Authors: Erich Andreas
Guitar Mastery Simplified: How Anyone Can Quickly Become a Strumming, Chords, and Lead Guitar Ninja (3 page)
The numbers placed on those lines represent the frets, NOT
which finger is used. Tablature does NOT tell you what fingers to use.
That is where a good guitar instructor or proper technique comes in
handy!
When numbers are placed vertically like below, you will play
them like a chord (all at once), as in a strum.
Below is a G major chord
. (By the way, tablature
notation is typically plain black and white - I’ve merely added the red to help
you zero in on what I’m referring to)
Part 2 of this section can
be found later in the book
. For
now, you will only need to understand the principles in Part 1.
I appreciate all
your support! :) Thank you
!
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“Getting your fingers to do what you want them to
do...”
According
to Webster's dictionary, dexterity is, “
the
readiness and grace in physical activity; especially the skill and ease in
using the hands
”. Well that obviously applies to us guitar players;
the more you do a particular exercise or movement, the better you become.
In fact, our brains are designed in such a way that it's
impossible for you to not get better when you practice.
That means
that any amount of playing on the guitar whatsoever is beneficial. Now
when we practice specifically, deliberately and with repetition, we end up
gaining a lot of control over our fingers - or anything else that we set our
mind to, for that matter.
Since our thumb is located so closely to our first and
second fingers, our third and fourth fingers don't get called on for the same
amount of tasks throughout the day.
For this reason,
EVERYONE’S
third and fourth fingers
tend to be lazy when playing guitar. You thought it was just you?
Nope! Hendrix, Van Halen,
Vai
and any other
player that you can think of, had to develop their third and fourth fingers
with exercises, many times, these exact same exercises. The only guitar
players that don't have this issue are those that are born with a thumb that
grows straight from the middle of their hand. :)
Yes, I’m toying with you!! Everyone has this issue,
so
let's find out how to undo it!
The following three exercises
were specifically
designed to strengthen your fingers and hands, increase your speed and sharpen
your technique. I have used these exercises for years and have found them
to be extremely beneficial.
Exercise one
is a warm-up just to get your
fingers moving.
Exercise two
is an intense workout that
develops both left and right hands. You will especially feel the third
and fourth finger of your fretting hand being worked out through this one.
Make sure that you're using the appropriate finger on the appropriate
fret throughout the exercise. For instance, when you start playing frets
two and three, make sure you are using fingers two and three. When you're
playing frets three and four, make sure you are playing with fingers three and
four.
Exercise three
is a unique exercise that will
seriously challenge you and require you to play on your fingertips. Don't
be concerned if you can't do this exercise right away. It's definitely
one you want to work up to doing. This third exercise can be fingerpicked
or sweep picked. If you are going to use a guitar pick to do the sweep
pick, pick the first three notes down and the second three notes up. Also
make sure that when you do pick each string, it's done in a sweeping motion - NOT
picking each note individually. It should be a smooth motion, allowing
the pick to do the work. If you still have questions after reading this, please
see the associated videos.
At the bottom of these dexterity exercises, you will see I
also cover four things that you always want to remember when playing these
exercises. Let me give you a little bit of theory as to why we are doing
each of these things.
- Playing on your
fingertips makes a guitar player faster and more efficient.
The more you play
on your fingertips the lighter your touch will be and the less hand
fatigue you will experience. It’s very important to also have
control over what part of the finger you use. Since the fingertips
seemed to be the hardest part to master, learning this first will make
everything else seem easier. Guitar players that play on their
fingertips tend to play chords cleanly. Guitar players that play on
the pads of their fingers tend to play chords sloppily. - Playing right behind the
fret requires much less pressure than playing further back.
Think about the
leverage of a seesaw. The position of the fulcrum - that part under
the center of the seesaw that balances it – determines how much leverage
you have. On a see-saw, if the fulcrum is in the correct place, a
small child can easily lift a large man off the ground. Similarly,
leveraging your finger closer to the fret will allow you to play more
quickly and efficiently. - Playing with all your
fingers is very important because, as you become a more accomplished guitar
player, you will most likely be playing faster and/or more complex
arrangements.
Running out of fingers is no fun! So be proactive and use that
third and fourth finger. I have had many students over the years
thank me for insisting that they use their third and fourth fingers. - Lastly, it's helpful to
leave some space between the palm of your fretting hand and the guitar
neck because it allows you to more easily play on your fingertips and
ultimately have more control of your hand.
At first, this
can be a little awkward. Most beginners grab the guitar neck like a
shovel and their thumb comes right over the neck. And that's
perfect… if you are digging a hole with your guitar! But you’re
not...so
don't
!
What we do on the guitar requires a lot more finesse and a
much different approach than digging a hole. If we have a guitar strap
holding up our guitar or if our guitar is being cradled by our legs and/or
arms, then the guitar is not going anywhere. Once you are truly aware of
this, it will liberate your hand from grappling the neck.
For new guitar players,
grappling the neck can really
limit your playing. Later on in your playing you may be able to be more
carefree, but for now try to stick to good technique.
I am often times asked, “
How long should I practice this
exercise?
” To which, I pose this question, “
how good do you want
to get?
” Obviously, the more you practice these exercises, the better
you’ll become. If you want to become fast, you should practice it a lot.
If you are perfectly fine with mediocrity, then you don't have to play as
much. Alright, enough talk! Off you go!!!
- Play directly on your
fingertips - make sure nails on “fret” hand are always trimmed. - Play right behind the
fret (this is for leverage). Remember the see-saw example. - Play with ALL your
fingers (each finger plays a specific fret) - It is best to leave some
space between the palm of your hand and the guitar neck. This will
give you much needed leverage to play on your fingertips. Curling
the last knuckle on your fingers is also helpful.
Dexterity exercise #1
is a GREAT exercise for beginners to advanced players.
You can practice it for long periods of time and is great for general
agility and strength.
Dexterity exercise #2
is designed for intermediate to advanced players and is
a great agility and strength builder. You will especially feel a
"burn" when using fingers 3 and 4. This will quickly get your
3rd and 4th finger to be as nimble as fingers 1 and 2.
Dexterity exercise #3
is for ADVANCED players! It is a MAJOR strength
builder and perfect for building
chordal
dexterity,
stretch (reach) and strength. Take your time moving into this exercise.
It's very challenging!
Depending on where you are at in
your playing, these different exercises will serve you in various ways.
The more you do them, the more dexterous you will become.
Bottom-line, more practice = better player, 100% of the time
Alternate Picking Exercises using Exercise 1
For some
extra-special-bonus-points type practice, try using the following variations on
the “1
,2,3,4
” picking exercise (use alternate -
up/down - picking)