Chromatic 1-2-3-4: the classic guitar warm-up
Four fingers on four frets, up all six strings and back, every note picked. It warms both hands up and puts them in step, so the pick and the fretting finger land at the same moment: when they drift apart is where fast playing turns sloppy. A good first loop for any practice session.
Opens in the player looped and counted in, with the metronome on, and speeds up 5 % every 2 loops to 100 bpm. No account or microphone needed.
- Goal tempo
- 100 bpm
- Starts at
- 60 bpm
- Length
- 3 bars, looped
- Tuning
- E standard
How to play it
Pick strictly down-up, and keep the fingers just above the frets.
Put the 1st finger on the 5th fret of the low E string and give each finger the next fret: 1 on 5, 2 on 6, 3 on 7, 4 on 8. Play the four notes, move to the next string and repeat, all the way to the high E, then come back down from the 8th fret.
Leave each finger down until the next one has sounded, so the notes join up, but lift it in time for the change of string. The picking hand alternates the whole way: down, up, down, up, with no restart on a new string.
Mistakes to watch for
- Picking two downstrokes in a row when the string changes, which throws the next beat off.
- Fingers flying an inch or more off the strings between notes: the further they travel, the later they land.
- Squeezing the neck hard with the thumb. Press only as much as the note needs to ring.
- Rushing the descent: coming back down from the high E is where most players speed up without noticing.
A speed plan
The player starts at 60 % of the goal and plays each tempo twice before stepping up:
- 60
- 65
- 70
- 75
- 80
- 85
- 90
- 95
- 100
That's 16 loops and about 3 minutes before you're playing at 100 bpm. If it stops being clean on the way, stop the ramp there and loop that tempo until it is. With a microphone or an audio interface you can record while you play instead: Demiurg checks every loop and steps up only after two clean ones in a row, and back down after a poor one.
Questions
How fast should I play Chromatic 1-2-3-4?
The goal is 100 bpm in 16th notes, which is 6.7 notes a second. Start wherever every note is clean: the player begins at 60 bpm. Signed in, you can set a goal of your own, slower or faster, on the Exercises page.
Why start at the 5th fret?
The frets are narrower there than at the nut, so the stretch is easy on cold hands. Once it's comfortable you can move the same exercise down to the 1st fret, where the reach is wider.
How long should I warm up with it?
Two or three minutes is enough before the rest of a session: long enough for the hands to feel loose, not so long that they tire. Stop at the tempo where it's still clean rather than pushing to the goal every day.