Great way to start your new year with simple Chromatic scale exercise. This will help you for having a proper technique without any hand injuries. (You can revisit on the November Challenge)
Have a great 2026! Happy New Year!!
Super Simple Exercise for Clean Technique - Chromatic Scale Ascending
In this lesson, I’ll guide you through a slow, detailed chromatic exercise that helps eliminate tension, reduce excess noise, and build a strong technical foundation. I practice and teach this exercise to improve finger control, tone, and accuracy. It also makes you become a very patient person!
Details within the exercise:
* Play 4th string from 1st fret up to 5th fret
* Play slow (almost no tempo)
* All down stroke
* Sustain each note (Do not make 4th note too short)
* Keep fingers close to the fretboard (until you finish the last note)
* Use less pressure (left-hand fingering)
* Thumb position around the center
Finer Details:
* Keep good posture
* Palm mute 5th and 6th string
Practice this for 10-15 minutes a day. Use a notebook, focus on the details, and keep track of your efforts. It is very difficult to play this way!
Tomo
Thank you, Tomo, for making this in-depth video. This helps answer some of my questions. I thought that you sustain each individual note shorter than the last one, but sustaining each one longer is better? Is that correct?
My pleasure! That description was written by Sammi! She organizes better than anyone! This series (4 video lessons are total) will help you so much! Plesae watch it a few more times so you understand by sounds (not by words = very dangerous!) Sustain each one!
Tomo
Clean Up Your Guitar Playing with This Simple Chromatic Scale Exercise (Descending Line)
In this guitar lesson, I break down a simple chromatic scale exercise that focuses on the descending line...but don't be fooled by its simplicity! This is the kind of exercise that reveals everything about your technique.
Whether you are self-taught, a beginner, or a pro, you should be doing this to keep yourself in check. It's very easy to develop bad habits and very hard to play this clean.
Play super slow, stay relaxed, and definitely take notes! Let me know how it goes in the comments!
Master this Chromatic Scale Exercise for Clean Guitar Playing (Ascending & Descending)
Welcome to Part 3 of my Chromatic Scale Guitar Exercise Series!
In Week 1, we worked on the ascending chromatic line. Week 2 focused on the descending line. Today, we’re combining both into one smooth, connected chromatic scale exercise.
This may look simple—but it’s still challenging. You’ll need to focus on:
- Thumb position
- Sustaining each note
- Palm muting
- Eliminating extra noise
Pro Tip: Always practice with an amp! It helps you hear everything clearly—especially unwanted noise—so you can clean up your playing and improve control.
Week 4: Chromatic Scale with Dynamics
Welcome to Week 4 of the November Challenge! This week's focus is adding dynamics to the ascending and descending line. Pick volume should be normal, softer, softer, even softer!