs in that concert also. NOTE: Justin is recommending .5 centimeters, aprox 3/16 inch.

[@zemog630]

Great lesson on how to keep from having fingers flying around. Thanks!

[@wolf69a]

Nice, thanks for the lesson, i will practice this weekend

[@xGshikamaru]

I have the same issue, but found out it’s because of the stretch between the frets, maybe try that higher on the neck, because the scale doesn’t really matter, try starting 7th fret instead of 3rd because it’s much easier at this position.

[@Stinky5537]

Another great tip Justin cheers

[@evgeniy_moscow_gooner]

Great point!!!

[@fabivs]

Your are the best person of the world

[@benjiorus]

congratulations for your videos, and thanks!

[@LumaMusga]

Thank you Justin

[@bartekms]

I wish I had seen this lesson earlier. 'Flying fingers' are one of my biggest errors while playing, hope I'll get rid of them after playing like that for 2 years...

[@UtzChips2009]

@NeutralNewt I saw your comment on Justin's lesson on minimum movement & have a question. I have short fingers. Index finger is a hair under 3 inches measured from between the middle finger to the tip & my pinky is 2 1/8 inches. I have a real BIG problem stretching out 4 frets & Justin makes it look easy, but his fingers do not look much longer than mine. Any tips or exercises you might know of would be greatly appreciated.

[@eliot468]

I never once thought about how much i moved my fingers off of the fretbord before. I didnt think i could improve when it came to simply playing a scale slowly but i still have a long way to go.

[@thomasraven]

I think this is the key for making it possible to use my little finger more easily for chording and faster leads. That said, this is one of the more difficult exercises I've ever tried, just because of that little finger. It honestly feels like the muscles in that finger are underdeveloped or disconnected in some way! Is this easier for some than for others due to their physical limitations or are those limitations simply imagined?

[@RafLovesMary]

wow i´ve been playing scales for so long but never focused on that. now i played five minutes like that and my finger ankles hurt :)

[@EDDIEJAMES238]

That is really good advice thanks

[@b5b9]

Is that a Fender Blues Junior tube-amp over your right shoulder? If so, can you tell me if you can expect to get a Jim Hall kind of a sound ( i.e. mellow jazz ) from that amp?

[@SazamiNara]

The problem with the little finger (pinky) is i think that it shares the muscles and tendons with the ring finger. So if you move your ring finger it could happen that you also move your pinky.

[@samljer]

This should be a lesson that was near the middle of the beginners course. its hard to get rid of flying fingers now that ive used it to get chord changes down. supplemental material "namely the min pent box shapes" etc.

[@goomba008]

samljer Aye. There's a lot of great advice in Justin's courses that in my opinion could go earlier. I always take a peek at lessons weeks/months before I'm actually there. For instance, in the beginner course, "Forcing the changes" and "Air changes" should go in like Stage 1 or 2. It's tough to break the habit of putting down fingers one at a time for chords I've found. Even right now I'm in the middle of the beginner stuff but I like to practice scales when my fingers are sore from doing chord changes and stuff. But I guess everybody's different.

[@deadfalcon2]

its impossible to keep my pinky half a centimeter from the board

[@waukschun]

I am good on all but my damn pinky. I can't keep it close. It keeps straightening out.

[@TheMightyDd]

The pinky is impossible to keep close to the strings for me

[@robino0821]

Are you still playing? How is it now?

[@hedisurfer]

My problem is that when I let my pinkie close to a string, this will mute the next string because it is a short finger, how can I do to make my pinkie reach low strings ? Thank you :)

[@Newwaver2007]

Thank's man, I'll try this :) who knows it will work for me.

[@Doc92IDH]

Anyone got any advice? I just can't seem to stop my little finger from lifting when I'm pushing down with the others, or when I'm moving strings, and when I go slow they won't stay still! Is it just a case of keep going and try not to throw your guitar at a wall, or is there any tricks that help?

[@JasonLaRayKeener]

Cannot wait for Nitsuj to feel our pain.

[@maze9189]

My pinky keeps locking straight as soon as i dont need it after the A string in the minor pentatonic scale for example im finding it very hard to break that habit

[@jefferyakathedude]

Funny. I didn't even know I had a "flying finger" problem until you showed it!

[@sudinstevevai]

OF course, teaching the world to play.

[@kirchoff4733]

Your flying finger demonstration was hilarious. For some reason I had to laugh.

[@MrNotYet1]

I came here to comment about my pinky flying around even if I concentrate, but it seems like I'm not the only one :D

[@alone66666]

how is that helping in high speed? i mean controlling your fingers at 1 note per 50 bpm is one thing, but is it going to help at 4 notes per 120bpm?

