training up your pinky finger
By Wario_1
@Wario_1 (965)
Sweden
February 17, 2008 7:53am CST
Ive recently started to learn how to play the guitar, and i almost instantly found ut what a major suckage my pinky finger is. The damn thing is to weak and just plain annoying, would love to hear any tips of how to strengthen up my pinky finger.
Since ive like strenghttraining alot, im testing a way to train my pinkey thinger. Ive taken a halv liter soda bottle and filled in around a little more than half full of water. Then i took a strap from a flash light and placed it around the neck of the bottle. The idea is that the pinky will be trained by it lifting the sodabottle by the strap, forcing the muscles to get stronger.
2 people like this
5 responses
@musicman6 (2407)
• United States
19 Feb 08
Well, I don't know if I would go to those extremes to strengthen up my pinky finger!
I think that if you just use it a lot, and use chords that utilize it a lot, and play for hours and hours on end, it would strengthen it, and improve your playing at the same time!
All of us have that little pinky weak, it's just natural, but we all use it a lot, ;and played a lot of chords that use it, and it will strengthen it before you know it!
@rackback (121)
• United States
22 Feb 08
I'd agree with the others. Playing is the best exercise for your hands. Especially if you practice the parts you're having problems with. I built up my pinky by playing some old blues and rock & roll riffs that used the pinky alot. But I don't think it was strength as much as my brain teaching my fingers to move independantly.
@HollywoodBarbi (618)
• United States
19 Mar 08
i know how that goes, when i first started playing the violin, my pinky started to hurt. i didn't even know my pinky could hurt. its amazing all the muscles in my hands the i normal didn't use.
i can only suggest flexing the pinky as much as possable. thats what i used to do. =]
@Pigglies (9329)
• United States
17 Feb 08
I had two guitar teachers that never liked all the strength training exercises for fingers and hands. So basically, I gained pinky strength through playing. Luckily, you don't have to use your right pinky as well for plucking the strings. Eventually, you're left pinky will gain strength through practicing with it on the guitar. I thought I'd never be able to do hammer ons and pull offs with my pinky, but now I can. The only thing I really can't fix with my pinky, is that occasionally it's movement is a bit jerky because it has been previously broken. But other than that, it's now not too bad to play with it.
@WebMann (4731)
• Canada
4 Mar 08
I have had fun getting my pinky to do what I want but at least I try. My guitar buddies just don't bother with it.
Because I play my G chord with my last three fingers instead of the usual first three fingers my pinky gets a lot of use and I am sure that is why I don't have a lot of trouble with it.
I have never heard of strength training the pinky though. I am teaching a couple of people how to play and maybe this technique could help them. Thanks
@hobodamon (2)
•
18 Mar 08
i suggest just playing i have the same problem except its with sweep picking but just play and it will get better
