• "Shifting"
• Dangerous Teaching
• Holding An Electric Guitar

The point of this statement is this: there are many things about playing the guitar that are taken for granted. They are ASSUMED to be “easy”, so they are never thought about, never investigated, never paid attention to. These movements are never studied as to what is REALLY going on in the body when they are done, and so, many of the implications of these movements are never appreciated, or even noticed. So, all kinds of bad things can be happening to you as a player, simply because you don’t know that the thing you are not paying attention to, is CAUSING these bad things.

One of the biggest candidates for this “lack of appreciation” is the physical act of shifting positions on the guitar. We all learn to shift up to the higher positions on the neck somewhere in our development. Maybe we learn it in a method book as part of learning to read music in the higher positions, or maybe we learn it as rock guitarists playing pentatonics around the neck. If we are lucky, somebody will mention the idea of guide fingers, so at least we’ll know enough to leave a finger on the string to guide us into the new position, but that is as far as any intelligent examination of the subject will go. And because of that, we will have a world of problems waiting for us in our playing years that lie ahead.

I once had someone come in for lessons who had spent many years making a very big mistake: he had been teaching himself classical guitar. It is always very painful to see someone in this condition. It is usually not a pretty sight. Unlike styles such as rock and blues, shifting in classical (as well as chord melody jazz) is more difficult, because often you are shifting into a chord, requiring precise coordination of many fingers, as opposed to shifting into one note, as you would do when playing a single note lead. I remember watching this guy play a piece that required a rather quick downward shift, from a high position to a lower position. I couldn’t tell if he was going to fall off the chair, or just have a heart attack! At the moment when he lunged for the new position, he stopped breathing and locked up every muscle in his body. Needless to say, when his fingers hit the new position (where they were supposed to form a chord) it was like watching a couple of guys fall out of a three story building: SPLAT!

Sorry for being so graphic, but I am trying to draw a contrast here with what we DO want as guitar players when it comes to shifting. We want to be like a CAT hitting the ground. We want to be like a ballerina or ice skater after leaping and spinning in the air. We want to land with GRACE, with POISE, and above all, PREPARED! Prepared for what comes next.

It must be understood that the arm is quite a big piece of meat! It weighs a lot, and it takes a lot of force to set it in motion, and to stop it once it is in motion. It gathers quite a bit of momentum as it moves, especially if it moves fast. When we come to a stop in our new position, all of that force must be opposed by the muscles responsible for the OPPOSITE action on the bones that just moved, in other words, we must slam on the brakes. And all of this can take place like the CAT, or like the SPLAT!

All guitarists must deal with Shifting, unless you remain a “first position player”, which is fine, but you will never look really cool when you play! Playing up in the higher positions immediately makes you look like an advanced guitarist! Some guitarists, such as Rock players, will deal with shifting into higher positions right away, because the style demands it. Others, such as folk players, may stay in the first position a long time, or forever. You will absolutely have to deal with Shifting if you are going to do anything even remotely advanced in your playing. For myself, I have to admit I wanted to look cool as soon as possible, but I do wish I would have known a few things about the subject, so shifting would have come a lot easier, especially in fast playing. It’s hard to look cool when you’re sweating!

After appreciating the fact that a shift of position on the guitar is a “large” move, made with the whole limb, (as opposed to “small” moves of individual fingers), we need to notice and appreciate another basic fact of playing the guitar: a movement from the upper frets to the lower frets is MORE DIFFICULT than a move from the lower frets to the higher frets (in general, some circumstances could reverse this). This is because in a move from higher position to lower, the arm, with all its weight, is moving AWAY from the body. As all that weight moves away from the body, it needs to be supported skillfully, and most often, it is not. Most often what happens is that the opposite side of the body, usually the right side doing the sounding of notes with pick or fingers, will merely TENSE UP in a feeble attempt to deal with the stress of the outward moving arm. Of course, control of the pick or fingers is severely compromised after this happens.

That is why you will notice, if you pay attention, that very often mistakes will occur after a quick shift down the neck, from high to low positions.

Here are a few things to do in order to improve your Shifting ability:

•  Practice all shifts EXTREMELY slowly a number of times during each practice session on the material containing the shifts. Focus on the large muscles of the upper arm, chest, shoulders AND upper back. This is where all the muscles are that are moving the bones we call our arms. For book users, that means using NO TEMPO PRACTICE and POSING.
  
  
•  As you move slowly, feel that arm weight going into and through the body, and then into the chair and floor. That is how the weight should be supported, instead of by hardening the muscles.
  
  
•  MAKE SURE you do not RAISE your shoulders at all during a shift.
  
  
•  Analyze your starting and ending positions. Find any common fingers you can leave on the string as guide fingers. If there are none, create an “artificial guide finger”, by placing an unused finger on an unused string before or during the shift, to act as a guide finger.
  
  
•  Before you make your move, visualize the new position, whether it is a chord or one note, AND begin to form it with your fingers AS SOON as you release the note or notes that make up your starting position. Have all fingers READY by the time you arrive at your new position. Very often, the problem with a shift is that the hand and fingers get to the new position, and THEN they start to scramble for their notes. They need to ALREADY be in position, close to the string and note they are to play, AND in their proper state of readiness for the notes they are to play.
  
  
•  WATCH the fingers as you practice the move slowly. Take a peek at your right hand from time to time also; make sure the pick or fingers are not floating away from the strings (a sign of tension in the upper arm).
  
  
•  As usual, the more attention you give to this, and the deeper you understand and apply all the Principles of Correct Practice, the more progress you will make in this vital area of technique.
  

