If you watch other players using all four fingers with complete control and wish your little finger was more useful, this is for you. Here are two simple exercises to get a more usable little finger, and one rule that makes you use it more.
Do you even need your little finger? ▶ 0:34
You've got four fingers, so you might as well use them. But some really great players mainly use the first three. Guthrie Govan and Andy James can absolutely shred, and most of the time you just see them using three fingers.
So if you can play pretty much as fast as you want without it, it's not the end of the world. I think people overplay this a bit, particularly if you've got bigger hands. But if, like me, you've got slightly smaller hands, it's really useful to be able to use all four. And even if you play well with three, you might find a usable little finger gives you another gear.
The better you get with three fingers, the harder it feels to bring the little finger up to their level. So the earlier you work on it, the better.
Exercise 1: little finger hammer-ons for strength ▶ 1:20
This is a basic strength exercise, and a decent warm-up too. Use the first four frets if you can. If that's too much of a stretch, move it higher up the neck.
Anchor your first finger on the 1st fret of the low E string and hammer on to the 4th fret with your little finger, as fast as you can, for 30 seconds. Rest for 30 seconds, then go again.
e|------------------------------------------| B|------------------------------------------| G|------------------------------------------| D|------------------------------------------| A|------------------------------------------| E|-1h4-1h4-1h4---2h4-2h4-2h4---3h4-3h4-3h4---|
Then do the same with your second finger anchored on the 2nd fret, and your third finger anchored on the 3rd fret, always hammering on with the little finger at the 4th.
You'll probably notice it doesn't take long for your little finger to tire. I tend to feel it along the outer edge of my palm.
Treat it like a workout in the gym. You can't do it once or twice and expect results. Set aside 10 or 15 minutes a day, enough that your hand is a bit achy by the end. That's probably the most you need, and 10 minutes a day isn't long in the grand scheme of things. You may not need to do it forever, but expect to spend a few weeks, maybe a few months, building it up. Good technique is all well and good, but if your little finger isn't strong and coordinated enough, good luck.
Exercise 2: the silent hovering drill for placement ▶ 2:54
Once you're working on strength, think about placement. This one's silent, so it's a bit boring, but it's very useful and all my students find it pretty tricky.
Pick any four-fret range. I use frets 5 to 8. Tap frets 5 and 6 with your first and second fingers, 5 6 5 6, on each string in turn, then come back.
e|------------------------5-6-5-6--| B|-------------------5-6-5-6-------| G|--------------5-6-5-6------------| D|---------5-6-5-6-----------------| A|----5-6-5-6----------------------| E|5-6-5-6--------------------------|
The key thing is that your little finger hovers over the 8th fret of whichever string you're on the whole time. It doesn't have to touch the string. Ideally it's just a few millimetres above it.
You might be surprised how hard it is just to keep it close. It wants to pull away from the neck, so you have to fight it a bit, and you might feel it in the back of your wrist.
Then do the same with other finger pairs:
- First and third fingers on frets 5 and 7. I actually find this one a bit easier.
- Second and third fingers on frets 6 and 7.
I find the first and second fingers the hardest, which is maybe just how the hand works.
For a harder version, use a three-notes-per-string spread: first and second fingers on frets 5 and 7, with the little finger hovering over the 9th fret.
Again, don't do this for 20 seconds and stop. Do it regularly over a period of time. For some people it clicks within a few weeks, for others it takes longer. Spend about 10 minutes on it, or 15 to 20 minutes across both exercises. A practice log helps you keep it consistent.
Use one finger per fret ▶ 4:44
As a bonus tip, if you want your little finger to get stronger and more coordinated, you have to use it more. A useful rule for that is one finger per fret.
Take a C major scale between the 7th and 10th frets. That's a four-fret range, so the 7th fret is your first finger, 8th is second, 9th is third and 10th is fourth.
So on a string where you play the 8th and 10th frets, that's second and fourth fingers. The 7th, 8th and 10th frets are first, second and fourth. The 7th, 9th and 10th are first, third and fourth.
If you don't use a rule like this, you won't feel you need the little finger as much. You might get good with three fingers, but you could be holding yourself back by ruling one out. So whenever you play lead lines or scale-based exercises, use one finger per fret where you can. It also helps with consistency, because it's important to play things the same way every time, and having a rule helps with that.
Three fingers is still fine ▶ 5:52
There are loads of great players who use three fingers and treat the little finger as an extra. But when they do use it, they use it well. So if you develop your little finger and still prefer the first three, no harm done. You've just got another finger for when you need it. Higher up the neck, above about the 13th to 15th fret, it becomes a lot less useful unless you're doing bigger stretches.
Start tomorrow with 10 minutes of the hammer-on workout, then 10 minutes of the hovering drill, and play your scales one finger per fret. Stick at it for a few weeks and see how your little finger feels.
