left hand technique 2: PITA

The "Harald Weinkum-Pain-in-the-Ass-Exercise"

WARNING: this one is for people who REALLY want to improve their left hand technique. If you're just browsing around, you might be wasting your time, trying to understand the whole thing...

First, think of your left hand being in 5th position (left index finger on 5th fret) and playing chromatically ascending on your lowest string (the notes will be A-Bb-B-C if you’re on your E-string).

Now play the same, but let your 4th finger move up a string (see following video). Next time, your 4th finger moves up yet another string, until it reaches the highest string.

Then you do the mirror-image: chromatically ascending on your highest string, with your 4th finger going to the next lower string each time.

So far it’s pretty simple… but wait, there’s more!! Instead of just moving your 4th finger, you’ll move every possible combination of fingers. And I came up with the following, binary system to organize the order:

0001 means: fingers 1-3 don’t change strings, 4th finger does.

0010 means: fingers 1,2 and 4 don’t change strings, but the 3rd finger does (see video):

0011 means: fingers 1 and 2 don’t change strings, 3rd and 4th fingers do (see video).