Why Most Guitar Warm-Ups Are Completely Useless
I used to warm up with all the typical exercises. Chromatic runs, spider walks, you name it.
But here’s the thing I realized about most guitar warm-ups…
They’re completely useless for actual playing.
You’ve probably done that classic 1-2-3-4 exercise. And while it might get your fingers moving, when do you really use that pattern in real songs? Almost never (unless you’re playing Flight of the Bumblebee).
So I started thinking… what if I warmed up with patterns I’d use when playing?
Here’s What I Came Up With
This exercise uses one overarching shape with three different positions. Instead of random finger patterns, you’re practicing the finger combinations that appear in scales; so your warm-up time actually becomes productive practice time.
Grab Your Guitar & Try This
Position 1: Start on the 4th fret of your low E string
- Index finger handles everything on the 4th fret
- Middle finger handles the 5th fret
- Pinky handles the 7th fret
- Play 4-5-7 on each string, starting from the low E
Position 2: Slide your index finger up a half step to the 5th fret
- Index on 5th fret, middle on 7th, pinky on 9th
- Same pattern: 5-7-9 on each string, but this time start from the high E and work down
Position 3: Slide up to 7th position
- Index on 7th, ring on 9th, pinky on 10th
- Play 7-9-10 on each string, starting from the low E again
Then reverse the whole thing and come back down.
If you’re more of a visual learner, I’ve got a video that walks through this exercise step by step.
Want to Take It Further?
Once you get comfortable with the basic pattern, you can mess with it:
- Add hammer-ons and pull-offs instead of picking every note
- Skip strings for a wider stretch
- Change up the rhythm and accents
Don’t worry about mastering every variation. The point is to warm up with patterns you’ll actually use.
Guitar Meme of the Week
I sure do love a good guitar meme, so I figured I’d start sharing some of my favorites in this newsletter.
The Bottom Line
Most warm-ups are just busy work for your fingers.
The one I outlined above prepares you for the patterns you’ll play in scales, so you’re killing two birds with one stone.
Try it out and see how much more connected your warm-up feels to your actual playing.
Once you do that….
…come share how it goes in our free Facebook group: Intermediate Guitar – Leveling Up!
Rock on,
Ben
Intermediate Guitar
