✅✅ ►► You deserve to feel like a rock star even if you're just starting out. Download my FREE guide on The Top 10 Things to Learn on Guitar First to start making real music on guitar faster (this is not for you if you would rather learn more boring exercises) → simpleguitar.com/top10
My first mistake with the spider exercise is not knowing about the spider exercise. And my second mistake is neglecting warm-up exercises in general. Thanks for this practical lesson, Brad!
your first tip was so helpful 😭 my hands are pretty small so starting low was really straining my hands. once i’m used to it, i’ll definitely try the rest of the fretboard!
I was so confused with the spider walk exercise honestly until this video. Been playing for 1 year and somehow haven’t come across this exercise until a friend mentioned it and was doing it wrong the whole time. Step 3 helped me a lot, thanks
The idea with this exercise is to isolate finger independence. You should only move one finger at a time leaving all the rest on the note they land on as you walk up or down. This focuses you to move your fingers independently and forces you to pay attention not to mute lower strings as you pick them.
Not to intimidate or confuse your beginners in the thread but when executing the “spider walk drill” you want to slowly, independently, place each finger on the next fret while not lifting any fingers until you need to move the index finger to the next string. Part of this drill is to let the pinky finger note still resonate while striking the index finger note on the next higher string at the same time. Both notes should resonate for a brief moment then you follow suit down the next string until you reach the high E string and are ready to descend.
This video is very motivating! I've been playing more off than on for a couple of years, and when i do play, im mostly reinforcing terrible habits (thanks, Rocksmith!). I really connect with your style of instruction, so I'm looking forward to digging into more of your content!
I haven't played in over 25 years. My son who's 12 has just started, it brought me back to it. I stumbled upon your channel. LOVE your videos and we both do your lessons! Awesome work brother! (From Vancouver)
regarding the 2nd problem , using metronome can be beneficial AND being number 6th mistake as well imo :) set it to 60bpm (or even lower from the start) so you have clear time signature of playing note every second. And the picking hand .. oh gosh this is excelent you pointed it out. in higher tempos you magically reveal how bad your picking hand is if you don't pay attention to it :D great video tho! greets from Slovakia :P
So glad I found this video. I was holding my fingers down instead of lifting them individually. I've been doing it that way for months and still playing sloppy. I just started doing it one minute at a time and it's cleaner and it feels like I'm actually doing something now. thanks!
I think that most of youtubers show the spider walk wrong, leaving the fingers on the board... I think I started like this, and now that I'm doing it the right way, it has become a great 5-10 minutes warm up everyday.
omg this is like the most important vid for beginners! thank you so much - everybody tells you to do that stupid exercise and shows it how you do it after one year of playing :D after breaking all my fingers for the last week it´s really kinda fun now :D
my first guitar teacher I went to in the late 90s had some other things I had to do, for example leave the fingers - only moving one, and generally as less movement as possible. also as always do it as slow as needed and do it clean and after it's clean get faster.
EVERYTIME! Not sometimes...but EVERYTIME! I have seen this exercise done you MUST KEEP YOUR OTHER FINGERS PRESSED ON THE STRING WHILE MOVING TO ANOTHER....ONE FINGER AT A TIME! Whether you are ascending or descending, I have always been told this. So can anyone help clarify is this nessesary? I use it to gain control over my pinky finger flailing on fast runs. And it is helping, but when I ascend the fleshy part of my fingers mute the next string because I am holding them down on the previous string, as I was instructed to do so. Is there a benefit to this? And please only reply if you've been playing for 10+ years or so please and thanks.
What is interesting is that I am left-handed, learning on a right-handed guitar and most of my dexterity is in my right had from playing the piano. Which I was told was great for picking. I think you are fantastic and I have been playing seriously since March of 24. Long way to go and I appreciate your video. I still can't do 4 fingers. At any point do you leave all 4 fingers on the fret? Finger yoga to me!
I am confused figuring out one thing. In most of the videos about excercising I've watched, people said that you should keep fingers against the fretboard all the time while practicing spiderwalk. I tried that way and found it really hard going down the string from 6 to 1 because fingers which were kept against fretboard interfered. Great video though. Thank you
Good tips the others forgot to mention! Helped a lot especially starting at the ninth fret.... the other tips are recognizable from studying the piano ! Good help! Thanks!! Subscribed!
oh, good. i originally started at 1st fret and then went down 2 the 5th for this. and just intuitively did the reverse direction thing. i think i'm intermittent on fingers all down vs lifting up.
