It's a little of both, actually (stretching and shifting). When practicing scales, make sure to lift each finger once you've finished with a note. So if you're using a fingering that uses your first, second, then fourth fingers on a string, switch from the first to the second; don't hold the first finger in place. Does that make sense. I also recommend starting your scale practice around the 7th fret and work your way down. This way you can gradually build your stretching ability over time. Lastly, If that doesn't help, look for scale fingerings that do not require stretching. There are plenty of them out there, for every scale. Good luck!

@@KevinOShaughnessyGuitar wow thank you so much for your reply! I hope I recover from tendonitis and learn from this. So for a g major scale pattern 1 you would just play third fret E string with index finger then shift to play fifth fret E string with second finger then stretch the pinky to play 7th fret E string then shift all the way back to play third fret A string with index finger then shift again to do second finger on fifth fret A string then stretch to do seventh fret A string with the pinky? I know that’s not the whole g major scale but I think it’s practicing that with stretching alone that made me get the injury so just trying to understand. Thanks again!!! Hope to hear from you soon!

@@ReyBanYAHUAH That stretch, though a common, takes a while to develop (usually). To become familiar with the scale I would use this fingering: guitarlessonsbybutch.weebly.com/uploads/3/9/4/2/39427503/473561_orig.jpg That eliminates the stretch all together. From there, you can use a simple exercise to develop the stretch between your first and second fingers. Begin by alternating those fingers at frets 12 and 14. Start on the high E, move down to the low E, and go back up again. Work that exercise until it feels effortless (we're talking days or weeks here, not minutes). Then move to frets 9 and 13 and repeat. Continue in this way until you make it all the way down to the 1st fret. Then you can experiment with other scale fingerings. Make sure you get a clear tone out of each note and that you experience very little (if any) pain. It's natural to feel a little as you begin stretching the fingers, but that should go away with repetition as the fingers become condidtioned. Take your time. You're putting your fingers through athletic training and they shouldn't be rushed through it. Good luck!

@@KevinOShaughnessyGuitar ​ thank you so much. Do you have any quotes for 1 on 1 private lessons? I’m not a rich man but I definitely want to learn guitar scales, solos, etc. i want to make sure I have good habits and good technique. Self taught is cool and all but it’s very limiting and often times leads to injury like I have right now. $20-$25 a lesson is something I can handle but I don’t know if that amount of money is worth your time honestly I feel like that would be an insult to you.

@@ReyBanYAHUAH Email me directly and we can talk about it. You'll find my email address in the "About" page. Put the word, Lessons, in the subject. I look forward to hearing from you.