GUITAR WARM-UPS | giddy-guitarists

GUITAR WARM-UPS:

BASICS TO INTERMEDIATE

Now that you know how to play some basic guitar stuff, it's time to get you ready for some guitar warm-ups to get you ready to play some songs! There are many helpful warm-ups to guitar-playing, but here I'll be showing you guys some simple ones that are easy to learn. No pain and gain!

EXERCISE #1

So, let's start with the most simple warm-ups... in courtesy for those basic beginners out there: plucking each of the 6 strings 8 times using alternate picking. To do this, you need to know how to do alternate picking. It's just picking the string up and down, alternating the direction that you are plucking. This warm-up starts the habit of using alternate picking in order to play fast in intermediate and advanced guitar music. You will use alternate picking in most guitar pieces, by the way. Anyway, you alternate pick each guitar pick 8 times and then continue doing so on the next string, starting on the low E string to the high E and back. Many first-timers start slow when doing this warm-up, usually at half beats, and then advance to faster speeds.

Next, we'll go on to warm-ups involving frets. In this warm-up, you will be practicing on how to properly play with frets, as well as switching frets from string to string. Like the 1st warm-up, you'll be playing from the low E string, to the high E and back again, all alternate picking. Here, you'll be starting with your first finger (left hand; always pressing on the frets) on the 1st fret of the low E string and pluck downward on that exact string, creating a F note. Then, holding your 1st finger right where it currently is, put your 2nd finger on the 2nd fret of the low E string and pluck upward. Holding the 1st and 2nd fingers in their fixed positions, put your 3rd finger on the 3rd fret and pluck upward, and then your 4th finger on the 4th fret and pluck downward. Afterwards, you switch to the next string (A) and repeat the process--1st finger to 1st fret and pluck down, 2nd finger to 2nd fret and pluck up, etc. and then move on to the other 4 strings.

Yes, this may feel awkward and uncomfortable at first, but this is used so that in future performances, you won't have to keep on pressing & letting go the frets when playing, otherwise, your fingers on your left hand would become buff from such hard workouts (translation: become very tired). However, this holding-on-to-frets technique will feel more comfortable as you move up in the warm-up scale, which shortens the distance that your hand has to stretch across to get to the frets, as well as loosen up the tension. By the time you have reached the high E string and finished the technique, it is important to know if you are ending plucking up, so that you know that you are using alternate picking correctly. You don't want to glitch during the technique and mess up on your picking, so watch yourself! The best way to start this and any other technique is to start off slow and gradually get faster once you are playing better!

EXERCISE #2 (PART 1)

Once your skill has improved in moving up (in pitch) in the technique, it's time to start playing down the strings. It's basically the same thing, but you play backwards. Keep in mind that your 1st, 2nd, 3rd, and 4th fingers are still in their fixed positions on the 1st, 2nd, 3rd, and 4th frets on the high E string. Starting from there (4th fret on the high E string), you pluck the string, then let your 4th finger go, and play the string with your 3rd finger on the 3rd fret. Then, let go your 3rd finger, leaving the 2nd fret to be played on the string, and lastly, let go your 2nd finger to have the 1st fret played. Continue this process on the next 5 strings until you have reach the 1st fret of the low E string and have ended with a pluck to the string downward, knowing that you must play this technique with alternate picking. Practice this half of the warm-up and by the time you have mastered both ways, you can combine the two parts and play from the low E string to the high E and back down! YAY!!! ~(-.-~)

EXERCISE #2 (PART 2)

Ok, now that you know how to change from fret to fret and string to string, let's move on to some hard combinations. Though you still play the notes from 1st to 4th fret on the 6 guitar strings, we're going to put a little spin on these few exercises, and mix up the order of the frets. From Exercise #3 to Exercise #7, they will be mix-ups based on Exercise #2. Good luck playing them! :)

EXERCISE #3

1st fret
3rd fret
4th fret
2nd fret

EXERCISE #4

2nd fret
4th fret
3rd fret
1st fret

EXERCISE #5

EXERCISE #6

EXERCISE #7

2nd fret
1st fret
4th fret
3rd fret

3rd fret
1st fret
2nd fret
4th fret

4th fret
3rd fret
2nd fret
1st fret

There are actually mant possiblities when it comes to mix-ups like these. You can even try practicing thse exercises on different frets, lik 8th, 6th, 7th, and 9th. Be creative! As long as you do these and improve in fret and string switching, you're in good shape!

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Now that your an expertice at fret and string switching, let's move on to some scales! If you feel like you aren't ready for theses few exercises, you can practice some chords as your warm-ups, too. For those let's-cut-to-the-chase players out there, let's get mov'in!

EXERCISE #8 (FIRST-POSITION SCALE)

So, now, we'll be playing the first-position scale for our 8th guitar warm-up. Still easy there? Going with an introduction to what a first-position scale is, it's basically a scale in which you have your 1st finger of your left hand on the 1st fret, the 2nd finger on the 2nd fret, etc. It's exactly like the fingering of the first few warm-ups that you have already done (those are also first-position). However, this time, we're going to play the notes as a orderly scale.

Here are two diagrams of the first-position scale that you'll be playing:

Notice how Chart A shows the scale with numbers and Chart B shows it with letters. Can You guess what both charts have them selves this way? Click the pictures to find out!

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So, Chart A refers to the physical part of playing the scale, which is using your fingers when playing this exercise. Chart B, on the other hand, shows the musical side of the scale, which is the musical lettering that tells you what note you are playing. The order of how you play this scale, or any other scale, is by following the number/letterings listed on the chart. This is from the 1st note wirtten on the 1st string you play, from top to bottom, and then continuing on the next string (all one by one). On the chart, you would play like this:

In addition, here's a short clip of the guitar warm-up--first-position scale. When practicing this warm-up I suggest that it is best to play slowly first, as well as recite the musical letterings of the scale. Once your much better at this, you can move on to a much faster pace.

EXERCISE #9 (MOVABLE SCALES)

Next, there are movable scales, scales that can work anywhere on the fretboard. These scales sound just as how a scale should be, a precise arrangment of notes that increase in order of pitch. The funny thing is, these scales work anywhere on the fretboard, all in the same format! Here's how to play these movable scales:

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Like the first-position scale, you play according to the chart diagram: from top to bottom and then continuing the scale on the next string. However, this scale has a different pattern to it. For our first scale, we'll be starting from the fifth fret on the low E string. See the diagram to learn how to play:

When playing movable scales, they always take up 4 frets. So in your first scale, you'll be playing notes ranging from the 5th to the 8th fret. Once you have improved in playing this scale, you can move on to a different range of frets and try the movable scale to see if it really works! :)