A nice video and very good advice there, thank you. Some guitar teachers say you should only move the finger that you are playing the next note with and keep the others immobile. That makes the exercise a LOT MORE difficult, especially on the way up. Do you think there are advantages of that approach? Thanks again, Zs
Yes there are advantages to that approach. However, a lot of people really struggle with doing that cleanly at first. You can start with what I go over in this video, then add levels of difficulty later once you feel more control of your fingers.
Just checking in but did this approach by any chance work? Im just starting out with spider walk and came upon this video so i'm not sure if I should use this persons approach in the comment or the videos approach.
I found it's extremely hard to not mute the lower string unless i use a super low wrist position that really hurts my wrist. the biggest problem is the pinky finger no matter how i curl it will nearly always touch the lower strings somehow.
I’d start as slowly as you need to to get it smooth and increase speed as you feel comfortable, but don’t increase too fast at a time. The biggest thing to focus on is playing smooth rather than playing fast.
This is very good advice especially about not starting at the first frets. I started way too strong on the first strings and doing scales patterns on the bigger frets and I currently have pain. It’s been a week of this pain. Not sure if its tendonitis or not. Really like your videos!
Maybe I’m confused with the spider walk exercise in general. Ive been doing the spider walk, but with fixed fingers. Meaning when I move one finger, all other fingers are fixed on the fretboard. It’s extremely difficult, especially as i get further across the fretboard. It really forces you to focus on a single finger.
@@mojoefelix ok, thank you so much. The way it’s shown in this video is way easier. While it is much harder, I feel like I get a lot more coordination with the way I’ve been doing it
You're doing it right. He doesn't know what he's talking about. This is what I commented: "Tip 3 is just wrong. You're supposed to keep your fingers down and when you move up/down a string with the index you keep 2, 3, and 4 on the last string. This trains each individual finger to move independently. I know this is true because if you can do it the correct way then you can do it the way you described easily. If it's vice versa then you're fingers are going to be tempted to move along with the leading finger because the connections are weaker."
I've actually learned it the way where you leave the fingers on the string EVEN WHILE MOVING DOWN. So the 2nd, 3rd and 4th finger are still on the 6th string when the 1st finger moves down to 5th and so on. That makes spider-walking down so much harder, because if you are sloppy, the resting fingers will mute the string you are playing. I wonder if there is any benefit in that. Other than giving me a real headache anytime I do it.
@@El_Deen warm up hands, then stretch first. But some pain and fatigue is normal. Tips of the fingers will be painful too. You gotta rest and heal when it happens, and that's when muscle memory is formed. Improvement usually happens in those rests. But this exercise needs doing regularly. It's worth it.
Yes there absolutely is benefit in doing that. What I cover in this video is a much easier way to start building up your finger control and then move on to doing it the harder way. There's nothing wrong with starting with an easier version like this, wrapping your brain and fingers around it, and then adding layers of difficulty.
Great Video! About the third mistake you mentioned, I actually saw a spider walk exercise that you should keep the fingers on the fretboard until the four fingers is of the fretboard and then you go down to the fifth fret and put each finger at a time while the other fingers stay in place until their turn to play. What is the difference between those 2 exercises? Thank you!
Wow, this was such a good video. As a 74 year old beginner (from Southern California) I am really struggling just learning the exercises. Great tip starting the Spider Walk up on the fret board. My fingers don't cooperate, especially my third finger which seems to have a mind of its own. I sense that the third finger is a problem for most beginning guitarists. Any tips or exercises that focus on getting the third finger under control? I also notice that you never look down at the guitar. My question is, as a beginner, where should I be placing my eyes....frets? or picks? I haven't developed the coordination that it takes to sense where my picking hand should be, will that come with practice? I find I have my fret finger on a different string than what I am picking sometimes.
I recommend you start doing this finger exercise daily & see how you are feeling with that third finger after a week: ruclips.net/video/Z4KIFklnfRI/видео.html That finger is actually much more difficult for people because iti shares a tendon with the pinky, but you can train it enough to get it under control and independent. As far as your eyes go, split your time between which hand you look at. Most people ONLY look at their fretting hand, but you should also watch your picking hand. As you go you'll develop a feel for where your hands are and not have to watch as much. It comes with repetition.
Question. I picked up the guitar last week. Should and started this today. Should I worry about tone yet? I can move my fingers and pluck but sometimes I just get those dead string thumps. Should I just keep on going and ignore them for now?
