Before you begin playing your guitar, it is a good idea to stretch your fingers and do some warm up exercises.
Try the finger exercises below. If you play through these exercises often, your playing will improve dramatically because you're working the muscles in your fingers giving them more strength and flexibility.
If your fingers start to cramp - just stop for a few minutes and shake it off. This just simply means your fingers have not been stretched for a long time. Take it slow if this is the case...
Note - If you are a beginning guitar player (playing less than 3 months) just practice exercise #1. Once you are comfortable with ex. #1, in about a week or two, move on to exercises #2 and #3 and begin working on your 4th(pinky) finger.
Exercise 1
|---------------------------1-2-3-----4-3-2--------------String 1 |----------------------1-2-3----------------4-3-2--------String 2 |-----------------1-2-3---------------------------4-3-2--String 3 |------------1-2-3-----------------------------------etc-String 4 |-------1-2-3--------------------------------------------String 5 |--1-2-3-------------------------------------------------String 6 - Play up to the 12th fret then back down using alternate picking (up and down motion) - Use only fingers 1, 2, and 3 - 123 321 123 321 etc.......
Exercise 2
- Begin using your 4th (pinky) finger for all the following exercises. |----------------------------------------1-2-3-4--String 1 |--------------------------------1-2-3-4----------String 2 |------------------------1-2-3-4------------------String 3 |----------------1-2-3-4--------------------------String 4 |--------1-2-3-4----------------------------------String 5 |-1-2-3-4-----------------------------------------String 6
Exercise 3
|----------------------1-3--4-2-------------------String 1 |------------------1-3----------4-2---------------String 2 |--------------1-3------------------4-2-----------String 3 |----------1-3---------------------------4-2------String 4 |------1-3-----------------------------------4-2--String 5 |--1-3--------------------------------------------String 6
Exercise 4
|------------------------------------------1-3-2-4--String 1 |----------------------------------1-3-2-4----------String 2 |--------------------------1-3-2-4------------------String 3 |------------------1-3-2-4--------------------------String 4 |----------1-3-2-4----------------------------------String 5 |--1-3-2-4------------------------------------------String 6 |--4-2-3-1------------------------------------------String 1 |----------4-2-3-1----------------------------------String 2 |------------------4-2-3-1--------------------------String 3 |-------------------------4-2-3-1-------------------String 4 |---------------------------------4-2-3-1-----------String 5 |----------------------------------------4-2-3-1----String 6
Exercise 5
|-------------2--3--------------------String 1 |----------3--------4------------------String 2 |-------2--------------3-------------String 3 |----4--------------------5---------String 4 |-5----------------------------------String 5 |-------------------------------------String 6