Frustrated! My pinky locks my ring finger in ascending runs

[manyaxes]

First of all, I must say I'm no noob trying to play major scales for the first time. I've been playing for many years, and after analyzing my technique I've find a flaw. When playing ascending runs, for example 3 note per string major scale patterns with all 4 fretting fingers, I have trouble playing cleanly when I play something like 1-3-4 (index-ring-pinky) and then jump to the next string and fret with my index. My pinky will lock my ring finger, which won't "pull up" and fly high enough over the next string properly, but will fly low and mute it a bit. That is, when I play 1-3-4 on the 5th string and then 1 on the 4th, my ring finger won't get enough height after playing its note on the 5th, and will mute the 4th string, not letting me hear what I fret with the index on the 4th and losing the percussive sound of a fast run. I hope I made myself clear.

I have been practicing for ages and I have noticed little to no improvement. When I play slow I can do it well enough, but it takes some effort to bring that finger up. If I don't use the pinky and play everything with the first 3 fingers I can play it very fast with no problem whatsoever.

Do you know any exercise or tip that could improve this?

 

[FIREBALL]

while practicing forget the speed and go slw...then you must keep your fingers aligned above the string as close to it as possible as if u r pre fingering..it sounds like your hands r too far from fretboard...also keep thumb on BACK of neck

 

[manyaxes]

I think I didn't explain myself as well as I should have. I have trouble raising the ring finger after it and the pinky have fretted a note. I don't have trouble fretting, but getting the ring finger back up to the neutral "ready to fire position". I cannot raise high enough to put it safely over the next string unless I concentrate on it specifically.

 

[FIREBALL]

I think I didn't explain myself as well as I should have. I have trouble raising the ring finger after it and the pinky have fretted a note. I don't have trouble fretting, but getting the ring finger back up to the neutral "ready to fire position". I cannot raise high enough to put it safely over the next string unless I concentrate on it specifically.

that sounds almost medical

 

[glassjaw7]

Something very similar used to happen to me also. In my teens, my guitar teacher would show me chromatic runs and cool legato scale patterns and I had that finger locking thing going on every time I tried the stuff. It is very frustrating. Pretty sure it's the tendon snapping over the knuckle from being too tense. He would always tell me to loosen up my grip and to slow down and minimize the distance I was pulling fingers off from the fretboard.

It took a long time, but I think in the end the key was making smaller movements and most importantly just relaxing my hands. Something my teacher told me really stuck with me. He said "just let the patterns flow, they're just basic motor skills".
At the time it seemed snobby, like he was saying I should be able to do it because they're basic hand movements, but then I realized what he meant.
Take your hand and pretend your "air-guitaring" some legato runs. If you can move your fingers smoothly then you can do it on your guitar too. It just takes practice and patience. Relax those fingers! BTW it still happens to me if I don't relax my hand.

 

[Inquisitor]

Everytime I move my pinky, my ring finger moves also. I guess its because they are closely linked muscularly, but some days it is worse than others, meaning more or less linked movement. Sounds to me like its a loosening up thing, those two fingers in particular.
Individualized speedy pinky movements are surpsringly difficult, so I'd say take a little stretch before you commit to getting those scales or playing a solo with a lot of pinky and ring finger usage

 

[amiller]

I don't mean to alarm but you might want to get it checked out by a doc...just in case.

About five years back I started noticing that I was having problems with my ring finger dragging when I pulled it off of the fret board. At the time, I thought it was just over practice. I tried all kinds of excercises but nothing helped. After a couple years I suddenly started having extreme pain between my shoulder blades, numbness in my fretting hand and I lost about 70% of the strengh in that hand. Long story short, I had a ruptured disk in my neck that was pushing against the nerves that go to that hand. I had surgery to remove the disk. The pain went away and so did the numbness, however, I only got back about 75% of my totally strength in that hand. I can no longer play like I used to. My band used to play 6 or seven Satch tunes. I can't play any of the songs anymore.

The doc told me that the sooner this type of situation is caught and remedied the greater the recover will be.

Yes, it upsets me, however, I still love to play and I will always find a way to make music.