I would only do a finger exercise like this for a couple minutes a day. Don't worry about tone yet. The dead string thumps are probably coming from your fretting hand and picking hand not being synchronized yet. That will come as you build up finger strength and get used to playing. The #1 most important thing to work on for you now is playing actual music. Start here: ruclips.net/video/GWuAyG191MQ/видео.html There is nothing better than starting with being able to play actual music. You're going to learn everything you need to as you're playing songs. Exercises like this will help you, but I would not focus on them much now. Focus on having fun first.
I’ve heard many say to keep all fingers down till you need to move it… seems counter to neuroscience to me, but could be about stretching the fingers later, once the initial connections are solid
I thought my spider walk just didn't sound good so i tried looking it up and it turns out i was making mistake #3 😨 I was keeping them all down and i don't wanna start bad habits so thank you for the video and advice ❤️ My spider walk actually sounds better now too 🤩
..a lot of tutors I've come across recommend keeping the fingers down (which requires a lot more concentration) .. So at what point do we explore those lower frets - in your opinion?!
Leaving your fingers down will result in sloppier playing down the road. I think you should explore the lower frets right away. I didn’t say in this video to avoid the lower frets completely, just that starting down there is the hardest way to start. I have beginners playing on the lower frets right away. But for this exercise you’ll have an easier time starting high and then going low.
@@SimpleGuitarDotCom bad advice. Your chromatic scale is not an exercise. You are teaching people incorrect things. Real spider walk improves pretty much every single aspect of playing. Coordination, strength, and concentration being the biggest benefits. The real exercise improves clarity and precision. It doesn't make you sloppy in the slightest. Try it.
What do you think about skipping strings? Not sure how to notate it in a comment, but you go Low E - 1,2,3,4 (or 5,6,7,8 or whatever position on the neck you want to start at), then you go to D - 1,2,3,4; then you go back to the A string - 1,2,3,4; then up to the G string - 1,2,3,4; then back down to the D string - 1,2,3,4 until you go through all the strings and back down? It's helped me learn how to skip strings when picking.
Excellent exercise to do to really hone in your lead playing skill. Also do it starting at the high note and work to the low on the E then shoot down to the a and start from the high and go to the low again and so forth and so on. Then try starting on the low E and climbing up four notes, but when you get to the A string, play from the high note to the low note, on the D you go from low to high, G high to low, B low to high, and high E, high to low then reverse it going back up to high on the E high to low on the B and so forth.
(From Milwaukee WI) I seemed to have developed a bad habit of anchoring my pick hand with my pinky finger on the pick guard. This exercise is helping me break that habit. I'm working on what Norman Blake called a "finger flicking" motion. Thanks!
oh... is anchoring bad? I was doing it for my first guitar lesson today and my instructor said that is one good way to keep your hand close to the strings.
I think you might be thinking of anchoring the fretting hand fingers. Generally that’s not good, but it will depend on context of what you’re playing. I recommend doing this exercise both with fingers anchored and not anchored (one at a time)
I started off playing with playing the spider exercise starting on the first fret. I started at 60 bpms and I've been doing it for almost a year. I keep my fingers down and move one at a time every movement. I am up to 195 bpms, but now I am having trouble with my middle and ring fingers getting too close when I get to the b and e strings. Also, the higher I go, i end up muting notes. It's so frustrating! Has anyone ever dealt with that? I wish I would've took heed to this video when I first saw it. I learned the spider exercise from a guitarist in the US Navy band, and it's a little harder, but i've seen great progress.
I am just starting to really learn to play the guitar, before I just tried to play some songs and left it there...never pick the guitar up again till like a month ago...I do calisthenics and it blows my mind how this is that similar to any sport...I think things like, high volume training is good or bad for guitar? Do you go to failure??😂😂😂😂
nope. Walk up the thinnest string from first fret.. all strings like that BUT start at fret 4 and walk backwards down the neck to fret 1 on the thinnest string. Least, that's the way I learned from a 60's era rock player. I do agree on lift up the previous finger off the fret. Thanks.
04:50 That's not necessarily a "mistake" you're describing here! On the contrary. Especially for beginners, it's mandatory to add one finger after the other, until all 4 (or 3) fingers are fretting the string. Not only does this help building up strength and stamina. It makes descending lines, which are always more challenging than ascending ones, much easier to play further down the road - without any daylight between the notes and more fluently: All you have to do then is simply lift the finger(s) you don't need, and the next one you need is already(!) resting on the string... not unlike doin' a pull-off. Otherwise, it's a nice vid!
Honestly I'd spend no more than 5 minutes doing this. You want the bulk of what you do to be actually musical & not a boring exercise like this. But if you use the tips in this video, it'll make that few minutes of warming up as impactful as possible so that you can have more fun with the musical stuff you do play. Hope that helps!
