23rd Guitar Snake Exercises: Adding Playing below the 5th Fret Pt. 4 Open, Middle, Pinky, Middle in 4s

Note:  If at any time you are experiencing pain during the playing of this exercise or any other exercise I give, then stop immediately!  Please!  It doesn't help me as a teacher to gain students with tendinitis, or other guitar injuries.

Note2:  Palm muting refers to muting the actual string that you are playing, and all the other strings.

Note3:  Without palm muting refers to not muting the string your are playing, while you are playing it, but then muting it after each note, while muting all the other strings.

Note4:  Down strokes refers to playing a string only with a downward motion of the pick.  Thus, the pick starts high hits the string and bounces off, and instead of picking the note with an upstroke of the pick on the rebound, return to a position with the pick above the string before making another down stroke.  This is a style of play Metallica commonly uses.  Generally, a down stroke sounds heavier than an upward stroke, such that using all downward strokes makes for a heavier sound.

Note5:  Alternating strokes refers to picking with upward strokes and downward strokes.  The purpose of alternating strokes is usually to gain speed while picking.

23:1  The first set of exercises I gave was primarily so that one doesn’t injure their fretting hand by stretch too much.  Next, I increase the amount of “jiggas,” to give a picking hand work out.  The lesson-blogs from 21 to 25 will be on strengthening one’s left hand, such that it is better able to reach.  It is probably a good idea not to start with exercises 21 to 25.

23:2  The exercises in this blog will involve the middle finger and the pinky finger.

23:3  On string 6, at the 12th fret, play the following pattern using all down strokes: open, 13^th fret with your middle finger, 14^th fret with your pinky finger, and 13^th fret again with your middle finger.  Repeat this pattern 4x counting to 4 each time the pattern is repeated.

23:4  On string 6, at the 11th fret, play the following pattern using all down strokes: open, 12^th fret with your middle finger, 13^th fret with your pinky finger, and 12^th fret again with your middle finger.  Repeat this pattern 4x counting to 4 each time the pattern is repeated.

23:5  On string 6, at the 10th fret, play the following pattern using all down strokes: open, 11^th fret with your middle finger, 12^th fret with your pinky finger, and 11^th fret again with your middle finger.  Repeat this pattern 4x counting to 4 each time the pattern is repeated. 

23:6  On string 6, at the 9th fret, play the following pattern using all down strokes: open, 10^th fret with your middle finger, 11^th fret with your pinky finger, and 10^th fret again with your middle finger.  Repeat this pattern 4x counting to 4 each time the pattern is repeated.

23:7  On string 6, at the 8th fret, play the following pattern using all down strokes: open, 9^th fret with your middle finger, 10^th fret with your pinky finger, and 9^th fret again with your middle finger.  Repeat this pattern 4x counting to 4 each time the pattern is repeated.

23:8  On string 6, at the 7th fret, play the following pattern using all down strokes: open, 8^th fret with your middle finger, 9^th fret with your pinky finger, and 8^th fret again with your middle finger.  Repeat this pattern 4x counting to 4 each time the pattern is repeated.

23:9  On string 6, at the 6th fret, play the following pattern using all down strokes: open, 7^th fret with your middle finger, 8^th fret with your pinky finger, and 7^th fret again with your middle finger.  Repeat this pattern 4x counting to 4 each time the pattern is repeated.

23:10  On string 6, at the 5th fret, play the following pattern using all down strokes: open, 6^th fret with your middle finger, 7^th fret with your pinky finger, and 6^th fret again with your middle finger.  Repeat this pattern 4x counting to 4 each time the pattern is repeated.

23:11  On string 6, at the 4th fret, play the following pattern using all down strokes: open, 5^th fret with your middle finger, 6^th fret with your pinky finger, and 5^th fret again with your middle finger.  Repeat this pattern 4x counting to 4 each time the pattern is repeated.

23:12  On string 6, at the 3rd fret, play the following pattern using all down strokes: open, 4^th fret with your middle finger, 5^th fret with your pinky finger, and 4^th fret again with your middle finger.  Repeat this pattern 4x counting to 4 each time the pattern is repeated.

