Finger independence exercises

Lay your fretting hand gently down on a desk and try to repeatedly switch between raising just the 3rd, and then just the 2nd finger. Compare that with lifting your 1st and 2nd finger…. You will see that a large part of building finger independence is learning to control these wayward fingers.

1. Is it possible to develop finger independence?
2. Do finger independence exercises work?
3. Why can I not move my ring finger independently?

Is it possible to develop finger independence?

That's because it is easy. If you train your fingers to move independently then playing the guitar becomes effortless. Doing this is NOT down to talent. Even if you've got the shortest, fattest fingers in existence, you can still get good finger independence with just a bit of practice.

Do finger independence exercises work?

Practicing these exercises can help you improve your finger independence, contributing to better dexterity and overall control of the instrument. In many situations, the fret-hand fingers need to be independent of each other. Without this independence, the movement of one finger will drag the others along as well.

Why can I not move my ring finger independently?

Because the nerves for the ring and pinky finger are intertwined, it becomes harder to move each of these fingers separately. The same things happens between the ring and middle finger. ... This combination of handicaps to the ring finger by both your musculature and your nerves is why it's so hard to move it on its own.