Thanks for the great tips! I notice that when I use 4 fingers, when I get to my pinky I have to move my hand to the right. Is that ok? Is my hand just too small?
That's totally fine starting out and even if you have to continue doing that. You may find as you develop some finger independence through using it more that you'll no longer need to move your hand as much. Just give it time!
For mistake number 3, why do people hold it down? My guitar instructor today, and Justin Guitar said to hold it down... unless that exercise they want me to do isn't the spider walk, and more for stretching?
HI Do you think i should worry about muting the string im not playng with the tip of my index finger while doing this exercise? I alredy use the palm for most of them but the i cant really mute the one rigth above this way.
@pup1008 nailed it. The purpose of this exercise is building your finger control and independence so that’s just another layer that you don’t need to add. We can do some other exercises for muting strings as you play.
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✅✅ ►► You deserve to feel like a rock star even if you're just starting out. Download my FREE guide on The Top 10 Things to Learn on Guitar First to start making real music on guitar faster (this is not for you if you would rather learn more boring exercises) → simpleguitar.com/top10
This was VERY helpful thanks sir
My first mistake with the spider exercise is not knowing about the spider exercise. And my second mistake is neglecting warm-up exercises in general. Thanks for this practical lesson, Brad!
You’re welcome! I didn’t know about it when I was starting out, but it is handy for working on those fundamental motions.
This is a chromatic scale. Not a spider walk exercise. Look up the real thing.
@@DamnDealDone I looked it up. Some call this the classic spider walk. There are variations of the spider walk. Look it up.
@@dvaunhowe They are wrong. Learn the proper one or fail, dumbarse.
This really helped me a lott❤
Using a metronome with this is helpful too.
I love that idea!
your first tip was so helpful 😭 my hands are pretty small so starting low was really straining my hands. once i’m used to it, i’ll definitely try the rest of the fretboard!
I was so confused with the spider walk exercise honestly until this video. Been playing for 1 year and somehow haven’t come across this exercise until a friend mentioned it and was doing it wrong the whole time. Step 3 helped me a lot, thanks
Happy to help!
The idea with this exercise is to isolate finger independence. You should only move one finger at a time leaving all the rest on the note they land on as you walk up or down. This focuses you to move your fingers independently and forces you to pay attention not to mute lower strings as you pick them.
Agreed!! I think a lot of players like myself who started trying to play like Stevie Ray or Angus young got into bad habits there...
Not to intimidate or confuse your beginners in the thread but when executing the “spider walk drill” you want to slowly, independently, place each finger on the next fret while not lifting any fingers until you need to move the index finger to the next string. Part of this drill is to let the pinky finger note still resonate while striking the index finger note on the next higher string at the same time. Both notes should resonate for a brief moment then you follow suit down the next string until you reach the high E string and are ready to descend.
This video is very motivating! I've been playing more off than on for a couple of years, and when i do play, im mostly reinforcing terrible habits (thanks, Rocksmith!). I really connect with your style of instruction, so I'm looking forward to digging into more of your content!
From Alberta Canada. Just had my first guitar lesson last week. I will try that spider walk.
I haven't played in over 25 years. My son who's 12 has just started, it brought me back to it. I stumbled upon your channel. LOVE your videos and we both do your lessons! Awesome work brother! (From Vancouver)
regarding the 2nd problem , using metronome can be beneficial AND being number 6th mistake as well imo :) set it to 60bpm (or even lower from the start) so you have clear time signature of playing note every second. And the picking hand .. oh gosh this is excelent you pointed it out. in higher tempos you magically reveal how bad your picking hand is if you don't pay attention to it :D great video tho! greets from Slovakia :P
Thank you! As far as metronome speed, don't be afraid to start as low as 40bpm! Get it smooth first!
Best explained I have seen so far....and I have seen a few.
Beginning lower on the neck is actually a really good one. Just playing for a month so I can still change bad habits. Thanks for making the video.
Hello and THANK YOU! I'm just starting to learn to play the guitar at 65 yo after retiring from being a special education teacher!
Awesome! Thanks for your service as a teacher!
So glad I found this video. I was holding my fingers down instead of lifting them individually. I've been doing it that way for months and still playing sloppy. I just started doing it one minute at a time and it's cleaner and it feels like I'm actually doing something now. thanks!
Thanks from Alabama! Just got my first guitar this Christmas as a retirement gift. Looking forward to driving myself crazy
Rock on! I have a new FREE course coming out soon that'll really get you going!
