By Jerry Wyatt
Alright Tribe… Two video’s for ya today!
Each will help us all in our Journey Of A Guitarist. Remember, the quicker we can push through the steps in the “Journey” (or get past the confusion), the quicker we advance as a player. Keep a visual in your head of what that looks like on a timeline.
Before you go turn your stubborn fingers into cooperative little “honey’s” with this video lesson today, make sure you read every word of this preface.
I don’t care if you’ve been playing guitar for 1 day or 30 years or more! It’s always going to be…
“BRAIN VERSUS FINGERS!”
You try to get the fingers to do one thing, they want to do another.
It’s as if they have a mind of there own. This problem is one of “The Top 10” problems I tell you guys and gals about all the time.
Over the past 30+ years, I’ve compiled a list of problems that get sent in to me from other guitar pickers just like you and I.
During this time, I have sorted and filtered through the problems and it always boils down to the same set of questions.
And guess what…
We’re all about the same! We’re in the same boat… On the same journey!
In other words. Your favorite guitar hero is likely as normal as you and I but more likely than not, they latched on to some of the very same concepts I’m trying to share with you!
I mean really… Do you think the guitar legends that we love to listen to and watch just picked up their guitar one day and started playing the strings off of it like you see them doing now?
No WAY!!! Far from it! They had their battles too – just like you and me!
Now let me tell you a little secret…
The “Top 10 Problems” are what’s called “CROSS RELATED”!
After you watch todays lesson, take a look at the second video below that and you’ll get a grip on what I’m talking about when I say “CROSS RELATED”.
Remember that term. It will serve you like a KING real soon!
Here’s the important thing to take away from this lesson today…
There really are basically 10 common problems that all players struggle with – no matter how long they’ve been playing!
Not 100 problems… Not 5o…
I’ll say it again… There are 10 Problems we all have in common!
The funny thing is this…
Even good players are BLOWN AWAY when they see how these things are sabotaging their playing, their guitar licks, their guitar solo’s… you name it… these things are wrecking progress.
In the weeks ahead, you’ll start to understand how these things are “Cross Related” and when you learn how to knock down one problem, it will (9 times out of 10) get rid of another problem. Please for crying out loud, remember that!
QUESTION TIME…
How would you like to learn how to eliminate one problem in your playing and it cause you to automatically knock down another one and as a result of that – jump ahead in your playing?
YOU CAN DO THIS!!! I’ve seen it with thousands of students time and time again! I believe in you!
I KNOW I CAN TEACH YOU HOW TO APPLY THIS STUFF TOO!
Let’s talk about today’s lesson. It’s going to address the problem of “Fingers versus Brain”.
This lesson is nothing fancy… well, I’ll let you decide.
It’s very quick and somewhat “out of the norm” because you won’t need your guitar just yet. BUT… I promise you this… it will help you like wild when you do get it in your hands later!
We’ll be applying this to the neck in a very unusual way so practice up on this. Doing it without the guitar will really help your coordination skills and finger strength. When we put it on the guitar neck, your coordination will increase more than you could ever imagine!
By the way… this is a highly addictive little “drill” to practice on and YOU WOULD NOT BELIEVE all the positive feedback that comes in about this little lesson both here on the blog and into my direct email!
Please join the conversation below after you have gone over the video. And, as always, I’d ask that you please click the “Like” button below the video to help our guitar community to grow.
Take it easy!
–Jerry
Here’s Today’s Lesson…
(Be sure you watch the next video below afterwards)
– 2nd Video Below –
A WORD OR TWO ABOUT THE VIDEO BELOW
•••PLEASE READ THIS BEFORE WATCHING IT!•••
Many of you at this point in “the Bridge” mini course have asked to see more about my main course called “Full Blown”.
Timing wise, it’s a little sooner than I like to put in front of you.
But, as of this writing there are nearly 40,000 users of the LGFAE systems and it’s hard to focus on the cool lesson questions when I’m spending tons of time going over the “Why Can’t I Have Full Blown Yet Jerry, I’ll gladly pay for it!” questions and comments.
LOL! – No really… Laughing Out loud!
Who’d Uh Thunk I’d make students wait around to pay for lessons?
Rather than trying to keep up with all the questions “why?” via email , instead, I’ve chosen to tell you at this point in “The Bridge” (that’s the course you’re in right now).
If you’ve made it this far on the video lessons, I feel like you’ve shown your level of commitment and follow through”, so I think it’s safe to say you’ll understand where I’m coming from…
Basically, it comes down to this… I want you to succeed in your playing with what I can show you – and I’m so confident I can do it that I actually offer paying members 110% guarantee for 30 days (that’s a 10% after the hundred… 110%).
But here’s the thing…
“FULL BLOWN” is based on a concept I call
“Cross Relation” and “Sequential Stacked Learning”.
