Guitar Playing 102 (Don’t fret, you can do this….)
Monday January 22nd 2024
Okay back in November I tried to lay out the first few considerations about getting realistic about starting the guitar, if you missed that, might I humbly suggest you check it out first?
https://bloggerrhythm5.blogspot.com/2023/11/guitar-playing-101.html
And….we’re back. I’m going to assume you’ve got your guitar (or ukulele maybe) now, you've tuned it, and you’ve learnt a few chord shapes, waved your hands at it a bit, but it’s all coming out a bit buzzy or random. The phrase I hear constantly from students is “it just doesn’t sound like music”. Remember that tutor I advised you to get? Well here’s what they should be telling you about your fretting hand, imho….
Firstly…
When you’re fretting a chord (a collection of notes) or a single note, the optimum place to have your fingers is immediately behind the fretwire. A clear note is the result of the string vibrating between where you’re fretting and the bridge (the bridge is where the strings attach to the body of the guitar). If you’re immediately behind the fret you don’t need to press as hard to get a good note. It’s not always perfectly possible, but generally too little pressure and you’ll get a buzz, too much pressure and you can stretch the string out of tune. And it hurts your fingers. Be Goldilocks...
Secondly…
The first chords most people learn are “open chords”, so called because they involve both fretted and unfretted (or open) notes. It’s important then to play the fretted notes in a way that doesn’t mute or foul the open notes you want. Try to use the tips of your fingers, not the pads, and, sorry Wolverine, you may need to trim those nails. There’s nothing worse than going to all the hard work of learning that chord shape only for it to sound a bit…meh. If you pick through the notes slowly, you should be able to hear each one, if one sounds dead or muted, try and work out why! The difference between success and failure can be millimetres.
Thirdly...
Another common struggle is getting to grips with the fact that some chords don’t want you to play all the strings. In fact, out of what might be considered your average selection of “open chords for beginners” E, Em and G are the only ones where you strum all six strings. For A, Am, B7, C and the like, it’s five strings, and for D, D7 it’s only four. Actually then, for the majority of the time you don’t want that pesky bass E string at all. The answer is not to avoid it, but to mute it by reaching your thumb over the top of the neck for certain chords. I stress “mute” it, so, “just touching / in contact with” not fretting or actually pushing down. Lots of tutors, particularly those orientated towards classical playing, will tell you to always have your thumb on the back of the neck, and there will be times you need to do this….but now isn’t one of them, (unless your aim is to learn traditional, classical technique).
Lastly...
This is a more general point, but I'm not sure it can be emphasised enough. Listening to what you're doing is massively important. Yes, it's difficult sometimes playing in big groups, or when you're in the grips of an open mic performance or whatever, but you MUST try to listen critically to what you're playing. If you can't hear what you're doing, or take the time to work out why it might be wrong, it's going to be an uphill battle.
Record Time
Haven’t done a proper one of these in a few weeks now. One record I have reconnected with recently is “Thirst For Romance” by Cherry Ghost. In all honesty I think I remember it got slated in critical review upon release, but I’ve got a lot of time for it. It’s got a ‘Coronation Street meets the Great Plains of Wyoming’ kind of vibe. Make of that description what you will ;-) Until next time!