Thank you! FINALLY someone tells us what we are REALLY supposed to do!
I'm almost 40 years old and just recently picked up the guitar. Thank you for the tips!
You're welcome!
I think that most of youtubers show the spider walk wrong, leaving the fingers on the board... I think I started like this, and now that I'm doing it the right way, it has become a great 5-10 minutes warm up everyday.
(Also, I'm from France !)
Awesome! I'm so glad this is helping you! Merci!
I mean if most of them are doing it that way isn't it more likely they are correct and the one person doing it this way is incorrect?
im a beginer from the u.k,and this has helped me so much to train the fingers..great vidio..
omg this is like the most important vid for beginners! thank you so much - everybody tells you to do that stupid exercise and shows it how you do it after one year of playing :D after breaking all my fingers for the last week it´s really kinda fun now :D
Thank you!!!! I appreciate the guidance 🎉
Thank you for your explanation. I just started learning to play guitar and I find your demonstration is so helpful.
You're very welcome!
my first guitar teacher I went to in the late 90s had some other things I had to do, for example leave the fingers - only moving one, and generally as less movement as possible. also as always do it as slow as needed and do it clean and after it's clean get faster.
That’s all awesome advice! Thanks for sharing!
Great lesson . I was doing all 5 mistakes. Fly away fingers is going to be the hardest to correct for me.
Greetings from Cyprus! Thank you for the great content. It was super informative
I don't even play the guitar but this is masterful instruction! These principles are applicable to many other instruments and situations. Bravo!
Thank you!
Good job and Thank you!! Northern AZ here!!
EVERYTIME! Not sometimes...but EVERYTIME! I have seen this exercise done you MUST KEEP YOUR OTHER FINGERS PRESSED ON THE STRING WHILE MOVING TO ANOTHER....ONE FINGER AT A TIME! Whether you are ascending or descending, I have always been told this. So can anyone help clarify is this nessesary? I use it to gain control over my pinky finger flailing on fast runs. And it is helping, but when I ascend the fleshy part of my fingers mute the next string because I am holding them down on the previous string, as I was instructed to do so. Is there a benefit to this? And please only reply if you've been playing for 10+ years or so please and thanks.
What is interesting is that I am left-handed, learning on a right-handed guitar and most of my dexterity is in my right had from playing the piano. Which I was told was great for picking. I think you are fantastic and I have been playing seriously since March of 24. Long way to go and I appreciate your video. I still can't do 4 fingers. At any point do you leave all 4 fingers on the fret? Finger yoga to me!
I am confused figuring out one thing. In most of the videos about excercising I've watched, people said that you should keep fingers against the fretboard all the time while practicing spiderwalk. I tried that way and found it really hard going down the string from 6 to 1 because fingers which were kept against fretboard interfered. Great video though. Thank you
Thanks man! Finally I can do this without being discouraged! You just made my day!
Glad I could help!
Thanks for the very informative lesson
My pleasure!
Positioning for the thumb finger is the most tricky part for me it's hard to adjust..but with lots and lots of practice I hope it will adjust❤️
Some helpful tips, thanks.😊
Good tips the others forgot to mention! Helped a lot especially starting at the ninth fret.... the other tips are recognizable from studying the piano ! Good help! Thanks!! Subscribed!
from kerala,India Thanks for the lesson
A BIG THANKS, BRO!
You're welcome!
THANK YOU FOR THE VERY VERY GOOD INSTRUCTIONDS,
oh, good. i originally started at 1st fret and then went down 2 the 5th for this. and just intuitively did the reverse direction thing. i think i'm intermittent on fingers all down vs lifting up.
Thank you for the knowledge 🙏
My pleasure!
A nice video and very good advice there, thank you. Some guitar teachers say you should only move the finger that you are playing the next note with and keep the others immobile. That makes the exercise a LOT MORE difficult, especially on the way up. Do you think there are advantages of that approach?
Thanks again,
Zs
Practice it regularly and you will know.
Yes there are advantages to that approach. However, a lot of people really struggle with doing that cleanly at first. You can start with what I go over in this video, then add levels of difficulty later once you feel more control of your fingers.
Just checking in but did this approach by any chance work? Im just starting out with spider walk and came upon this video so i'm not sure if I should use this persons approach in the comment or the videos approach.
Thank you so much for your methods and exercises Simplifies things with your easy followed explanations Tony D from Liverpool UK
You're very welcome! I LOVE Liverpool! My wife and I have visited before!
I found it's extremely hard to not mute the lower string unless i use a super low wrist position that really hurts my wrist. the biggest problem is the pinky finger no matter how i curl it will nearly always touch the lower strings somehow.