[@analogshooter]

Where do you buy pinkyglue? My pinky is absolutely uncontrollable . But it looks like i'm not the only person with that problem 😄

[@srgriffiths1973]

I'm gonna murder my pinky!! Damn that's hard. Great lesson. Justin the DON...

[@cobracarg]

@deadfalcon2 thats because you have been using bad technique since you have started playing, therefore your fingers got used to the bad technique... its takes many months, maybe years, to correct the bad technique you have used.

[@deathmetallica2nd]

my fingers shiver while concentrating so slow and thats the main cause for loosing control...i smoke too i know thats one reason for it can any1 tel a good solution?

[@dangducben]

Oh man, you're damn great. Thanks God I found u today.

[@MCDreng]

My pinky is flying so much it could start an airline.

[@Mustaine1ify]

I've had this problem for a while and it's a pig to correct. What seems to be working for me is just concentrating on my Index and pinky first ( say 5 and 8 frets) seems to be working but it's tough going. Oh well keep practicing

[@khairulridzuan6286]

Turn on the subtitles and you will lol reading the introduces part

[@raghav28489]

+Khairul Ridzuan Just in Santa came here xD

[@WashbearAlert]

didnt realised this, very hard lesson

[@macacodorado]

i feel you mate.

[@TheMetalchord]

thank's, man

[@SeamusMcMichael]

How much do you practice each stage? Until you've mastered it? (Stupid question, I know)

[@josahell]

WOW I've playing guitar for almost 15 years, and I have JUST realized the reason I SUCK. It's like you said Justin, if you learn it wrong, you will carry that mistake for years and years, look at me.

[@Jambo363636]

Yes, Intermediate lessons :D

[@Chamill93]

i bursted out laughing when you showed the wrong way with the flying fingers :D

[@SteveSegore]

Does anyone have problem with a middle finger that sort of "stands at attention" when playing almost all of the pentatonic scales. I can't get it to come down to the fretboard regardless of taking off tension. . I'm new to you tube subscriptions. Will I be alerted when there is a specific answer to my concern. Thanks in advance to anyone who could help me. - Steve, Albany, NY, USA

[@therealhardscoper1628]

"It's quite possible your G major scale looks something like this" I feel attacked

[@PoorGurlGaming]

i have flying fingers

[@luckizt]

i've got them all under control except for the pinky. the little just won't stay down. thats what she said.

[@christianwibowo6420]

gosh its so hard to do :(

[@JeanGarciaFilms]

THIS IS SO FRUSTRATING O.O, its like maan i should be able to have control over my fingers!... ill be back ina week tell u how its going

[@ComandaKronikk]

how did it go?

[@Tom-op8yi]

I think it went great after 5 years of practice

[@ChrisCross2014]

Did it get better or did you give up?

[@colombobogota]

He's a big boy!

[@nicedog1]

Just cant seem to keep the little finger down!

[@UtzChips2009]

@NeutralNewt Yes! Actually, I can spread out 4 frets 2-5 on the 1st 3 strings, it's the last 3 that are the hardest. So, I'm practicing on the 1st 3 strings 4 the time being. When I 1st stumbled upon Justin's lesson & tried it, I cursed him 4 showing me how bad I was! My pinky wouldn't sit still. It was if it was epileptic. I was shocked how just 2 hrs practice, broken down into 5-10 minute exercises could improve it so much. Still have a long way to go. Check with me in a year =)

[@JasonLaRayKeener]

Well, it was 9 years ago. How'd you do?

[@PamsGoingOnRightNow]

My little finger is worthless! I´m gonna try, but i really have some trouble with that little guy.

[@AhmadMakari]

3 minutes after trying this exercise: chopped my pinky off. Much less movement.

[@gelloyangsteryang6481]

lmao

[@gergelygyeviszabo1177]

the audio is more loud on the right channel.

[@The-Goonie-666]

Some of my fingers (especially the 5th one) really lift off the fret board much more as they should and even when practicing veeeeery slowly I catch them doing so... I think it will be pain in the ass to get rid of that behaviour xD

[@tuna22lm]

I can't even get my individual fingers to line up with the appropriate fret to begin with in a straight line across the fret board.

[@karbonesh]

I love you

[@aldiabdillah6879]

1:06 My God... True Story bro.. hahaha :'D

[@TheIronEnforcer]

@IsaacIsMopped My pinky is my only problem too

[@CrazySnake1066]

How much do I suck! This never even occurred to me. Donation to the website forthcoming :)

[@Win7ermu7e]

ugh. Like 30 years of off and on mediocre guitar playing and didn't notice my fingers coming an inch and a half away from the fretboard.

[@jeffiswright]

My pinky finger is possessed!

[@deadfalcon2]

@frwyguy that too

[@SilverContrail]

My ring finger is twitching like mad....holy crap, this is going to be hell.