Learning Basic Guitar Skills by Shane Bronson

Author:Shane Bronson [Bronson, Shane]
Language: eng
Format: azw3
Published: 2017-06-21T04:00:00+00:00

Fret Hand

Position the thumb of your fretting hand on the back of the neck between the first and second fingers. Make sure you bend all three knuckles of your fretting fingers using the tips of your fingers to press down the strings as close to the back of the frets as possible.

Proper Fret hand positioning will greatly improve your ability to play scale shapes and patterns. Fret hand positions can start at any point on the fret board. Each position includes four frets. While in a particular positions, each fret hand finger is designated to play all the notes that are on a specific fret.

First position starts on the first fret. In first position, the first finger plays all the notes on the first fret, the second finger plays all the notes on the second fret, the third finger plays all the notes on the third fret and the fourth finger plays all the notes on the fourth fret.

Second position starts on the second fret up one half step from the first fret. The fret fingers play in the same pattern as they do in first position. The first finger plays the second fret, the second finger plays the third fret, the third finger plays the fourth fret and the fourth finger plays the fifth fret. The third position starts at the third fret with the same fingering pattern and so on up the fret board. Use all four fingers to play all the notes on their designated frets for each position.

Make sure to press the string down directly behind the fret as close to the fret as you can without being on top of it. Pressing the strings straight down with the tips of your fingers is the best way to avoid buzzing sounds, unwanted muting and improves your accuracy as you build up our speed and endurance.

Keep your fingers as close to the strings as you can so they do not have to travel far to hit the next note. Fingers have a tendency to want to “fly away” when transitioning. Work to control this, limiting finger movement only to that which is necessary to play the notes or chords. This will also help with fret hand muting and transitioning smoothly.

Pushing the strings down on to the frets too hard causes buzzing, sharp out of tune notes and negatively affects your ability to transition. In addition, it can make your fingers tender and sore. Press down with just enough pressure to play the note. Also, be careful not to push the strings at an angle. This can bend the strings which makes the note sharp and out of key. Be aware of and avoid these common pitfalls.

It becomes easier and more comfortable as your muscle memory and dexterity improve through the repetition of lessons and exercise. Stay focused on the best practices in this book you will soon be able to play smoothly with just the right amount of pressure on the strings.

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