It’s very powerful [IF] you follow the simple rules.
Tell you what, this is getting kinda “wordy”. Why don’t you just check out this video I made for you and if you’d like to jump ahead, I’m cool with that just please adhere to the plan on how I’ve set things up for you. Remember DON’T SKIP AROUND!
I’ll tell you more about “CROSS RELATION” in this video below… By the way, you’ll probably notice a huge difference in the video quality of Full Blown lessons. Much Better!
CHECK OUT THE VIDEO HERE…
great lesson that I can practice anywhere any time. Try doing it while you listen to music. its harder than it appears.
Let me know how to pay I think the lessons are very good thanks
I also used a 1 – 3 – 2 – 4 repeating pattern for this kind of exercise.
A metronome might help, but try using a song on the radio for tempo.
Get that mind, music, and hand coordinating going.
Especially helpful during commuting times *stuck in traffic? Play with your fingers!).
i’m going to have to try all of this when i get my cast off just started to teach myself until i got hurt but i sure like the finger exercises
Hey there Jerry,
Thanks. Very helpful. 1, 2, 3, 2, 3, 4. Funny its
Part of my thinking now.
at first was a little bit wary about this lesson and how I would use it. After listening (and reading) to what you were really telling me, I must say BRAVO BRAVO excellent learning experience. Thank you for your time…SIDESHOW
Thank you for these lessons! I took formal lessons in my teens and did OK. Got older and lost my commitment to the guitar. I would get it out on occasion, but my learning was stagnant. I’ve since divorced, remarried, started a new family, and at 43 I am re focused on my playing and learning. Your style and approach suit me very well, thanks again. Not sure why, but it feels like I’ve known you for a long time. Cool, but weird.
Its like trying to calculate something on your hands and losing count all the time. No one would know what your really doing. Lol
Got to wiggle them fingers. ;) lol
Jerry, I am 61, and I’ve been playing since about age 11, log and on…I really want to play like it’s second nature and be creative, too. I think I have stumbled onto the course of that can make it happen for me! Thanks for the great lessons, stories and your down to Earth method!
Great so far Jerry…catching up from the start a couple of weeks ago. Catch up with you as I get up to the current emails…stand by!
I would like to thank Jerry for the great advice and tips so far. Looking forward to learning more from you.
Great exercise! Didn’t realize how uncoordinated I was!! Can you give me some good finger stretches?
I am getting there
Ok, you got me, It was easy, until I tried it with a beat. I can do it during a break at work or at lunch. Thank you for the lessons thus far.
Wonderful lesson Jerry, I can practice this while I am recovering from my back surgery. Thank You.
Great exercise and it definately shows my lack of coordination…Thanks partner
that was a real good lesson jerry i am doing the123234 all now i am happy that you are doing all of this an one of the thing that is hard for me is makeing the chords hit the right sound i am not going to stop trying to play the guiter that is my word to you an in my home words bond that mean if i say something i will stand by it thank you again jerry your friend jaquan
Great finger co 1 2 3 4 2 3 4 Little tip Jerry works well with me ! try warming your hands first in hot water in the sink for a while makes your fingers more supple .
Jerry!!!
you probably hear this all the time but no doubt your a great teacher!!!!! Your videos are great and the fact there free is just plain awesome!!! Really looking forward to some more cool stuff to learn.
oh and this technique….. Sweeeeeeet man :-)
My hands are pretty sore,this exercise is really neat never thought of it. I’ve been thinking of ways to loosen up my stiff fingers for quite some time now. Thanks Jerry!
Hey Jerry, thank you sooo much for all this amazing stuff! It’s really helpful! Thanks!!!
This is a carzy little exercise. I’ve been playing for a while and my fingers hate this exercise but I think its great. My fingers will learn to love it!!
Kind’a silly thing, when you look closely at it, but works. A few days ago I tried to nail some solo, but it had a complicated part. Not a big deal, just three notes in a row, but the key was timing between the notes. I hope this drill will help me nail that solo.
hey funny huh, so simple yet not so. a brilliant little fiddle that is such a “simple” way to keep the fire smouldering, ya got it dude, thanks again.
I can only say… thanks, really :)
this lesson is great for wasting free time without your guitar and it makes miracles, try diferent combinations, llike 432-321
Biggest problem – making cord changes particularly when there are more than 2 in the one phrase.
I have an acoustic guitar.
my first question (the major one) – where can i get this song of you.? Breeze and Water.?
i loved this song..
