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Duncanpup

(13,740 posts)
Sun Jun 2, 2024, 01:12 PM Jun 2024

I cannot get my fingers to work in hammer-ons

I was teaching this young man who comes for lessons no charge at Duncanpup school of hey let’s Jam. I was teaching him diminished or major 7 or 9 and minor 7 yet where I was trying to take this 11 year old future virtuoso is pull offs and hammer-ons.

He said I can’t get my pinky or his ring finger to cooperate on pull offs or hammer-on he is just a great kid.
And he is a pleasure to work with and he always makes my day him and his mom left awhile ago he is great kid.

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I cannot get my fingers to work in hammer-ons (Original Post) Duncanpup Jun 2024 OP
Spider crawl warmups.... Docreed2003 Jun 2024 #1
First you feed your dog a championship MOMFUDSKI Jun 2024 #2
Good On You ProfessorGAC Jun 2024 #3
Yep. (n/t) OldBaldy1701E Jun 2024 #6
I like the name of your music school. 🙂 Diamond_Dog Jun 2024 #4
Easier on a banjo, with lighter action 4dog Jun 2024 #5
Pinky and ring fingers share tendons and muscles duckworth969 Jun 2024 #7
Chris Thile is awesome! ShazzieB Jun 2024 #8
I do finger exercises every time I play guitar for 5-10 min. Eko Jun 2024 #9
Pumping Nylon by Scott Tennant retread Jun 2024 #10
 

MOMFUDSKI

(7,080 posts)
2. First you feed your dog a championship
Sun Jun 2, 2024, 01:17 PM
Jun 2024

breakfast and then a walk. Now you are teaching a young man the fine art of music. Wow. I’m starting to think you may just be a good guy.

ProfessorGAC

(70,318 posts)
3. Good On You
Sun Jun 2, 2024, 01:53 PM
Jun 2024

I haven't taught guitar or piano in a long time. Now that I'm retired, I probably should be given I have plenty of time.
Keep up the good work.
One suggestion: give him a reason to use the pinky more. Simple stuff like playing D at the 7th fret (3rd & 4th strings) using the pinky on the 10th.
Still just a D chord but requires that pinky to stretch & apply some force. Just don't hit the low E string.

duckworth969

(966 posts)
7. Pinky and ring fingers share tendons and muscles
Sun Jun 2, 2024, 03:50 PM
Jun 2024

So, it’s not possible to completely separate their work.

Pinky hammer-ons are tough, pull-offs in general are hard to play cleanly.

I find playing scales from the top note to the bottom note can help. Forces you to lead with the pinky.

The mandolin player Chris Theile (sp?) recommends as a strengthening exercise to lead every scale or melody with the ring finger, even it means more shifting than usual.

Or don’t use the first and second finger at all! 😳

https://youtube.com/shorts/02NQ2UdSH-M?si=vQ0XFaN1qWZ3qOv4

ShazzieB

(18,856 posts)
8. Chris Thile is awesome!
Sun Jun 2, 2024, 04:56 PM
Jun 2024

Don't feel bad - you almost got the spelling perfect, and it's a very unusual name. But anyway....he is an absolutely amazing mandolin player, so I'm sure his advice is good.

I just watched the video, and wow...I swear that man has magic fingers!

Eko

(8,576 posts)
9. I do finger exercises every time I play guitar for 5-10 min.
Sun Jun 2, 2024, 08:04 PM
Jun 2024

I start on the low e 1st fret and fret it with my 1st finger play that and keep it down then low e 2nd fret 2nd finger play that and keep moving up using the 3rd then 4th then I move and do the same thing on the a string then d string all the way up and then back down keeping my fingers down when ascending. A harder one is the same thing but you keep your fingers down at all time till you need it so when you get to the a string your 2nd, 3rd, and 4th finger are still on the e string on the 2,3, and 4th fret and stay there till you have to use the finger on the next string so when you go to the 2nd fret a string your 1st and 2nd fingers are on the 1st and 2nd frets of the a string while you 3rd and 4th fingers are still on the e string 3rd and 4th fret and keep going all the way up.

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