I'm doing a lesson/exercise with the 5-to-6 double stop pattern. I'm finding the 5-fret stretch (when you drop the pinkie on the 6th) difficult to reach. It seems like it takes time to build up the reach and flexibility and learn the proper finger & arm positioning. I'm starting around the middle of the neck and gradually working down the neck to the wider spacing. I just want to know that it's normal for such a wide stretch to be so difficult. Thanks.
Oh...and my book says that sometimes you even play the flatted 7. I hope not by stretching the pinkie...a five fret stretch on the lower part of the neck is torture enough.
I was wondering about that last question myself the other day. I've always just made the reach with my pinky, but it is a bit of a stretch.
I just tried and was able to reach the flatted 7 with my pinkie (a span of 6 frets), but only on the upper half of the neck.
I've been practising the stretch to the 6th in several short sessions today and I'm making some progress. It's a lot like when I was first learning barre chords; too painful and difficult to do in one full session, but rather, a little each day to give the muscles in your hand time to recover.
Anyone else got an opinion on this?