Secondly, i find it very easy to do this 123-234.. other’s may not find it easy maybe because they grabbed their guitars about 3-4 months ago..
i’ve been playing it since 1 and a half years and i’m just 19..
thanks to you mate i can finally play metallica, megadeth, and others a lot smoother than before (not the solos, but the riffs).. :D I’ve still got a lot of work to do tough.. :D
can tell you how much i appreciate this, man.. wish u could teach my personally.. :)
rock on..
by the way.. i thank you on behalf of India.. :)
Great lesson Jerry, way back when I was a youngin I had a guitar teacher show me almost the same thing you can do without a guitar, only he had me use my right forearm as the neck, it was nice, I could do some drills and even chords. funny thing is, I almost forgot all about that until today when I saw your lesson. thanks again.
great exercise
Hey Jerry good stuff.
I think this is a great exercise without the guitar. In fact, I noticed that at the beginning it was a bit difficult to coordinate my fingers. Great stuff Jerry!
As usual great – thanking you.
Hey Jerry, I just wanted to say thanks for all the great lessons and tips you’ve sent me so far. They’ve really helped my playing in a way that I originally thought would take me years to learn. I play in a rock’n’roll band right now, and I almost can’t believe some of the cool solos that I’ve been ‘whipping’ out on the guitar. I started with your free Bridge course about a month ago, and I’m grateful for all the good stuff that’s in there. Thanks again!
Simon
Hi everyone! Another exercice realy useful is to make every posible combination of 1-2-3-4, just as Jerry does (or on your guitar neck, from the first to the 12th space, up and down). There are 24 posibles combination, some easy ones like 1-2-3-4 or 1-2-4-3, but there are some hard ones like 4-2-3-1. Try to use a metronome and try them all! Have fun!
NOTE FROM JERRY…
This is an excellent suggestion from one of our Tribe members. I’ll add to it by also suggesting:
– Practice all down strokes for a few minutes
– Next practice all up strokes for a few minutes
– Next practice up and down (alternate picking) for a few minutes
– Next practice picking one note and then hammer or pull off everything else in the pattern you are working on
– Finally, practice a pattern (say 1,4,2,3) by doing it on the Top E string, then skip a string
This will help even the best player become more coordinated! Guaranteed!
Shout Tribe!
Jerr
PS… Thanks Roberto fro your input!
Thanks JerryGreat Idea, When I first started this exersize I could not touch my thumb and little finger,they are short and stiff,but now in only a few days I am beginning to touch them and I can do them faster. I love it… Jim
Funny exercize! I will try it everywhere. Is not as easy as it looks but it’s funny and useful. Thank you Jerry
great lesson! First time I’ve seen this excercise
I am 61 and this is tougher than it looks—-but it does help.
I’m self taught and have been playing for over 45 years, but I’ve never really been as good as I’ve wanted to be. In fact, I probably “plateaued” years ago. The lessons thus far have opened my eyes to things that I guess I knew in the back of my head but never really connected everything together consciously. I’ve recently been able to slow down a little and spend a little more time at the craft of guitar playing, and in just the week plus that I’ve been working on this bridge course, I already feel like there is some progress to be made. This hand exercise, even for someone who has played for years like me, is much more difficult than it looks, but I really “feel the burn” in my hand, wrist and forearm areas. I’m thinking this may really do something for my manual dexterity and help me to get off the starting blocks to see some real improvement. Thanks for making this available!
excellent practice tool while away from guitar. Look forward to seeing what else he has up his sleeve. when will you post material you are selling and do they include tips on playing lead guitar?
Jerry great lesson i find my self doing just that all the time. i thank of playing guitar all the time day in and day out can,t wait to play.love it. waiting to see what is up for next time. thanks for the free lessons.
I am 73 years old and just starting to learn how to play and i find your lessons very helpful even though i am not as quick to grasp on to things as fast as i once was.
hey yeah i got no probs just my fingers are kinda sore but i guess that they wont hurt after a while right?
What i have trouble with is alternate picking and alternate picking between strings, i always manage to hit the same string over and over again
Note From Jerry…
Tom, check out the 123234 Twist. Do it religiously every day for two weeks then talk to me. :-)
Jerry
You have come up with another little gem Jerry. I like your style.
Hi Jerry..
what a great tip this is.. not easy at first needing dual co-ordination, tapping foot and moving fingers in time, its hard to keep steady rhythm with foot but should get easier with practice..
now that is something i can do all day-great stuff
like. difficult at first …but like guitar -playing , have to practise
Great. Just what I needed for Thanksgiving break!
Thanks Jerry… good stuff!
Hi Gerry Ive always been a rthyme player tried this exercise with my cord hand it realey shows your weaker fingers. Ive always wanted to do finger picking so I tried exercise on my pick hand boy what a difference so hard Im now exerciseing with both hands getting funny looks from people let you know how it goes cheers Brendan
Thanks Jerry , another useful tip this little coarse is fantastic . I look forward to receiving each lesson there grrrrrrreat .
hi jerry the finger coorination is great i find myself doing it all day when i’m not to busy you sure can feel that the fingers are benefiting from it cool
My first thought was something like ‘what a pointless exercise’. However, I gave it a whirl and have to confess its much harder than it looks. I’m sure it will help with strength, co-ordination and help solve the problem of the wrong finger going to the wrong string.
