Finger permutations 1-2-4-3 and 4-3-1-2 for guitar
The chromatic warm-up's four frets in two orders the hand doesn't fall into on its own: 1-2-4-3 up the strings and 4-3-1-2 on the way back, then a falling line in A minor to finish. Changing the order makes each finger wait for its turn instead of following the one next to it, the 3rd and 4th above all, and that control is what scales and licks need from the fretting hand.
Opens in the player looped and counted in, with drums playing along, and speeds up 5 % every 2 loops to 90 bpm. No account or microphone needed.
- Goal tempo
- 90 bpm
- Starts at
- 54 bpm
- Length
- 4 bars, looped
- Tuning
- E standard
- Time
- 4/4
- Level
- Intermediate
- Plays with
- Drums
How to play it
Say the order to yourself for the first loops; a finger stays down until the next one has sounded.
The hand sits one finger a fret from the 5th: the 1st finger on the 5th fret, the 2nd on the 6th, the 3rd on the 7th, the 4th on the 8th. On the way up, from the low E to the high E, each string is played 1-2-4-3: frets 5, 6, 8, 7. On the way back down it's 4-3-1-2: frets 8, 7, 5, 6.
Both orders put the 3rd and 4th fingers next to each other but the wrong way round, which is exactly what the hand dislikes. Go slowly enough that the finger that isn't playing stays relaxed and close to its fret rather than lifting with its neighbour.
The last bar runs down the A minor scale from the high A to the G on the D string, then E, D and a held E, which leads back round to the start.
Mistakes to watch for
- Playing the third note late because the 4th finger waits for the 3rd to lift first.
- Fingers lifting high off the strings between notes; they should hover just above.
- Picking two downstrokes in a row at a string change instead of carrying on alternating.
- Speeding up on the way down, which most players do without noticing.
A speed plan
The player starts at 60 % of the goal and plays each tempo twice before stepping up:
- 54
- 59
- 63
- 68
- 72
- 77
- 81
- 86
- 90
That's 16 loops and about 4 minutes before you're playing at 90 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 Finger permutations 1-2-4-3 and 4-3-1-2?
The goal is 90 bpm in 16th notes, which is 6 notes a second. Start wherever every note is clean: the player begins at 54 bpm. Signed in, you can set a goal of your own, slower or faster, on the Exercises page.
How many permutations are there?
Twenty-four orders of four fingers. You don't need all of them: pick two or three that feel awkward, play them for a week, then swap them for others. The awkward ones are the ones doing the work.
Is this better than the 1-2-3-4 warm-up?
It's harder, not better. Use 1-2-3-4 to warm up, then a permutation or two once the hands are loose, when the goal is control rather than getting the blood moving.
More fundamentals exercises
All 22 fundamentals exercises · Fretboard notes trainer · Scales on the neck · All 107 exercises