Morse's Other Hand-Warmup

[The Bash]

Here’s a Little Warm up Idea I saw Steve Morse Use. It’s most likely inspired from fixed finger classical guitar exercises. Anyway…
Put all 4 fingers on the 4th string (anywhere) use one finger per fret, so if you first fingers at the fifth fret then your seconds at the 6th fret.
Now Keeping fingers 2,3,4 on the 4th string reach your fifth finer up to the fifth string and hammer the 5th fret (D) and pull off to the open fifth string (A) the hammer back to the 5th fret (D)
In other words trill. You can pick that first (D) at first if it’s easier but eventually you’d like to ghost hammer it (that is not pick it just hammer it out of nowhere Like the Satch example in Eric’s Left Hand Lesson). Anyway trill these notes for a set number of times (say 4) or set amount of time (say 10 seconds) or until you feel the blood flow and the finger warm up.
Now Put the first finger back on the 4th string and do the same thing with the second finger (your first, third and fourth fingers should still be hanging out on the 4th string).
Once done, repeat same with the two remaining fingers.

Anyway when I saw Steve do that he kinna just noodled around with each finger till it was warm then proceeded to rapid fire switch fingers at will demonstrating not only great legato technique but a very high degree of finger independence and control as well.
There’a a video of Steve doing this on the Web, but I no longer got the link. So if anyone knows what I’m talking about and knows the link maybe they could post it.

[EricV]

Hey there...

cool, thanks for posting this. You saw that cideo too, huh ? I love the part where he plays some section from "Well-Dressed Guitar", to showcase the alternate picked arpeggios.
Here´s the LINK (http://www.guitar.com/features/viewfeature.asp?featureID=68)
It´s a feature at guitar.com. Click on the link and click on "Guitar lesson With Steve Morse" on the left.


Anyway, one more trill exercise comes to mind... Gary Hoey´s 6 minute exercise. Saw him explaining that one at a workshop...

Put your index finger at the first fret, high e-string, and leave it there. Now, for exactly one minute, play trills between the 4th fret and the 1st fret, meaning you hammer on / pull off at the 4th fret with your pinky.

After one minute, switch to hammering / pulling with the third finger at the third fret. Do that for another minute. Try to keep a steady tempo. A minute can be REALLY long, and if you start too fast, you won´t be able to keep it up, or you´ll risk tendonitis.

OK, after another minte, start hammering / pulling at the 2nd fret with your 2nd finger.

3 Minutes have gone by.
Now, leave the 1st finger at the first fret, put the 2nd onto the 2nd fret and leave it, and hammer on / pull off at the 4th fret with your pinkie ( so it´s a trill between frets 2 and 4 this time )
After one minute, hammer / pull with your ring finger ( your 1st and 2nd fingers are still in place at the 1st and 2nd fret, so it´s a trill between frets 2 and 3 )
That´s 5 minutes.
Now, leave the 1st and 2nd finger on their frets, put the 3rd finger on the 3rd fret and leave it... and hammer with your pinkie at the 4th fret. That one can be tough.
Do this every day...

Eric

[The Bash]

I do that one myself great little ex.
I liked your point about not going to fast cause to me you actually gain more control going slower. I think trills are much harder slower, where u got more time between the notes. I think slower builds more strength (though strength not quite what I mean cause I don't think it's a muscle kinna thing) where going faster builds a bit more stamina. Course if ya ever wanna playem at warp speed your gonna have to practice doing just that at sumpoint.
Same with that little Gilbert picking/hammerpull thing we posted once. I like starting that at about quarter =60 playing it through say the key of Aminor on first three strings (since the lick uses three strings) I just move it up the frets. Then repeat at say 70 etc till I work up to my top speed. Grant it somethose shapes, I thinking the one starts with first finger on B and you gotta reach back a fret on the second string for the F, are little unuserfriendly and I usually drop those out as I get to the limit on each one.

Next day I'll say do the next string set 2.3,4
next day 3,4,5
next day 4,5,6

Then do difrrenent keys or diffrent variations

Anyway I personally find that ex. much much easier at 120 than say 60 so that's why I stat so slow (to save time I sometimes uses jumps of 20 instead of 10 till I get up in the max out aera).

BTW THANXS for the Link and the newest lesson, loooking forward to more great ideas.