Pinky Strengthening Suggestion

[Michael Barnett]

One thing I do to help strengthen that pinky, along with FFcP exercises, is to play tunes I'm very familiar with in open position, but instead of using my index finger for frets 1 and 2, I use my middle finger in place of my index finger, ring finger for frets 3 and 4 in place of middle finger, and pinky for frets 5 and 6 in place of ring finger.

I find that taking my index finger out of the equation kinda removes that solid base I've gotten used to, and this helps strengthen all the rest of my fingers, especially that pinky.

It's a great workout. Try good ol' Whiskey Before Breakfast for a week or so, and soon you'll have an Iron Pinky.

Let me know how it works out for you, if you give it go.

[AlanN]

That's a good exercise, for sure. Another one, staying with WBB, is to play NO open strings, staying with index finger on fret 2. So, the opening line [Do, Re, Mi, Fa, Sol] would be:

7 on G string (pinky), then 2,4,5,7 (pinky) on D string, etc.

And when you land on the A note, all four fingers should be down on the fretboard.

[AlanN]

Another thing to do on WBB (credit to Charlie Provenza for this) is on the same opening salvo, start on open D string, then play 9 on G string (pinky), then 4,5 on D string, end on open A string. Gives a somewhat floating sound, just a different way to play the same lick.