Chromatic Guitar Exercises

Chromatic guitar exercises are a guaranteed method for getting better at playing guitar, when played with focus, comfortable techniques, and variety.

We will first play a linear chromatic, then some fixed position chromatic cycles.

The goal of any exercise like these is to study how your hands work.

We aren't doing exercises just to do exercises. To get the most out of every moment of practice, focus your energies on finding out what it takes to play with less effort, more tone, & get comfortable.

Linear Chromatic

Consider your shifting in the above exercise. Often, with shifting (changing positions), our elbow precedes the movement of the hand. Therefore, it can act like slack in a rope. If you move your elbow slightly the hand will follow. How much you 'throw' your elbow, can determine where your hand will end up.

Fixed position chromatic guitar exercises also offer us an opportunity to program motion and send individual instructions to each finger in a repeated manner. Fixed means you do not shift, yet we do expand the term fixed to include scales with slight shifiting.

Study your picking and finger movement.

A real insight to playing can occur when we experience being a step ahead while relaxed.

As you play a tone, you are planning the next one.

You snap to the next location - in your pick (leave) & in your fretting hand.

Complete Chromatic Guitar Exercises