The Spider
Spider Exercise for Guitar
First up we have The Spider. This is an exercise designed to increase finger dexterity, flexibility and note clarity, three aspects of guitar that beginners struggle with the most.
Start by pressing the first fret of the low E string (the thickest string).
Play the string. Make sure the note is clear. No buzzing or muting. Once the note is perfectly clear, move on.
Add the middle, ring and pinky fingers sequentially. Do not remove any fingers from the frets. Make sure each finger can sound the note clearly before adding the next finger.
By the end, the student should have all four fingers in four frets on the E string.
The student will move to the next string and do the same exercise. However, the fingers will only be moved from the previous string once it is their turn. For example, with all four fingers on the E string, only the index finger will move to the A string. Once the student can play the first fret of the A string clearly with the other three fingers in their places on the E string, they can add the next finger.
Spider Exercise Gif
Notes: Your fingers should press down from above, not from the side. this is to avoid bumping other strings.
The note is to be played with the fingertip, not the side of the finger or the soft part opposite side of the nail.
The note may not sound clear if the finger is not close enough to the wire (horizontal metal bit that separates the frets), or insufficient pressure is being applied, or another finger is bumping the string, muting it.
4/4 Descending, Ascending Rhythm
Em Chord Chart
In this exercise, students will strum 10 bars of any chord, starting with whole notes and working down divisions to sixteenth notes. This exercise is important for developing rhythm and time keeping.
Guitar Rhythm Exercise
These measures are in 4/4 time. This means you will tap your foot four times per box.
You may strum any chord of your choice. Em is a simple chord for beginners.
Starting with whole notes, the student will only strum on the first beat.
With half notes, students will strum on beats one and three.
Quarter notes will require students to strum every beat.
The student will strum on the beat and between the beat with the eighth notes. This can be achieved by strumming again as your foot rises, and by counting “and” after each beat. Instead of counting 1, 2, 3, 4 the student will count 1+2+3+4.
Depending on how new the student is, they may not want to go as far as sixteenth notes. To play these, the student must strum four times per beat. This count is verbalized as: 1e+a, 2e+a, 3e+a, 4e+a
After descending to eighth or sixteenth notes, work backwards back to whole notes
Notes: Be sure to tap your foot to the beat. This means tapping your foot to quarter notes throughout the whole exercise. If the student has a hard time keeping the beat, use a metronome. Google “metronome”.