In my last post i talked about how i wanted to start the beginnings of proper finger placement and technique again taking information from Guitar Method by Hal Leonard. To begin building off of what i already know i have to correctly put my thumb on the back of the guitar as Leonard said on page six, and relax my form and fingers so that the strings are not muted.
So to begin i started on the chapter called playing chords after properly tuning my guitar and reading his instructions on finger placement. Leonard begins to say to depress the strings indicated with the tips of your fingers (pg.19) i did as he said when previously i had been putting the first part of my finger flat across the strings and i could never produce the right sound since my fingers overlapped and began to touch other strings i learned the correct way when Hal said to "arch your fingers to avoid touching strings that are to be played open." (pg.19) it makes sense now why i was not achieving the correct sound because i did not think to lift my fingers due to it seeming awkward and uncomfortable at the time but i know now that it was the correct way to play the strings.
As you can see in this picture the proper finger placement for C chord is being demonstrated. After learning how to properly play the chords and learn good finger placement i wanted to see what advice Leonard had on switching between chords. Hal says "As you are playing one chord, look ahead to the next and get your fingers in position. Then, switch chords using a minimum of hand motion." (Pg.21) when i tried switching chords usually it was very stop and go, i had a lot of trouble switching fluidly because i kept looking back to the frets to see where i had to place my fingers. Usually i would place them one at a time but with Leonard's help i swiftly moved my fingers with minimal hand motion by looking ahead to the next chord and visualizing my next target. I wonder what else i can learn from Hal as i discover more about chord progression.
DID YOU EVER STRUGGLE WITH CHORD PROGRESSION?
Citation:
Leonard, Hal Complete Addition: Guitar Method Leonard Hal, 1997
I've been trying to learn how to play the guitar lately, the thing that's had me stumped for a while is the whole switching between chords.Thanks for the post, I'll try applying the think ahead method next time I pick up my guitar.
ReplyDeleteWhen I first started playing guitar, chord progression was a HUGE problem for me. It was hard because my fingers never adjusted. But, after a while, it gets a lot easier and suddenly it just comes really natural!
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