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5 Beginner Guitar Exercises
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‘Guitar exercises’ is a fancy way of saying practice what you have learned. It stimulates memorization of notes, scales and techniques, builds calluses on the fingers of the left hand, and improves coordination between your right hand, left hand and mind.
Always remember, before you begin to play guitar, you should tune your guitar. Even if you have played a few notes and tuned your guitar a short while ago, you should always get in the habit of checking the tuning, and adjusting the strings when necessary.
As you play remember to apply enough pressure to each string to get a clear tone. The lower strings, like the E, A, and D strings will require more pressure from the fingers on your left hand than the thinner, higher strings G, B, and E.
Your fingers on your right hand, or your strumming hand, should be alternating between your index finger and your middle finger. If you are using a guitar pick, then practice strumming the notes with an upwards strike and a downward strike, alternating up and down with each note that you play.
Exercise 1
Play all the notes on each string. An open string is a note, so don’t leave it out. For example, play all the notes on your low E string. If your guitar has 17 frets then you would play, E – F – G – A – B – C – D – E – F – G – and A. Once you play them forward, and then play them backward. Each time you play all the notes on a string, increase your speed. Alternate exercises by playing all the notes on the low E – A – D – G – B – and high E strings.
Exercise 2
Play each of the major scales on your guitar. Start, for example with the C major Scale. Play the C note then follow with the remaining notes – D – E – F – G – A – B. It may start sounding redundant, but once you play a major scale forward play the same scale backwards.
Exercise 3
Once you have learned either major triad chords or beginner guitar chords you can combine them to make an exercise that will help with the timing between the finger changes. For example, you have learned the A major and C major chords. Begin by playing the A major chord. Now play the C major chord. Now go back to the A major chord. Continue switching chords back and forth, picking up speed as you continue. If you learn a new chord then throw it into the mix. Exercise with two to five chords at a time.
Exercise 4
Find that note. As you begin to play guitar scales and chords more and more you will become familiar with where all the notes are located on the fingerboard. Start with the low E. Open string is one note; now find the rest of the E notes. As a clue, on a 17 fret fingerboard, you can find the E note 10 times including the two open E strings. When you are feeling confident, you can begin to experiment with Bb, C#, and any other note.
Exercise 5
Fingers. You have four fingers on your left hand and six strings to work with. This next exercise will help to increase stamina. Place your first finger on the first fret of the low E string, now your second finger on the second fret of the same string, now your third finger on the third fret of the same string, and finally your forth finger on the forth fret of the same string. Repeat this pattern with the A – D – G – B – and high E strings. Once you have done the forwards go back and do this backwards. Now move up and start with your first finger on the second fret. Continue on each string and keep moving up a fret each time you begin.
An exercise is just what it sounds like. If you are serious about learning guitar, you will have to put in the time. With any workout, plan on a 15 to 20 minute session in the morning and a 15 to 20 minute session in the evening. Some schedules do not allow for that much time to be allocated. If that is your case, exercise 15 to 20 minutes before your next guitar lesson.
Also, do not feel pressured into completing all of these exercises in one sitting. The best way to learn guitar is to alternate these guitar exercises. You could alternate even and odd exercises or do one each time. As you play the guitar and become acquainted with other guitarists you will find hundreds of different exercises for you and your guitar.
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