Exercises for better 4th finger fretting?

struggling with my 4th finger when fretting scales- - for some reason I naturally hold it high off the fingerboard & that leads me to hammering it down heavier than I’d like, ruining any nimble scale work that I’m trying to do.

any good guides on hand position or exercises to help me control that finger better? Just trying to not do isn’t helping at all, so need a different approach.

The Vai exercise is great for this. For simplicity, just do it on the top E string, and you finger this 16-note pattern on any 4 consecutive chromatic frets using the following fingers:

1 2 3 4 - 2 3 4 1 - 3 4 1 2 - 4 1 2 3

Then repeat a billion times.

There are actually six patterns to try; that’s the simplest one. The other five are:

1 2 4 3 - 2 4 3 1 - 4 3 1 2 - 3 1 2 4

1 3 2 4 - 3 2 4 1 - 2 4 1 3 - 4 1 3 2

1 3 4 2 - 3 4 2 1 - 4 2 1 3 - 2 1 3 4

1 4 2 3 - 4 2 3 1 - 2 3 1 4 - 3 1 4 2

and the last one, which is the first one backwards and is also easy:

1 4 3 2 - 4 3 2 1 - 3 2 1 4 - 2 1 4 3

viz said:

The Vai exercise is great for this. For simplicity, just do it on the top E string, and you finger this 16-note pattern on any 4 consecutive chromatic frets using the following fingers:

1 2 3 4 - 2 3 4 1 - 3 4 1 2 - 4 1 2 3

Then repeat a billion times. 

Thank you, this is a nice & simple. Appreciate it!  :)

In time, you should be able to get it as fast as a normal 1234-1234-1234-1234, and you’ll find your pinky will be hovering a millimetre above tFB. 

Try this beastie...

In my experience one of the reasons for holding the pinkie high is to give it time to accelerate down onto the fretboard, and hold the note without buzzing. An exercise which helps strength and control is to fret a barred A shape, eg 557775 using fingers 2, 3, and 4 for the 7th fret notes, and then changing to Asus4 557785 by moving the pinkie. Similar exercise can be done with the E shape eg 577655 or 575655 to 575685. 

Put a slide on your ring finger. Play.

as Viz said, for 25 odd years!! I was self taught then was stuck in a real rutt. I had lessons and was taught spider walking, I can't believe how far I kept my fingers away from the fretboard or how far I pulled them away from the fretboard after I'd played the note. Definitely this.  

Tannin said:

Put a slide on your ring finger. Play.

I'm going to repeat this (which is bad manners) because I am 100% serious. There is NOTHING like putting a slide on one finger and spending 10 or 20 minutes now and then trying to play your normal stuff with just the other three to strengthen up your hand and improve your dexterity. (Or a bandage - anything that simply prevents the use of that finger. My favourite trick is cutting it while cooking, but you don't have to go that far.) 

(Oh, slide on your little finger helps only a little bit. Use one of the others.)

Soo rude!!

Completely agree. The one I find most helpful is to put it on your pointer finger, so you have to use your middle as pointer, ring as middle, and pinky as ring. It’s incredibly effective, not only for strengthening your pinky, but also for laying down new neurons betwee brain and fingers, and for increasing your dexterity and independence.