The pinky finger. Some guitarists love it. Others avoid using it like the plague. It’s weak, lacks coordination, and can easily end up a weak link in your guitar playing.

Every guitarist knows it’s tough to play when you’re not warmed up. You pick up the guitar, start plucking away, but your hands are stiff, your timing is off, and you feel like things just don’t want to move.

A Pedal point, or pedal note, is a sustained or repeated note. They’re used in rhythm playing as well as leads and you hear them often in rock, metal, and neoclassical music. In this lesson, I’m going to give you 5 examples of pedal point licks that also make great lead guitar exercises.

David Gilmour is known for his melodic guitar solos and epic bends. Having described his intention when playing the guitar as wanting to make the guitar “sing”, he’s taken his bending technique to another level. So, why not learn from the master himself?

While I do enjoy exercises, the best way to improve on guitar (and make it more enjoyable) is by learning songs. All of the techniques you can practice in isolation can also be practiced within the context of a song. With that in mind, below are 5 song intros you can learn to greatly to improve guitar picking technique.