fretboard(First and foremost. If you’re a lefty you’ll be improving your right hand skills here.)

As you’re well aware there are a lot of frets on the fretboard which makes the number of possible positions a bit overwhelming. In order to feel confident and be able to play some wicked solos you have to develop some skills in moving around the fretboard and playing different sounds without any struggle.

One of the traits of many great guitarists are some insane left hand skills. Take Joe Satriani for example. He’s known as one of the best guitarists in the world, and not without a reason. Check out some of his videos on YouTube. His solos are simply epic.

Mastery comes with practice, so that’s what you should be doing. Just 10 minutes of exercise a day can make a huge difference.

Besides, you can easily practice while watching TV, so you don’t really need any extra time. Plus, the exercises I’m about to present to you are great for warming up before a jam session.

I encourage you to use these exercises regardless of what kind of guitar you’re playing (classical, acoustic, electric, even bass, there’s no difference).

OK, here we go: exercises for improving your left hand guitar skills

The main idea is the same for all the exercises here. Start slowly and then try to speed up a little, but don’t go too fast. Remember, you don’t want any buzzing sounds.

As for your right hand start with a pick and then try switching to your fingers. Eventually, playing with your fingers will enable you to play faster.

Left hand exercise #1

left-hand-guitar-exercise-1

Then you can go one fret higher and start the exercise again by hitting the E string on the 2nd fret and continuing with the pattern accordingly.

Left hand exercise #2

A similar exercise only quicker.

left-hand-guitar-exercise-2

Same thing here. Continue with the pattern by going one fret higher (E string).

Left hand exercise #3

Now something more interesting.

left-hand-guitar-exercise-3

(My favorite exercise on this list.)

Want more?

If you want some more exercises for improving your left hand skills don’t forget about playing guitar scales, and also check out how to build your hand strength for guitar playing.

What are your favorite guitar exercises? Let me know in the comments.