5 Guitar Fretting Secrets
Ever wondered why some people make it look so easy to play the guitar and you feel it's the most awkward thing in the world?
Imagine if you could stand up there on stage, caressing the neck of your beloved guitar like Jimi Hendrix and have people think you've been playing for years.
The first step to feeling comfortable with your guitar is to understand left hand fretting. Fretting is the act of pressing down the strings with your fingers.
Let's have a look at 5 ways to get a relaxed fretting hand.
- Hold out your left hand and rotate it so that the palm is facing towards the ceiling. Now pretend you are lightly grasping the handle of an imaginary sword. Your thumb should be resting gently on your first and second finger and your fingers should be relaxed and gently curled inwards. Now replace the imaginary sword with your guitar neck. Your thumb will gently ride up and down the back of the neck and the finger knuckles should remain bent. It should feel very natural. Make sure your wrist isn't bent with the heel of your hand pointing towards you. If so, try and straighten it out.
- Press the TIPS of your fingers onto the fretboard. Make sure you're not using the soft pads of your fingers to fret the notes. Using the very tips of your fingers will reduce dampening and buzzing of the surrounding strings. Also, if you use the flat pads of your fingers, you'll find it hard to press down anymore than 3 strings at the same time. If you're having trouble with this, try pushing your wrist forward so that your hand is more vertical.
- Press your fingers down close to the higher fret. For example if you're playing the 4th fret, put your finger in between the 3rd fret and the 4th fret (not on the 4th fret) and as close to the 4th fret as possible. This will prevent buzzing and provide a much better tone.
- Don't use artificial exercises to 'strengthen' your hand. Get rid of that squash ball for squeezing and those special wrist strengthening tools. In my experience they only serve to hurt your hand in the short term leaving you unable to play for a few hours. The best way to strengthen the correct muscles in the left hand is to play the guitar. And like a good whisky, it takes just a little bit of attention over a long period of time to become fully matured and elegant. (Don't panic, it won't take 25 years! Probably more like 25 days with 10 minutes a day practice).
- Pay attention to the rest of your body when your fretting. Because your body is not used to using these muscles, you'll find that other parts of your body will tense up pretty quickly. This can result in hunched shoulders and a sticking out left elbow. Take the time to be aware of this and consciously adjust your shoulders to a more relaxed position. Similarly with a sticking out elbow. Make sure it's not too far away from your left hand rib cage.
The most important thing to making it look easy is to maintain a comfortable and natural left hand position. If it starts to hurt you're doing it wrong. Stop and take a break.
Just like a 10 year old Glenmorangie and everything else worth waiting for, it takes time and a little bit of attention to perfect.
Your muscles will eventually adjust so the key is don't give up too soon.
If you're serious about becoming a great guitar player, I can highly recommend Jamorama.
It will teach you how to quickly build the strength and agility you need to advance beyond the beginner stage. They use special techniques to eliminate sore and clumsy fingers and start you playing fluent, flowing guitar.