3 Exercises for Warming Up

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Tab Play Along for 3 Warm Up Exercises

Exercise Overview

Warming up before playing is the best way to prevent injury. In this lesson, you will learn 3 exercises that help to develop dexterity and technique in both hands. These 3 exercises were specifically written for the intermediate player.

Exercise #1

Exercise 1 focuses on building left hand dexterity by running sequences up the neck. A sequence is a repetitive pattern; and in this exercise, we will be playing 4 note patterns out of 2 positions of C Major. The first C Major scale is based out of root position (as taught in this lesson).

The second C Major scale is played entirely up the A string (starting and ending on the 6th degree: A)

We will be playing 3 patterns out of these 2 C Major scales. Pattern 1 and 2 are 5 bars in length, while pattern 3 covers 10 bars. In the lesson video, the 4 note patterns will be explained and demonstrated in complete detail.

In regards to right hand picking technique, we will be using a mix of Picado (as taught in our lesson on: “La Gitanita”) and a 3 finger approach.

Exercise #2

Exercise 2 focuses on developing rhythm in the right hand via strumming. The rhythm for the strum pattern is eighth notes with a swung feel. We will also be throwing muted strumming into the mix to create a more percussive and reggae-esque feel.

We will be using a 3 finger approach for picking.

Exercise #3

Exercise 3 focuses on developing dexterity in both hands, while throwing technique into the mix. The technique in this exercise revolves around using hammer-ons and pull-offs to cut down on the work required by the right hand (less plucking). Keep in mind, the goal of this technique is to produce the same volume, from each note, as if you were to pluck them individually.

This exercise also combines plucked notes with strummed chords to create a unique rhythmic sound. Lastly, we will be using a 3 finger approach for picking.