Space Invaders Exercise

Description: Improve your finger strength with these printer friendly instructions for guitar playing space invaders exercise.

1. Align 1st finger to 9th fret.

2. Allocate one finger per fret so that the 2nd finger takes care of the 10th fret, the 3rd finger the 11th fret and the 4th finger the 12th fret.

3.Play the following notes using the fingering pattern 1 2 3 4 . As you use each finger leave it pressed down on the fingerboard until it is needed again. This means that after the first four notes you have all four fingers pressed to the fingerboard. To play the next note (fret 9 on the 5th string) you move only your first finger across from the 6th string. For the next note you move only your 2nd finger and so on.. (The movement of your fingers may remind you of the way in which the aliens moved in the old computer game 'Space Invaders'. )

e---------------------------------------------------9-10-11-12-
B-----------------------------------------9-10-11-12-----------
G-------------------------------9-10-11-12---------------------
D---------------------9-10-11-12-------------------------------
A-----------9-10-11-12-----------------------------------------
E-9-10-11-12---------------------------------------------------

e--------------------------------------------------------------
B-9-10-11-12---------------------------------------------------
G-----------9-10-11-12-----------------------------------------
D---------------------9-10-11-12-------------------------------
A-------------------------------9-10-11-12---------------------
E-----------------------------------------9-10-11-12-----------

4. Move down a fret and repeat the exercise in exactly the same way.

5. Move down another fret and repeat .

6. Continue working in this way down the fretboard one fret at a time until you have reached the open position.

7. If pain or cramp sets in stop and relax your hand and start the exercise again a few minutes later.

8.Important note: You will get more from doing this slowly than from doing it quickly. It is a very powerful finger strengthening and coordination improving exercise