Practicing Legato, Any thoughts on doing this effectively? Options

[djohnneay]

Hey guys!

I lately noticed that my legato playing is way below what I want it to be. I always thought that I could use picking instead of legato, and that this would/could be a trademark of my own style. However, there are situations in which I can't pick every note, like tapping.
Recently when doing some kind of these licks, I discovered that :

- My pinky is very, very weak for legato (it is nearly impossible to get any sound at all)
- Muting is hard while tapping (for normal legato muting I use picking hand)
- Ring and pinky finger are almost inseparable (they move simultaneously almost all the time).

Basically, hammer-on-pull-offs between index-, middle- and ring finger is all i can do.
Some while ago I saw a video of a guy playing legato and not picking AT ALL. On the long run, should I be able to do this ?
The ring finger and pinky are almost inseparable, how should I approach this ?
And finally, to get ANY strength out of my pinky, I am forcing my other fingers.
Should the strength come from the finger alone, or am I allowed to do this ?
Or does it pass with time ?

Reading all this, where should I begin ? Perhaps some lesson advice? It's just so frustrating!
I can pick almost anything I need to, but as soon as I need to play legato, I feel so incompetent!
Will it take as long as it did with AP to get to the same level?
Would I have to go through the same process, but with a different technique this time?

I hope you guys can help me, as I'm really struggling!

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[Daniel Realpe]

I think every instructor here will tell you they went through the same process. The pinky is always the most problematic finger to work on. I had to very consciously work on it for several months until it had descent stamina.

The only way to do it is to keep on doing stuff that uses it and not just start playing with the other fingers but force yourself to use it as much as possible.

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Don't miss today's free lick. Plus all our lessons are packed with free content!

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