Shifting Position Exercises

One simple shifting exercise is playing a major scale on two strings, for example . . .

G |---------------------------|
D |--------2--3--5--7--9--10--|
A |--3--5---------------------|
E |---------------------------|
2 4 1 2 4 1 3 4

. . . (the numbers below the staff is the fingering) you shift from the 4th finger on the 5th fret of the D string to the 1st finger on the 7th fret of the D string.

You can also harmonize ther major and minor scale up and down the neck. The attached pdf is an example of harmonizing the C Major scale.

Hope this helps.

 

You can practice scales on one string, playing 2 notes in each position before shifting to the next one.

You can play arpeggios from the lowest possible note to the highest possible one. Explore various fingering strategies. Do this for all chords in all keys.

In all cases, don't omit to practice also descending.

 

Practice your favorite songs, using only one finger on your left hand (so you have to shift for almost every note).

 

I'm sure you can find lots of songs to practice with