What is the best practice for slow speed? What is slow speed judgment based on?
When it is ok to increase tempo?
I’d start as slowly as you need to to get it smooth and increase speed as you feel comfortable, but don’t increase too fast at a time. The biggest thing to focus on is playing smooth rather than playing fast.
Great explanation - thanks a lot !
You are welcome!
This is very good advice especially about not starting at the first frets. I started way too strong on the first strings and doing scales patterns on the bigger frets and I currently have pain. It’s been a week of this pain. Not sure if its tendonitis or not. Really like your videos!
Thank you! Glad you're digging this!
Thank you for posting this helpful video!
You're very welcome!
Maybe I’m confused with the spider walk exercise in general. Ive been doing the spider walk, but with fixed fingers. Meaning when I move one finger, all other fingers are fixed on the fretboard. It’s extremely difficult, especially as i get further across the fretboard. It really forces you to focus on a single finger.
You are doing it correctly. Only move one finger at a time so as to achieve finger independence. The guy in this video above is doing it incorrectly.
@@mojoefelix ok, thank you so much. The way it’s shown in this video is way easier. While it is much harder, I feel like I get a lot more coordination with the way I’ve been doing it
@@justaname109I’ve been doing it the same as you and my playing has improved a lot. This guy in the video is doing the spider walk wrong
You're doing it right. He doesn't know what he's talking about.
This is what I commented: "Tip 3 is just wrong. You're supposed to keep your fingers down and when you move up/down a string with the index you keep 2, 3, and 4 on the last string. This trains each individual finger to move independently. I know this is true because if you can do it the correct way then you can do it the way you described easily. If it's vice versa then you're fingers are going to be tempted to move along with the leading finger because the connections are weaker."
I've actually learned it the way where you leave the fingers on the string EVEN WHILE MOVING DOWN. So the 2nd, 3rd and 4th finger are still on the 6th string when the 1st finger moves down to 5th and so on. That makes spider-walking down so much harder, because if you are sloppy, the resting fingers will mute the string you are playing. I wonder if there is any benefit in that. Other than giving me a real headache anytime I do it.
That's the proper way. A real exercise that is difficult to do but rewards with better playing. What this guy is doing is nothing.
@@DamnDealDone Hey man, I just started out and made it work the way Magelord does it, but man my wrist and fingers are hurting. Is that normal though?
@@El_Deen warm up hands, then stretch first. But some pain and fatigue is normal. Tips of the fingers will be painful too. You gotta rest and heal when it happens, and that's when muscle memory is formed. Improvement usually happens in those rests. But this exercise needs doing regularly. It's worth it.
Yes there absolutely is benefit in doing that. What I cover in this video is a much easier way to start building up your finger control and then move on to doing it the harder way. There's nothing wrong with starting with an easier version like this, wrapping your brain and fingers around it, and then adding layers of difficulty.
Thanks a million for this helpful lesson....I am from BARBADOS
You are very welcome!
Thank you! Highly appreciated
You're welcome!
From Ukraine.
Thank you so much! Very useful tips.
Great Video!
About the third mistake you mentioned, I actually saw a spider walk exercise that you should keep the fingers on the fretboard until the four fingers is of the fretboard and then you go down to the fifth fret and put each finger at a time while the other fingers stay in place until their turn to play.
What is the difference between those 2 exercises?
Thank you!
That is a step up from this! In another video I go through the progression of moving from this to the other variations
Thank you😊
Thank you.
Wow, this was such a good video. As a 74 year old beginner (from Southern California) I am really struggling just learning the exercises. Great tip starting the Spider Walk up on the fret board. My fingers don't cooperate, especially my third finger which seems to have a mind of its own. I sense that the third finger is a problem for most beginning guitarists. Any tips or exercises that focus on getting the third finger under control? I also notice that you never look down at the guitar. My question is, as a beginner, where should I be placing my eyes....frets? or picks? I haven't developed the coordination that it takes to sense where my picking hand should be, will that come with practice? I find I have my fret finger on a different string than what I am picking sometimes.
I recommend you start doing this finger exercise daily & see how you are feeling with that third finger after a week: ruclips.net/video/Z4KIFklnfRI/видео.html That finger is actually much more difficult for people because iti shares a tendon with the pinky, but you can train it enough to get it under control and independent.
As far as your eyes go, split your time between which hand you look at. Most people ONLY look at their fretting hand, but you should also watch your picking hand. As you go you'll develop a feel for where your hands are and not have to watch as much. It comes with repetition.