23:13  On string 6, at the 2nd fret, play the following pattern using all down strokes: open, 3rd fret with your middle finger, 4^th fret with your pinky finger, and 3^rd fret again with your middle finger.  Repeat this pattern 4x counting to 4 each time the pattern is repeated.

23:14  On string 6, at the 1st fret, play the following pattern using all down strokes: open, 2^sndfret with your middle finger, 3^rd fret with your pinky finger, and 2^nd fret again with your middle finger.  Repeat this pattern 4x counting to 4 each time the pattern is repeated.

23:15  On string 6, at the 2nd fret, play the following pattern using all down strokes: open, 3^rd fret with your middle finger, 4^th fret with your pinky finger, and 3^rd fret again with your middle finger.  Repeat this pattern 4x counting to 4 each time the pattern is repeated.

23:16  On string 6, at the 3rd fret, play the following pattern using all down strokes: open, 4^th fret with your middle finger, 5^th fret with your pinky finger, and 4^rd fret again with your middle finger.  Repeat this pattern 4x counting to 4 each time the pattern is repeated.

23:17  On string 6, at the 4th fret, play the following pattern using all down strokes: open, 5^th fret with your middle finger, 6^th fret with your pinky finger, and 5^th fret again with your middle finger.  Repeat this pattern 4x counting to 4 each time the pattern is repeated.

23:18  On string 6, at the 5th fret, play the following pattern using all down strokes: open, 6^th fret with your middle finger, 7^th fret with your pinky finger, and 6^th fret again with your middle finger.  Repeat this pattern 4x counting to 4 each time the pattern is repeated.

23:19  On string 6, at the 6th fret, play the following pattern using all down strokes: open, 7^th fret with your middle finger, 8^th fret with your pinky finger, and 7^th fret again with your middle finger.  Repeat this pattern 4x counting to 4 each time the pattern is repeated.

23:21  On string 6, at the 7th fret, play the following pattern using all down strokes: open, 8^th fret with your middle finger, 9^th fret with your pinky finger, and 8^th fret again with your middle finger.  Repeat this pattern 4x counting to 4 each time the pattern is repeated.

23:21  On string 6, at the 8th fret, play the following pattern using all down strokes: open, 9^th fret with your middle finger, 10^th fret with your pinky finger, and 9^th fret again with your middle finger.  Repeat this pattern 4x counting to 4 each time the pattern is repeated.

23:22  On string 6, at the 9th fret, play the following pattern using all down strokes: open, 10^th fret with your middle finger, 11^th fret with your pinky finger, and 10^th fret again with your middle finger.  Repeat this pattern 4x counting to 4 each time the pattern is repeated.

23:23  On string 6, at the 10th fret, play the following pattern using all down strokes: open, 11^th fret with your middle finger, 12^th fret with your pinky finger, and 11^th fret again with your middle finger.  Repeat this pattern 4x counting to 4 each time the pattern is repeated. 

23:24  On string 6, at the 11th fret, play the following pattern using all down strokes: open, 12^th fret with your middle finger, 13^th fret with your pinky finger, and 12^th fret again with your middle finger.  Repeat this pattern 4x counting to 4 each time the pattern is repeated.

23:25  On string 6, at the 12th fret, play the following pattern using all down strokes: open, 13^th fret with your middle finger, 14^th fret with your pinky finger, and 13^th fret again with your middle finger.  Repeat this pattern 4x counting to 4 each time the pattern is repeated.

23:26  Repeat exercises 23:3 – 23:5 on the string 5.

23:27  Repeat exercises 23:3 – 23:5 on the string 4.

23:28  Repeat exercises 23:3 – 23:5 on the string 3.

23:29  Repeat exercises 23:3 – 23:5 on the string 2.

23:30  Repeat exercises 23:3 – 23:5 on the string 1.

23:31  Repeat exercises 23:3 – 23:30 using alternating strokes (up and down) instead of just down strokes.

23:32  Repeat exercises 23:3-23:5 except instead of repeating the each numbered verse 4x; play them 1x, repeating exercises 23:3-2:23 4x and work on the fluidity of your playing.  The first time, do it without palm muting and down strokes.  The second time, do it with palm muting and down strokes. The 3^rd time do it with alternating strokes and without palm muting.  The 4^th time do it with alternating strokes and with palm muting..