 

[FriedChickenBandit]

First of all, I must say I'm no noob trying to play major scales for the first time. I've been playing for many years, and after analyzing my technique I've find a flaw. When playing ascending runs, for example 3 note per string major scale patterns with all 4 fretting fingers, I have trouble playing cleanly when I play something like 1-3-4 (index-ring-pinky) and then jump to the next string and fret with my index. My pinky will lock my ring finger, which won't "pull up" and fly high enough over the next string properly, but will fly low and mute it a bit. That is, when I play 1-3-4 on the 5th string and then 1 on the 4th, my ring finger won't get enough height after playing its note on the 5th, and will mute the 4th string, not letting me hear what I fret with the index on the 4th and losing the percussive sound of a fast run. I hope I made myself clear.

I have been practicing for ages and I have noticed little to no improvement. When I play slow I can do it well enough, but it takes some effort to bring that finger up. If I don't use the pinky and play everything with the first 3 fingers I can play it very fast with no problem whatsoever.

Do you know any exercise or tip that could improve this?

Not laughing at you but if you only knew how many people get that. The ones that say "i never do" is either because they don't practice enough or use the pinky alot or they're so advanced that they forgot their early growing pains.

I'm just recovering from a compressed ulnar nerve on my fretting hand and after taking a little over a year off I'm starting to come back slowly. Let me ask you some questions.

I hear alot of people always say, "i've been playing for a long time with no progress" well, that's complete bullshit if you've PLAYED/PRACTICED for a long time you WILL make progress. We never want to hear the truth (I'm the only idiot in the planet that appreciates brutal honesty) so let me ask you..
1. Have you really been playing for a long time (1-2 hrs a day EVERY day for the last 10 years? If not, hate to brake it to you..you're still a beginner. Yes, hard pill to swallow but I can either help you or take your little hand and pet you and give you BS)

2. Is there any pain in your wrist, burning in your inner forearm or soreness in your pinky?

3. Can you perform this exercise without issues..let me see if I can write it down here so it comes out correctly. Start at the 2nd position with your 1st finger on the 2nd fret high E string. Now hammer-on to the 3rd fret with your 2nd finger do this for 30 secs and go for QUALITY and loud, clear tone. No speed here, just go for quality of tone. Now stop and put your 3rd finger on the 4th fret and your pinky on the 5th fret. Just those two fingers 3rd and 4th, leave the 1st and second fingers out of it. Now repeat what you did before...hammer-on with your pinky onto the 5th fret LOUD and CLEAR fuck speed, go SLOW but loud and clear. Do it for 30 secs...what happens? Is that A note you're hammering loud and as clear as the G note you played with the 2nd finger the first time? Same strength? Comfort level?

4. How long have you been playing? And how much?

You almost anwered your own question when you said this: " When I play slow I can do it well enough "

Just don't bullshit yourself, are you as good and advanced as you think you are? Have you been able to play this before, is this a problem you just noticed or was it there from the very beginning?

I have a few friends that have at least 15-20 years playing time but not ALL the time. Guess what that makes them? Beginners. Again, hard pill to swallow but you can BS yourself and solve the problem or you can end up like the rest of the 3 finger players out there. Not that there's anything wrong with that, look at Neal Schon

If you have issues with the exercise I gave you above let me know..I'll fix that for you. "If" you're not injured and your issue is not related to injury.

I was injured from being a RETARD and playing guitar and doing 600lbs deadlifts and power cleans, presses behind the neck and alot of close grip bench presses. A doctor told me finally, "you're a musician, you have no business being that big and lifting that heavy". I was in the lifting team in the army for a few months and I competed in meets for 2 years so it was hard for me to stop lifting.

Even if you're injured I might be able to offer some advice since I've managed to come back little by little and I'm back on my way again..I'm almost at intermediate level since I've been off for over a year but I'll be back and in a year I should be playing the way I used to. Here's what I just did my 1st 3 days of coming back, not that good but at least I'm using my pinky with alot of strengh.
https://www.soundclick.com/bands/page_so ... ID=9284910

 

[FriedChickenBandit]

Everytime I move my pinky, my ring finger moves also. I guess its because they are closely linked muscularly

No guessing, they are. The pinky is VERY easy to overtrain, how often do you or did you use your pinky in everyday situations? Not much..he's a motherfucker that little guy. he'll get there if you work him and rest him.

 

[Jimmie]

simple test = with your right hand, hold your index, middle and ring fingers together perpendicular to the back of your hand and then try to bend just your pinky finger at the second and third knuckles. 30% of us can't bend it, or so my surgeon tells me and there is no exercising it into compliance. you have to bend your ring finger or the pinky won't move.

What I do ease up the distress I feel in my hand is to tuck my elbow against my ribs to get the geometry of my hand into a more usable position. might not work for anyone else but it seems to work for me. Good luck with it.