Walking Exercises

If you are using "The Principles of Correct Practice For Guitar" correctly, you SHOULD be seeing your technique growing day by day.

As stated in the book, you are supposed to be working toward the ability to do the "Walking Exercise", that is, Foundation Exercise #25, up to the speed of 120 in sixteenth notes.

If you have gotten anything from my book, you certainly realize this does not mean picking up your guitar and trying to do that! It means practicing correctly and intensely every day, and using the Basic Practice Approach (Chapter 5 in "The Principles"), along with every other Tool and Understanding in "The Principles" to build speed and control.

Below, please check out the video clips of me doing the exercises, first slowly, at 60 in 16ths, then fast, at 120 in 16ths.

Again, "slow" and "fast" are relative, almost meaningless terms. You should be doing "No Tempo" practice every day, then working up through the speeds outlined in The Basic Practice Approach.

Exercise	*Windows Media Player (wmv)*
Walking 1&2: Slow (60 in 16ths)
Walking 1&2: Fast (120 in 16ths)
Walking 1&3: Slow (60 in 16ths)
Walking 1&3: Fast (120 in 16ths)
Walking 1&4: Slow (60 in 16ths)
Walking 1&4: Fast (120 in 16ths)

Fundamental aspects of technique, illustrated using classic songs you know and love (according to The Principles, of course!)

Powerful Secrets! to improve your playing!

Important info on reaching with the index or pinky, and its relation to arm position.

These are essential, and basic, techniques for the rock guitarist. Many people do them wrong, find out if you are one of them!

The classical and casual positions with electric, acoustic, and classical guitars.

There are always lots of questions about how to apply The Principles to a standing position. Here are pictures of me standing with an electric, and using different strap lengths.

Pictures of good left hand positions for various playing situations.

Video clips of the Walking Exercises from "The Principles".

Video clip of Foundation Exercise # 10, The 6 note Arpeggio".

See the proper form of this difficult chord.

There is much confusion as to the "correct" left hand position for guitar. That is because there is no such thing as THE correct left hand position for guitar!

Find out why you need to have those distal joints in shape for this chord, and also why you don't!

In 30 years of teaching, I have rarely (perhaps never) seen a left hand that wasn't crippled with bad form in one way or another, especially when it comes to doing major scales. This workshop student was no exception......

A common error in technique for students, and contributing factor to a lot of playing problems.

What does good tone and bad tone on an acoustic guitar sound like anyway?

Often, we must squeeze our fingers into some rather unaccommodating positions on the guitar. We know we are supposed to strive to get our fingers "right behind the fret" as we play, but, like so many things in life, we have to bend the rules sometimes (it ain't a perfect world!).