Dangerous Teaching

A beginning guitar student recently posted this message, and I think the subject is so important for guitar students of every level, that I want you to read his story. He became familiar with my teaching awhile ago, and got my book. Armed with the knowledge, attitudes and insights he got from that, he began lessons. He writes to tell of the, shall we say, unsupportive response of his teacher, after he told his teacher some of the ideas he had learned from my writings.

After posting this, a player with experience posted a response, one I was happy to see. I am going to write something on the subject, and include it in next week's newsletter. I want some time to compose my thoughts about it, because I think it is going to be a very common experience for those of you who read my work, and recognize the truth of what I am saying. A lot of you are going to meet teachers and players who will say "naw, forget about that stuff. All that tension stuff isn't important, just play, man, play!"

Unsuspecting and inexperienced students need to be protected from these attitudes.

POST:

Hi!

I started guitar lessons about 3 weeks ago after having practiced with Jamie's methods for a few weeks first. However, the things my guitar teacher has me doing, which aren't even that advanced (basic finger exercises), are still too advanced to be able to do without extreme sympathetic tension in my fingers. However, my guitar teacher said that I shouldn't be paying attention to that and even showed me how he still has that as well...

It kind of has me confused on what to do, if I want to move at his pace and do his exercises, I might be teaching myself 'bad' habits - which my teacher doesn't consider to be bad, somehow. But if I move at my own pace, doing the basic exercises from Guitar Principles first, I probably won't reach the required level of control for my teacher's exercises for weeks or even months to come.

Any thoughts?
Gerard


RESPONSE:

I'm no expert at 18 months of playing, but I can tell you that I came up the "fast" way for forcing things out, like I imagine most people do. I can tell you from experience that there is absolutely no point in forcing yourself to do exercises, etc. Too fast. You are only going to have to go back and unravel these tensions later when you realize that the forced approach builds in handicaps which you will not get past unless you apply focused attention and develop the states of relaxation that Jamie advocates. In summary, go ahead and force things if you must - I know I couldn't wait to start hearing some music come from my own fingertips, I was able to accomplish that to some degree. But, bear in mind that the subject of relaxation and fluidity and experiencing the states of heaviness and lightness in the fingers will have to be learned if you want to get truly good at guitar. In retrospect, I do think I would be at a more advanced state if I had started correctly and not allowed impatience to overwhelm my intellect.

Eric

These are wise words. I will add my own next week.

Holding An Electric Guitar

Hi Jamie,

I have begun working diligently on your principles. It is difficult for sure, but I'm keeping faith that it will pay off, because I've been a tense guitarist for four years and I definitely feel it is holding me back.

In any case, one of the major problems I am having is that the foundation of what you teach begins with the correct way to hold the guitar. I am playing a solid-body electric guitar. So the neck is longer, the body thinner and heavier, and the shape is different from the classical guitar you give examples with.

Can you provide me with guidelines and advise for the best way to hold this type of guitar- both standing and sitting. I've already come up with what I think is the best way- based on understanding that I want to have the least muscle tension possible, especially in my shoulders, arms, wrists, hands and fingers. However, it seems that no matter which position I put myself in, I'm always giving up some tension somewhere. I intend to work to eradicate this tension. But if you have any further advice on how to properly hold an electric solid-body- I'd greatly appreciate it.

Thanks,
David


Hi David,

Electrics are always hard to give DEFINITIVE directions for, because, by nature, they come in so many shapes and sizes. So, I can only give GENERAL directions, unless I saw you in person with THAT guitar. I used to practice with a solid body electric, and used to hold it casual style, but again, we must factor in the fact that I also spent many hours a day on the classical in the classical position, so many muscle groups were already trained in a certain way.

Standing with the guitar is usually no problem. If the strap is adjusted correctly, the guitar usually falls nicely across the chest, actually similar to the sitting classical position. The neck also goes out to the side in a similar fashion.

Avoid having the strap too long, guitar too low. Many people who are used to only the casual position find the arm extension required by the classical position (which, again, is similar to standing with and electric) uncomfortable at first. They should persist with it, and often it will become very comfortable. We should never be put off by a new sensation simply because it is new, but rather, experience it fully, directly, and completely before we form a judgment about it.

One of the implications of using a solid body is there is less space to rest the arm on for support. So, more involvement is required from the muscles that flex the elbow in order to hold the arm and hand in position. But of course, it is possible, as many great players of electric guitar prove, to play quite well in this position. Just make sure that the arms are, as much as possible, not working to keep the instrument steady through MUSCLE EXERTION of their own, but more just by their own WEIGHT. The muscles of the arm, and those that control the arm (located in the chest, shoulders and back) should be working to maintain the position of the ARM in relation to the guitar, and to control arm, hand and finger movements themselves, but not to actually control the position of the GUITAR itself. That should, as much as possible, be a PASSIVE accomplishment.

The whole thing to realize about holding the guitar is this: any position is going to require certain "adjustments" of various muscle groups. There is no such thing as a feeling of "complete relaxation", that is called "sleep"! We want a feeling of "balanced readiness". We want a BASE POSITION that is not fighting against itself. People who are in the situation of unknowingly holding the guitar in a way that will cause problems LOOK uncomfortable just sitting and holding it.

You can often SEE the shoulders fighting with the arms, or SEE the legs squirming or otherwise looking uncomfortable. You can SEE the constricted quality in their playing movements, just as you sense a "flow" in the movements of a player who is basically comfortable with the instrument. Since there are so many types and shapes of guitars, AND guitar players, it is almost more important to become sensitive to these less tangible elements concerning basic holding of the instrument, than the definitive characteristics we must also discuss.

All material copyright © 2003 by Jamie Andreas, GuitarPrinciples.com