Here are a few left handed guitar exercises that you can practice without actually plucking the guitar. They should help you with your dexterity and guitar technique. Guitar scales and arpeggio patterns are really good to practice but these two easy to learn left hand guitar exercises can specifically help your left hand.
Left Hand Guitar Exercise 1
Place all four fingers of your left hand on the first four frets of the the first string. Lift the four fingers and hop to the 2nd string first four frets all at once. Try to land squarely on the string for each finger. This is a hoping exercise to each of the strings. If you watch the video, it can help you get into a good left hand position.
Left Hand Guitar Exercise 2 – The Spider
The second left hand guitar exercise is called the spider. Try this exercise in the third position. The third position is when you are playing the notes on the 3rd fret with your first finger. Play the first finger on the 1st string, 3rd fret, then play the 2nd, 3rd, and 4th fingers on the 2nd string at the 4th, 5th, and 6th frets. Like the left hand guitar exercise #1 this is a hoping exercise of sorts.
Instead of moving all of the fingers at once, you move the first finger to the 3rd string, 3rd fret, then move the other three up to the 4th string, as a unit. Next the first finger touches the 5th string, 3rd fret and the three fingers go up to the 6th string. You come down on the same strings going up. The spider exercise is played 2 more times with a different finger starting on the 1sr string.
The second time lead out with the 2nd finger on the 1sr string, 4th fret, then the 1st, 3rd and 4th fingers play on the 2nd string at the 3rd, 5th, and 6th fret. Watching the video above should make it easier to understand.
Left Hand Guitar Exercise 3 – Table Tapping
This one I learned from a piano teacher, but it’s great for playing the guitar too. Place your curved finger on a table, with your wrist resting on the table. Now, pick up fingers 1 & 3, then fingers 2 & 4. Watch the video below to see how it’s done. It’s a very good coordination exercise.
Hope you enjoy these 3 little exercises.
JW Worship Guitar Class Lessons
Step-by-step guitar lessons for learning to play worship songs on your guitar. Click here for Christian Guitar Lessons.
Ms Jean: could you please tell me your guitar’s name in this video. thanks
Alfred, it’s a Martin steel string guitar. Model number inside the guitar says 000-15S.
Hi Jean,
Thanks for the practice tip for jumping with all four fingers and the spider.
Do you have a tip for keeping the tips of your fingers straight down on the strings, with the last joint bent?
I am practicing this exercise along with some others, and bit by bit I feel it is helping me with finger dexterity and accuracy.
Thank you so much for these pertinent exercises.
Don
Fantastic Don! Glad it’s helping. Having the palm of your hand closer to the fingerboard should help you get more of the tips of your fingers. More specifically, it’s closer to your knuckles, not the middle of your hand. Hope that helps.
God Bless, Jean