Musicians
Related: About this forumI 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 lets 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 cant 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.
Docreed2003
(17,852 posts)That will train those pesky ring and pinky fingers!
MOMFUDSKI
(7,080 posts)breakfast and then a walk. Now you are teaching a young man the fine art of music. Wow. Im starting to think you may just be a good guy.
ProfessorGAC
(70,318 posts)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.
OldBaldy1701E
(6,485 posts)Diamond_Dog
(35,002 posts)4dog
(522 posts)Do they still make silk-and-steel for guitars?
duckworth969
(966 posts)So, its 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 dont use the first and second finger at all! 😳
https://youtube.com/shorts/02NQ2UdSH-M?si=vQ0XFaN1qWZ3qOv4
ShazzieB
(18,856 posts)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)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.