Ho-Ho-Ho Holiday Guitar Slingers!
Welcome to the Infinite Guitar Santa's Christmas Knuckle Busters!
In this tutorial we will look at some exercises to help you with both right/left hand coordination, but also with mind/hand coordination. It will range from Entry Elf-level stuff to Grinch-ridiculous!
In this first example we have the tried and true coordination exercises for you Elf-guys, this is a simple chromatic exercise that will help you whip your hands into shape for the holidays. After mastering these two, Jingle Bells will be a breeze to play when your old folks ask you to "play us something pretty on that guitar of yours, will you dear?"
On a serious note though, as with all exercises, it is always important to be properly warmed up before playing. And even though these particular exercises aren't going to be killing your hands, be sure to also check out fellow IG-instructor Steve's warm-up regime here.
If you want to combine this with some stretching to further expand your flexibility and coordination, check out my Flexibility Bootcamp tutorial.
As far as actual performance of these examples, keep it simple, use alternate picking and play in time with a metronome or a drumbeat and you should be fine. It can also be beneficial to close your eyes and visualize the patterns you're playing, rather than thinking of only frets and fingers.
