I feel like giving the finger...

aja

...a good workout!

My ring finger is a lazy half-ass excuse of a fretting device.

Do you know of any ways to strengthen it? It always lets me down in chords if my hand starts tiring....

:-\

VellaJ

I've found practicing half- and full-tone bends using the 3rd finger helps to strengthen it (especially on acoustic), and also gives your ear a workout, so you can hear exactly when the bend is in pitch.

I'm surprised your ring finger is lazy. I thought most people had more of a problem with their pinky :?

aja

VellaJ wrote: I've found practicing half- and full-tone bends using the 3rd finger helps to strengthen it (especially on acoustic), and also gives your ear a workout, so you can hear exactly when the bend is in pitch.

I'm surprised your ring finger is lazy. I thought most people had more of a problem with their pinky :?

Aha the bending exercise is a good idea, thanks!

arjunmenon

Hey aja, here's a trick i picked up from Wayne Krantz.
When you're noodling around or practising scales etc, try to lead with the ring finger.
This works like a bomb.
The bending suggestion is also a good one.

Jack-Flash-Jr

Arjun Menon wrote: Hey aja, here's a trick i picked up from Wayne Krantz.
When you're noodling around or practising scales etc, try to lead with the ring finger.
This works like a bomb.
The bending suggestion is also a good one.

Or the middle finger to kick off.. it works like a bomb indeed. I sometimes throw in alternate fingerings if my hand starts fatigueing and it refreshes nicely.
(reread and realized you're talking about ring, not pinky... but this might help anyway)
and

Hammerons Hammerons Hammerons Hammerons Hammerons Hammerons Hammerons Hammerons Hammerons...... The Trill Drill!

Squonk

Eric Clapton's "Wonderful Tonight" - Like it or Loathe it but the intro has such a nifty little lead piece that can only sound good with bending.

It took me a while to get it right, but in the process it strengthened the ring finger hugely.

You must come for a visit, we can do this

aja

Squonk wrote: You must come for a visit, we can do this

You can rebuild him? I do not have six million dollars though. How about a bottle of scotch?

Norman86

what about 6 million pesos instead?! ?

Bob-Dubery

Work out all the combinations of hammers and pulls. EG (and with index being 1 and pinky being 4)

1-4 (hammer), 4-1 (pull)
2-3 and 3-2
1-3 and 3-1

etc etc

Then work out a drill with all of these combinations. Do 5 reps of each, on each string, with 1 on 1st fret.

Then repeat at 5th fret and then at 10th fret.

Exercise with a metronome, always playing the first note and hammering or pulling the 2nd. So play 1 and hammer to 4. Then play 4 and pull off to 1. With steady, regular timing.

Keep that up for a couple of weeks and you'll feel the difference in strength.