Thanks for a great video on how to improve more quickly.... from Australia Brad.
You’re welcome!
Thanks man, l'm a lefty trying to play right handed, off to a slow start, but you help me so much.
Question. I picked up the guitar last week. Should and started this today. Should I worry about tone yet? I can move my fingers and pluck but sometimes I just get those dead string thumps. Should I just keep on going and ignore them for now?
I would only do a finger exercise like this for a couple minutes a day. Don't worry about tone yet. The dead string thumps are probably coming from your fretting hand and picking hand not being synchronized yet. That will come as you build up finger strength and get used to playing. The #1 most important thing to work on for you now is playing actual music. Start here: ruclips.net/video/GWuAyG191MQ/видео.html There is nothing better than starting with being able to play actual music. You're going to learn everything you need to as you're playing songs. Exercises like this will help you, but I would not focus on them much now. Focus on having fun first.
Texas is watching thanks
Another good reason for taking the fingers off, is when you come back up i.e 7/6/5 you'll only get one note. Lol. Great lesson bro.
I’ve heard many say to keep all fingers down till you need to move it… seems counter to neuroscience to me, but could be about stretching the fingers later, once the initial connections are solid
I thought my spider walk just didn't sound good so i tried looking it up and it turns out i was making mistake #3 😨 I was keeping them all down and i don't wanna start bad habits so thank you for the video and advice ❤️
My spider walk actually sounds better now too 🤩
You know what's most cool about this vid? That seatbelt guitar strap! That is dang COOL!!!! Did you make it or did you buy it?
I bought it back in high school. Unfortunately Levy’s doesn’t make it with the buckle anymore.
wow amazing video man !!!!!!!
Thank you!
How to play scales?
Thanks.
..a lot of tutors I've come across recommend keeping the fingers down (which requires a lot more concentration) .. So at what point do we explore those lower frets - in your opinion?!
Leaving your fingers down will result in sloppier playing down the road. I think you should explore the lower frets right away. I didn’t say in this video to avoid the lower frets completely, just that starting down there is the hardest way to start. I have beginners playing on the lower frets right away. But for this exercise you’ll have an easier time starting high and then going low.
@@SimpleGuitarDotCom bad advice. Your chromatic scale is not an exercise. You are teaching people incorrect things. Real spider walk improves pretty much every single aspect of playing. Coordination, strength, and concentration being the biggest benefits. The real exercise improves clarity and precision. It doesn't make you sloppy in the slightest. Try it.
What do you think about skipping strings? Not sure how to notate it in a comment, but you go Low E - 1,2,3,4 (or 5,6,7,8 or whatever position on the neck you want to start at), then you go to D - 1,2,3,4; then you go back to the A string - 1,2,3,4; then up to the G string - 1,2,3,4; then back down to the D string - 1,2,3,4 until you go through all the strings and back down? It's helped me learn how to skip strings when picking.
I think that's fabulous. Keep doing it!
Excellent exercise to do to really hone in your lead playing skill. Also do it starting at the high note and work to the low on the E then shoot down to the a and start from the high and go to the low again and so forth and so on.
Then try starting on the low E and climbing up four notes, but when you get to the A string, play from the high note to the low note, on the D you go from low to high, G high to low, B low to high, and high E, high to low then reverse it going back up to high on the E high to low on the B and so forth.
Great video, I knew I was doing it wrong, India btw!
Very good!
Thank you! Cheers!
(From Milwaukee WI) I seemed to have developed a bad habit of anchoring my pick hand with my pinky finger on the pick guard. This exercise is helping me break that habit. I'm working on what Norman Blake called a "finger flicking" motion. Thanks!
oh... is anchoring bad? I was doing it for my first guitar lesson today and my instructor said that is one good way to keep your hand close to the strings.
@@shockafter7 Seemed to me it was, glad to hear that it really isn't. I thought it might be slowing me down.
Anchoring your pick hand with your pinky is no bueno. Glad you broke that habit!
I think you might be thinking of anchoring the fretting hand fingers. Generally that’s not good, but it will depend on context of what you’re playing. I recommend doing this exercise both with fingers anchored and not anchored (one at a time)
Dude, so practical. I keep forgetting to simplify as I figure out this device of torture.
I’m so glad this helped you! Keep at it!
I started off playing with playing the spider exercise starting on the first fret. I started at 60 bpms and I've been doing it for almost a year. I keep my fingers down and move one at a time every movement. I am up to 195 bpms, but now I am having trouble with my middle and ring fingers getting too close when I get to the b and e strings. Also, the higher I go, i end up muting notes. It's so frustrating! Has anyone ever dealt with that?
