Hey guys,
as a guitarist you see the e|1-2-3-4 andchangestring excercise thrown around a lot, but I've always wondered what exactly the point of it is seeing as it's not a shape that you ever play in an actual music scale (well, vary rarely perhaps). As in, normally if you play 4 consecutive notes on the same string it's going to involve a slide.

So why not just do three notes per string chromatics, so that at least you get the change in picking direction on each new string, as you'd get in a scale?

Totally anal question, I know, but I wondered if I was missing something.

Remember that basically, it's a TRAINING for fingers and picking...
It helps moving your fingers, add strength and increase your speed.
For the picking, you are supposed to change the way you strike the first note on each string:
down,up,dow,up
up,down,up,down...

and then modify it as you will:
down,down,up,down
up,up,dow,down etc...

I remember a nice sentence aboot learning guitar:
"each time you try to play something that seems hard for you, call it an exercise."

BTW, you ALWAYS do things in training that you'll never play for songs.

It's for developing finger strength for all four fingers in one exercise.

you can practice string skipping with 1234 too. I do it everyday.

AND NO SLIDING

It is all about warming up your fingers. Only reason you are tempted to slide is that you got bad habits to get rid off

you can practice string skipping with 1234 too. I do it everyday.

AND NO SLIDING

It is all about warming up your fingers. Only reason you are tempted to slide is that you got bad habits to get rid off

oi, cheeky! i just meant that when you're playing a scale you never play four notes per string

I don't think my initial post explained myself very well 'cos you've all missed the point, but it's not important! ;>

Up the neck you can play scales with 4 fingers per string.

How would your 3 notes per string chromatics look like? And, if you want to practice 3 notes per string, why play chromatics instead of scales? And last but not least, chromatic scale IS a scale too.

I've seen another exercice to practice the 4 fingers, well it was written to practice economic picking I think, but it's the first part of the exercice just to warm up the fingers :

It's the 12 positions possible with 4 fingers (5 being the index, 6 the middle, 7 the ring finger & 8 the pinky):

E||----------------------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-|

----------------------5-7---------------------|
------------------5-7-----5-7-----------------|
--------------5-7-------------5-7-------------|
----------5-7---------------------5-7---------|
------5-7-----------------------------5-7-----|
--5-7-------------------------------------5-7-|

----------------------5-8---------------------|
------------------5-8-----5-8-----------------|
--------------5-8-------------5-8-------------|
----------5-8---------------------5-8---------|
------5-8-----------------------------5-8-----|
--5-8-------------------------------------5-8-|

----------------------6-5---------------------|
------------------6-5-----6-5-----------------|
--------------6-5-------------6-5-------------|
----------6-5---------------------6-5---------|
------6-5-----------------------------6-5-----|
--6-5-------------------------------------6-5-|

----------------------6-7---------------------|
------------------6-7-----6-7-----------------|
--------------6-7-------------6-7-------------|
----------6-7---------------------6-7---------|
------6-7-----------------------------6-7-----|
--6-7-------------------------------------6-7-|

----------------------6-8---------------------|
------------------6-8-----6-8-----------------|
--------------6-8-------------6-8-------------|
----------6-8---------------------6-8---------|
------6-8-----------------------------6-8-----|
--6-8-------------------------------------6-8-|

----------------------7-5---------------------|
------------------7-5-----7-5-----------------|
--------------7-5-------------7-5-------------|
----------7-5---------------------7-5---------|
------7-5-----------------------------7-5-----|
--7-5-------------------------------------7-5-|

----------------------7-6---------------------|
------------------7-6-----7-6-----------------|
--------------7-6-------------7-6-------------|
----------7-6---------------------7-6---------|
------7-6-----------------------------7-6-----|
--7-6-------------------------------------7-6-|

----------------------7-8---------------------|
------------------7-8-----7-8-----------------|
--------------7-8-------------7-8-------------|
----------7-8---------------------7-8---------|
------7-8-----------------------------7-8-----|
--7-8-------------------------------------7-8-|

----------------------8-5---------------------|
------------------8-5-----8-5-----------------|
--------------8-5-------------8-5-------------|
----------8-5---------------------8-5---------|
------8-5-----------------------------8-5-----|
--8-5-------------------------------------8-5-|

----------------------8-6---------------------|
------------------8-6-----8-6-----------------|
--------------8-6-------------8-6-------------|
----------8-6---------------------8-6---------|
------8-6-----------------------------8-6-----|
--8-6-------------------------------------8-6-|

----------------------8-7---------------------|
------------------8-7-----8-7-----------------|
--------------8-7-------------8-7-------------|
----------8-7---------------------8-7---------|
------8-7-----------------------------8-7-----|
--8-7-------------------------------------8-7-|

And the guy who wrote that exercice said to do it :
-first only with downstrokes
-then with alternate picking starting with a downstroke
-then only upstrokes (ring + pinky + upstrokes = really weird)
-then alternate starting with an upstroke.
(-then with economic as it was for practicing economic, but I skip this one as I have a long way to go before learning economic.)

The guy also said that a little known fact is that Paul Gilbert played only with upstrokes during his first 2 years of guitar cuz' he thought it was the way to play guitar... (did he never looked at someone else playing guitar ? :p) If true, it may help a bit for atlernate picking later^^.

Erm, what's the 'economic' picking in this 2 notes per string exercise? Legato?

oi, cheeky! i just meant that when you're playing a scale you never play four notes per string

I don't think my initial post explained myself very well 'cos you've all missed the point, but it's not important! ;>

Well I for one am confused. You were talking about chromatics, not scales. And I do sometimes play four fingers on a string. Own your pinky dude, you need it sooner or later anyhow.

my point is that when you're playing a chromatic excercise it's usually 1-2-3-4 on one string, then onto the next. When you're playing a 'normal' scale you rarely play 4 consecutive notes in the same string...it's usually 1-2-4 or 1-3-4 or something like that.

yeah, i use my pinky...but i'm considering giving up the guitar at the moment due to having ridiculously small hands. bah!

Erm, what's the 'economic' picking in this 2 notes per string exercise? Legato?

Start with an upstroke

Erm, what's the 'economic' picking in this 2 notes per string exercise? Legato?

Start with an upstroke

Yeah? Then two downs and an up, and then? It only works for two strings, any more and it's not economy picking anymore. Or I'm not getting something.

Erm, what's the 'economic' picking in this 2 notes per string exercise? Legato?

Start with an upstroke

Yeah? Then two downs and an up, and then? It only works for two strings, any more and it's not economy picking anymore. Or I'm not getting something.

It works for 3 notes a string only (if you are playing scales across the entire neck that is).
So you start with a downstroke, the up, then downstroke kinda sweep to the next string. So the last note on one string and the first on the next and playing with one continuous downstroke.
this is a fairly good explanation here: http://www.ibreathemusic.com/article/130