Having a hard time stretching on the guitar?

You are not alone.  It’s very common for guitar players to have difficulty performing certain stretches on the guitar.

The good news is improving your reach on the guitar is well within your reach. And yes, the pun is intended. It’s just like any other technique on the guitar.  If you work on it with the right exercises, you can improve your stretching.

Finger stretches are often required to perform scales, chords and songs.  This means as you improve your fret-hand finger flexibility, you will find scales, chords and songs become easier and easier.

It is best to perform some warm-up alternate picking and hammer-on/pull-off exercises before you begin stretching exercises.  The most effective stretching occurs when your muscles are warm.

Here is a great exercise that will help increase the flexibility and stretching capability in your fret-hand.  This stretching exercise uses all four fingers.

Position your fret-hand fingers one-per-fret as follows:

 This is your starting point.

Now pick strings 4-3-2-1-2-3.

Now, while keeping fingers 4-3-2 in place, stretch your first finger down one fret.

Repeat the picking pattern 4-3-2-1-2-3.

Now, while keeping fingerings 4-3-1 in place, stretch your second finger one fret lower.

Pick the strings 4-3-2-1-2-3.

Next, while keeping fingers 4-2-1 in place, stretch your third finger down one fret lower.

 Pick the strings 4-3-2-1-2-3.

And finally, while leaving fingers 3-2-1 in place, drop your 4^th finger one fret lower.

Pick the strings 4-3-2-1-2-3.

Now repeat the exercise on each fret and move down to the first fret or as far down the fretboard as you can.  Your goal is to get nice clear notes.

Use picking pattern 4-3-2-1-2-3 throughout.

Just to make sure it’s clear, here is the exercise shown in tab.

 

Looking for some more ways to improve your guitar technique?  Check out my course called the Top 30 Most Powerful Guitar Technique Exercises of all Time.