Jerry, I broke both of my wrists last November this has been a great exercise to get my fingers working again. Many many thanks
This lesson should really help, because if you are are right handed or left handed the apposing hand doesn’t move too well, however with practice it will obvisouly improve. Thanks.
Not as easy as it looks. Enjoying lessons and look forward to next.
lol
this made my hands ache
just like playing for a while does
something tells me that the ache wil stop and playing will improve
great lesson and good to practice
thanks
Jerry,
I love this exercise. People at work are looking at me a little funny but its really helping. Thank you.
Brian L
Great idea Jerry!
I have to drive quite a bit throughout my work week. The finger exercise will help to pass the time as well as build my coordination.
Thanks again,
Greg.
Hi Jerry i am 56 and just started playing guitar and in the pass few weeks watching your lesson has sure helped me a whole lot and this excercise really helps to just a big word of thanks kirk
Hi Gerry
I wish you would produce a course dedicated to nylon accoustic guitar players! In the meantime I will pick up what I can from your excellent lessons.
The finger exercise is great.
I like this one alot. It really works.
This exercise is great. It’s a finger twister thats for sure.
I know i’ve said it before but i couldn’t agree more with everyone, your lessons are GREAT and i’m sure everyones enjoying them as much as me.
Not bad. quite a good little exercise . you got go’n on here . sure to help with the finger control . love it jas from downunder
this lesson is great when i first saw it i thought “how can i learn to play guitar without a guitar”.
but this lesson really helped my get the left hand in line
This is an awesome idea! have any suggestions for getting the right hand to cooperate?
LilDeb
This is great stuff! It really makes sense. I’m currently paying $65 a month for lessons and they are alright. Your free lessons have helped me (quick). I like the fact that I can sit here and go over it as many times as I need to and that’s not usually too many times because you explain things in an easy way to understand.
Thanks
Tam
PS. You really should release a full course, I see other people on the discussions asking for it too. Just a suggestion.
Jerry,
I’ve been practicing this now for over a week, along with the other lessons and all I can say to anybody here on your blog (or elsewhere) is this…
If you follow these methods and lessons, they really work and change your way of thinking and your playing.
I’ve seen other posts on the lessons where people are telling you they’ve gotten more out your lessons than they have in years of previous lessons.
I’d have to agree. I don’t know what it is but you just explain things in a (down to earth) way that I seem to understand easily and I don’t find myself getting discouraged.
How quick will we advance in to more advanced lessons.
Any word on putting out a full blown course?
just curious how much something like that would cost if you did and would it be a membership or just a big package.
Well, I need to go practice. Thanks again.
CC
This might be easier with my toes! LOL!
Clever lesson.
SS
I have one of those spring-loaded guitar trainers and I use it to strengthen my fingers, and as a replacement for a stress ball. The exercise you just gave me fatigues my fingers much faster than the guitar trainer, which means I’ll ultimately get more benefit out of it. And, as an added bonus, it’s one more annoying habit I can do in meetings (I twirl my pen through my fingers). I will become obsessed with this exercise. I can really use the increase in coordination at this point in my guitar experience. Thanks Jerry!
~Mike
Holy cow! When I first saw this, I thought “Hmmm – this is different, looks easy enough”.
Hellllllo!!!!
This is a heck of lot tougher than you make it look. I can see how it will help for sure.
Clever little lesson!
Thanks.
Cal
LOL!!!! This cracks me up. My fingers get confused on this.
It’s not quite as easy as it looks but I’m getting better at it. I’m just starting out . Sure glad I found this site.Been very helpful overnight. Thank you Jerry! Shared this site with my son.Waiting to here he also joined. Thanks again! Floyd
I like this! What are we going to do when we put it to the neck?
BRENT
Neat! Been playing for three years and my fingers get twisted on this.
Good tip! Try it backwards! Everyone that really wants to play well should do things like this all the time. You really don’t have to have a guitar in your hand to develop more of your skills.
I go around doing finger stretches all the time. Now I’ll be doing this.
Bluesman
“Play The Blues”
Excellent Jerry! Why in the world haven’t I thought of this.
Fun little exercise. I’ll have to agree, it’s a little tougher than you think it will be.
CC
Jerry
I love the idea of coordination and strength exercises without having your guitar. Your free lessons are great. I’m looking forward to seeing the paid stuff… I’m sure it rocks! keep it coming,
Brian
1, 2, 3, 2, 3, 4…not as easy as it looks…
Great no-guitar routine.