Increasing your stretch

Arjen, I was surprised to see questions like this coming from you!?

I think guitar playing of any form, whether you are purposefully trying to increase your stretch or not, will help your finger flexibility and strength. The advantages of a wider stretch are pretty obvious; you won't have to move your fretting hand position as much and will have a wider range of notes you can play from one position.

Hehe, sorry if I was unclear. The puzzling part is that I didn't stretch nothing at all. I played a lot of slide (using no other fingers on the fretting hand!) and didn't do nothing that could give my muscles any kind of mentionable workout whatsoever. It just doesn't make any biological sense that I can try jazz-chords for months without any progress at all and suddenly increase my stretch a lot after doing far less intensive things. If anything I'd expected my fingers to get less used to wide stretches, not more. AFAIK there;s no 'mental understanding' that can suddenly come together, like you'd have when you suddenly grasp some new intervals or harmonies, it's a purely physical thing.

As for the advantage: As soon as you reach the fife-fret range every further increase *seems* useless as you could just grab the next string just as easily, and I've never seen chords requiring such a large stretch. Going from 5-9 to 5-12 (to name something bizarre) would give me only give me three semi-tones extra in any position, and only on the top string. More is always more, but what is the real practical use of it?

The real thing is to play 5th fret on lower E string and then stretching it enough to play the 11th fret on the high E string.

Stretching allows you to keep the bass notes ringing, which provide a better accompaniment.

The real thing is to play 5th fret on lower E string and then stretching it enough to play the 11th fret on the high E string.

So it is possible.... I was in a music store the other day just trying out some different music books, and I saw this stretch in a song. Needless to say, I just played one of those notes :)

The 4 fret stretch in Blackbird seemed impossible to me in the first month of playing, but now I'm pretty good at it :)

Been practicing getting this one down:

e --9--
B --5--
G --6--
D --7--
A --x--
E --x--


i do not know how but i've noticed that I've improved a bit my streching too. I mean I'd love to be able to play on my classical guitar the four fret strecth needed to play the rock shuffles like the ones suggested by David Hodge on Roll over beethoven lessons...I'm not still able to do it fluently but yesterday I made to play a four fret stretch (3rd to 7th) at a very slow speed, so may be ther's a chanche for me!

Matteo

There are some real wide stretches in Steve Vai's "For The Love of God", and I think the main reason is that it make is possible to do slides and pull-ofs from certain notes. I watched a version of him playing this on youtube and it's certainly a difference if you choose to do a slide/pull-of instead of changing strings. Different strings also sound a bit different from each other, even though you're playing the same note, so you could use this for dynamics too.

I used to be able to manage 5 frets easily - you know, A5 A6 A7 A6 at the fifth fret - but since the accident I've lost a bit of flexibility, probably due to scar tissue....so I now have to play a blues shuffle like this.....
E------------------------------|
B------------------------------|
G------------------------------|
D------------------------5-----|
A-7--9--10--9------7--9--7--9--|
E-5--5---5--5------5--5--5--5--|

A5 A6 A7 A6 A5 A6 A7 A6

First part is how I used to play it, second part is how I now HAVE to play it.....

So at the moment, I'm concentrating on bass, I WANT MY 5-FRET STRETCH BACK!

:D :D :D

Vic

I used to be able to manage 5 frets easily - you know, A5 A6 A7 A6 at the fifth fret - but since the accident I've lost a bit of flexibility, probably due to scar tissue....so I now have to play a blues shuffle like this.....
E------------------------------|
B------------------------------|
G------------------------------|
D------------------------5-----|
A-7--9--10--9------7--9--7--9--|
E-5--5---5--5------5--5--5--5--|

A5 A6 A7 A6 A5 A6 A7 A6

First part is how I used to play it, second part is how I now HAVE to play it.....

So at the moment, I'm concentrating on bass, I WANT MY 5-FRET STRETCH BACK!

:D :D :D

Vic

I can reach from 1 to 7, 1 to 6 comfortably, but I don't see a huge need for it.

As for not “practicing it”, I think just by forming a chord you are stretching the part of your fingers “inside” your hand, where it starts. So, you have been practicing it, just indirectly........................looks good on paper anyway. :lol:

I used to be able to manage 5 frets easily - you know, A5 A6 A7 A6 at the fifth fret - but since the accident I've lost a bit of flexibility, probably due to scar tissue....so I now have to play a blues shuffle like this.....
E------------------------------|
B------------------------------|
G------------------------------|
D------------------------5-----|
A-7--9--10--9------7--9--7--9--|
E-5--5---5--5------5--5--5--5--|

A5 A6 A7 A6 A5 A6 A7 A6

First part is how I used to play it, second part is how I now HAVE to play it.....

So at the moment, I'm concentrating on bass, I WANT MY 5-FRET STRETCH BACK!

:D :D :D

Vic
If I'm messing with 12-bar shuffle, it's invariably in E or A to make use of the open strings :mrgreen:

Although I can stretch from the 5th fret to the 10th (and even the 11th), that is pretty extended and something I try to avoid.

I always look for easy ways to play. For instance, the A5, A6, A7, A6 riff, I will often play like this:


A5 A6 A7 A6

i= index
m= middle
r= ring
p= pinky


Now, I can do it the regular way and do, but I also use easier methods. Always try to make guitar as easy as possible. :wink:

My most impressive stretch that I have accomplished is index on the a string 7th fret, pinky on the 12th fret e string. I use it for scarborough faire and it took me forever to get semi decent with it. I thought in the beginning that there was no way I could ever do it.. but as everything else.. Just needed practice.

Jim

Hehe, sorry if I was unclear. The puzzling part is that I didn't stretch nothing at all. I played a lot of slide (using no other fingers on the fretting hand!) and didn't do nothing that could give my muscles any kind of mentionable workout whatsoever. It just doesn't make any biological sense that I can try jazz-chords for months without any progress at all and suddenly increase my stretch a lot after doing far less intensive things.

I can't really explain it either - but it's often true that the progress is made after the exercise, not at the time.

We're used to it in other areas though. For instance, if you spend a couple of hours working out in the gym you don't expect to come out feeling stronger - or having bigger muscles. You expect to feel knackered. You know that the muscles will come - but as the body's gradual response to the exercise. It can take weeks before you can see or feel all that much difference.

Playing seems to be the same. Both the mind and the body need time to fully absorb - and then actually implement - what you've been trying to tell them. And it's often more time than you think, which is why patience is so important when you're learning.

I recently had a few months learning the clarinet. Dutring that time I hardly played guitar at all. When I took it up again I expected to be really rusty and find that both my "muscle memory" and general "mind memory" had gone backwards.

To my great surprise and pleasure the reverse was true, and I actually seemed better for the break. There was a relaxed fluidity and sureness of touch that I'd swear wasn't there before.

So I'd say that you'd made a major deposit with all that work on jazz chords - it just took a little longer than you thought before the interest on the investment was paid. :D

Cheers,

Chris