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We will now start our focus on the fretting hand...we are trying to establish a solid foundation, and gain some dexterity, before we start learning our first tune.

Fretting Exercises

Make sure you're in a comfortable position to both flatpick and fret the neck simultaneously. We have established the importance of keeping rhythm with methodical down and upstrokes matching your tapping foot. We will now utilize the same exercise but incorporate our first G scale exercises.

In the follow exercise, each number represents a fret within the first four frets of your guitar.
Which finger to use follows:
First Fret: Index Finger (first finger)
Second Fret: Middle Finger (second finger)
Third Fret: Ring Finger (third finger)
Fourth Fret: Little Finger (fourth finger)

All of the following studies are played completely with all Downstrokes...we're focusing on learning to properly fret our instrument and do not need to make it more complicated by adding eighth notes. This is a great time to start learning how to read standard notation.

Notes: On the fourth fret of the first exercise below, shift to the fifth fret E string by moving your first finger up to this position...follow this by playing the seventh fret E string with the third finger and the eighth fret E string with the fourth finger. After playing the eighth fret with the little finger, you'll then follow this by going down to the third fret E string using your third finger. This is a difficult passage and will familiarize you with position shifts at an early stage of your guitar learning efforts.

Practice the above exercises until you are completely comfortable with fretting and picking simultaneously without hesitating between beats. Remember, these exercises are considered accomplished only if you're keeping an even tempo without losing a beat.

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