I wish I would've took heed to this video when I first saw it. I learned the spider exercise from a guitarist in the US Navy band, and it's a little harder, but i've seen great progress.
I am just starting to really learn to play the guitar, before I just tried to play some songs and left it there...never pick the guitar up again till like a month ago...I do calisthenics and it blows my mind how this is that similar to any sport...I think things like, high volume training is good or bad for guitar? Do you go to failure??😂😂😂😂
Well that's five mistakes I hope not to make from now on, great teaching, thanks.
Glad it was helpful! You're so welcome!
nope. Walk up the thinnest string from first fret.. all strings like that BUT start at fret 4 and walk backwards down the neck to fret 1 on the thinnest string.
Least, that's the way I learned from a 60's era rock player.
I do agree on lift up the previous finger off the fret.
Thanks.
Thank you💞
You’re welcome 😊
Watching from near Robin Hood area in the UK
That's awesome! Glad to have you!
Nice one👍❤️
Thanks ✌️
04:50 That's not necessarily a "mistake" you're describing here!
On the contrary. Especially for beginners, it's mandatory to add one finger after the other, until all 4 (or 3) fingers are fretting the string.
Not only does this help building up strength and stamina. It makes descending lines, which are always more challenging than ascending ones, much easier to play further down the road - without any daylight between the notes and more fluently: All you have to do then is simply lift the finger(s) you don't need, and the next one you need is already(!) resting on the string... not unlike doin' a pull-off.
Otherwise, it's a nice vid!
You agree with me yes 👍 🙌 👏🏻.
🤘
@@SimpleGuitarDotCom 🎸 rock on 🤘.
Brad, great video. I hope all is well with you and your family. You got my 'Like'. David (VidSummit last year) 🙂
Always good to hear from you David! Hope you’re doing well!
It helps
thank you so much
You're welcome!
How long should I practice this per day? I'm sure the longer the better but I'm an intermediate/beginner player and want to practice other stuff too.
Honestly I'd spend no more than 5 minutes doing this. You want the bulk of what you do to be actually musical & not a boring exercise like this. But if you use the tips in this video, it'll make that few minutes of warming up as impactful as possible so that you can have more fun with the musical stuff you do play. Hope that helps!
If I close my eyes, I feel like I’m in a high end French restaurant in Paris, eating ratatouille and being taught guitar by Remi the head chef.
im getting beter allready thx
i started with my left hand only as beginner now 5th day i can do it the right way since 2th or 3th day🎉
Brother!!!! Thank you for this.
You are so welcome
Thanks for the great tips! I notice that when I use 4 fingers, when I get to my pinky I have to move my hand to the right. Is that ok? Is my hand just too small?
That's totally fine starting out and even if you have to continue doing that. You may find as you develop some finger independence through using it more that you'll no longer need to move your hand as much. Just give it time!
🙂ty..@@SimpleGuitarDotCom
For mistake number 3, why do people hold it down? My guitar instructor today, and Justin Guitar said to hold it down... unless that exercise they want me to do isn't the spider walk, and more for stretching?
You can hold it down, it’s one variation, but you’ll get better finger independence and control also practicing one finger at a time.
@@SimpleGuitarDotCom thanks! I end up doing both now. :)
Great tips regards Lyell from new zealand
First time i see someone give advice to use one finger at a time, and asking to not leave the fingers down.
Ikr This guy is trolling 😂🤣🤣
is this supposed to hurt like hell and why can't i do the higher strings? It's simply not possible to get a grip on this smooth strings
Hello sir. You didn't tell us anything about where our thumb should be on the back of the neck of the guitar ?
Here you go: ruclips.net/video/sMKRq1KQVbA/видео.html
what tuner you got in?
It’s a D’Addario NS Micro Tuner
HI Do you think i should worry about muting the string im not playng with the tip of my index finger while doing this exercise? I alredy use the palm for most of them but the i cant really mute the one rigth above this way.
When you are new to the exercise, maybe not but you _should_ be aiming towards having each note ring out unimpeded & clear.
@@pup1008 ty
@pup1008 nailed it. The purpose of this exercise is building your finger control and independence so that’s just another layer that you don’t need to add. We can do some other exercises for muting strings as you play.
The first rule of spider walk is you don't talk about spider walk.😂😂😂
Because a studio album 💿 you’re listening with your ears but while a chapter book 📖 is with your eye 👁 and you are reading and now there is audio biography too.
Yep, both can create images in your head
@@SimpleGuitarDotCom true.