• Q & A - My Position on Positions
• The Truth about "Slow Practice
•  Left Hand Walking Exercises

Hi Jamie,

I have a question that concerns theory, I suppose. What does "first position" mean? I've heard many people refer to it but I can't make any intuitive sense of it, myself. I suppose there must be other "positions" as well... 2,3... How does all this relate to the guitar.

Thanks,
Derek

Hi Derek,

"Position" on guitar refers, very simply, to where your first finger is. Let's look at what this means. It means "where your first finger is positioned to play, whether it is playing or not."

In other words, if I am playing the 5th fret, 1st string with my 1st finger, I am in the "5th Position". If I play that same note with my 2nd finger, I am in 4th position, because my 1st finger is now lined up with, and ready to play, the 4th fret, whether I am using it or not.

If I play that note on the 5th fret with my 3rd finger, I am in the 3rd, position. If I play it with my 4th finger, I am in the 2nd position. If you don't understand that, read it over till you do!

That is one aspect of the meaning of the word "position" as it refers to the guitar. Another very important aspect of it's meaning is it's relation to the MUSICAL KEY you are positioned to play in, by virtue of the fact of having your 1st finger positioned to play at any given fret.

In other words, whichever position you put your hand into on the guitar, there are certain KEYS that we say are "good" for that position. That means that it is easy to play certain keys from that position, and it is hard to play some other keys from that position.

For instance, if I position my first finger to play at the 1st fret (which means my fingers 2, 3, and 4 are stretched out ready to play at "their" frets, frets, 2,3,and 4), then I am in a good spot to play in the key of C. THAT IS BECAUSE ALL OF THE NOTES THAT MAKE UP THE "KEY" OF C ARE EASILY REACHABLE FROM THAT POSITION. I don't have to go "out" of position for needed notes. This 1st position I am now in is also good for the key of F, and for G, although since G contains the note F#, I will have to stretch out my 4th finger in order to play it (so I better have developed it properly by using the Foundation Exercises in The Principles - shameless plug!!).

If I move my 1st finger to the 3rd fret, I am in 3rd position. The keys that are good here are Eb and Ab. All the notes of the key are within reach. Another way to say this is that it is easy to play the scale of the key there. The two common moveable major scale forms would be used here to play all the notes of an Eb or Ab scale. However, a key like Db is a little trickier. I would find that to play that scale, I would have to reach my 1st finger back to the 2nd fret for the Gb I would need. This is not a big deal, but it is a factor technically speaking in many passages. (There are "ways" of doing these little out of position moves to make them easier, such as not moving the hand or arm, but just reaching out the finger)

Certain keys, such as the key of E would be a nightmare in 3rd position, but a dream in 4th position!

So, one thing people do who want to be good, intelligent, guitar players, is learn what positions are good for what keys. You want to know this whether you are reading music or not.

In the normal course of lessons with someone, I will, as the years go by, teach them to read in all positions. I spent years reading from all types of books; sax, clarinet, and other special position study books just for guitar. This is a common thing for jazz players to do.

I recommend learning to read in all positions to all players. It takes years, perhaps, but with every increase in knowledge, day by day, there comes an increased comprehension of what MUSIC is all about. Some books I really like and have used over the years are Mel Bays "Position Studies" for the guitar, and the Berklee series books on position, "Melodic Rhythms" and another one, I don't recall the name, but it made you play in EVERY KEY from EVERY POSITION! Not an easy thing to do!

Hi Jamie,

Are you really sure that speed will come by practicing at slow tempo? I mean, is playing 16th notes at 200bpm supposed to feel free of tension?

Slow practice, by itself, does not guarantee anything. If I practice slowly, but still maintain unnecessary muscle tension, I will always be limited by that tension. It will always be present, and be my undoing as soon as I go for speed.

Many teachers over the years have preached slow practice to their students. After awhile, they notice it isn't helping! That's because the part that is left out is the method for becoming aware of the SUBTLE muscle tension that is really there. For long time players, it is harder to become aware of.

Understand that the point of "slow" practice is simply to give us "room" for our awareness to function, and be powerful and penetrating. If we practice "slow" and "mindless", it will do us little good (although, perhaps, we might experience some improvement). But when we are "stuck", there is always unknown tension, coming from a possible variety of sources, at the bottom of it.

Any yes, anything we have truly "mastered" will be free of tension. Not free of "effort", just free of tension. Effort is simply the sensation of activity, tension is the sensation of "struggle", so great that it PREVENTS the achievement of our goal (the notes).

So, if you include in your practice the kind of intense awareness you SHOULD be practicing with, coupled with Slow Tempo, and No Tempo practice, THEN, the speed you are looking for will come.

Thanks for the book, I am eager to begin applying the principles. I have a few questions first, however. In the section "How to Use this Book" there is a suggested order to tackle the information and accompanying techniques. I was wondering about the fingerstyle section in part two-for the right hand.

Do you suggest that all players learn this even if they intend to only use a pick? Or if (as I intend ) later the player wishes to delve into fingerstyle, that this technique should be implemented in the beginning or further along in the process. Any suggestions you have would be greatly appreciated. I am 35 and very much a beginner and with limited practice time so... I wish to narrow my focus as much as possible.

Thanks-Matt Meyer

Hi Matt,

You're thinking the right way, Matt, good question. If you plan on only playing pick style for awhile, then don't do the exercises for fingerstyle. (Ex. 7-14). Focus first on the 3 steps of the Right Hand String Shifting Exercise. Couple this with the Understandings of "The Correct Way to do a Down Pick" and "The Correct Way to do an Up-pick."

These exercises train the larger muscles of the upper arm, back and chest, which are the muscles that control the movements of your upper arm and forearm. These are the muscles ultimately responsible for control of the pick. These are also the muscles held in a state of chronic tension by so many players, thereby restricting the pickhands' movement across the strings. So, getting in touch with these muscles, pick or fingerstyle, is of first importance, which is why the Right Hand String Shifting Exercise comes first!

The Exercises devoted to fingerpicking are more muscle specific, focusing on the muscles that actually move the fingers, so we already need to have the larger muscles working for us properly, anyway. So feel free to let the fingerpicking exercises wait awhile.

Here are some more instructions to help clarify your goals and practice procedure at this stage of the game: (Note: the following instructions apply, in essence, to everyone using The
Principles.)

- Make sure all Understandings and Practice Tools are being used, especially The Gradual Pressure Technique, and the Complete Stroke. When doing step 3 of the Right Hand String Shifting Exercise, make sure you do a Complete Stroke on the Up Pick, going from 1st to 6th string, so the up pick takes you PAST the next string ready for the next down pick.

- Look for the totally relaxed hand ESPECIALLY at the point of highest stress (pick pressing into string), and especially on the up pick.

- Do all the exercises in Chapter 4 as given, but play the notes with the pick. These should all be done using the Basic Practice Approach.

- Day by day, keep a written record of the top speed possible for the Walking Exercises (ex 24 and 25). Of course, "speed" is a very dangerous word! At first, you should be "crawling", not "walking" or certainly "running".

- Make sure you keep strict "quality control" at each new speed, always on the lookout for tension, and loss of form.

Good luck, Matt, and everyone else!

I am very intent on making sure that everyone using "The Principles" get out of them what they are supposed to get. In addition to giving you the Tools to be used to solve playing problems in practicing, I have set forth certain technical goals to be worked for, as described in "How To Use This Book". These are the goals I move all my students toward. Specifically, I want everyone to be able to do the "Walking Exercises" for finger combinations 1-2, 1-3, and 1-4, smoothly, up to a tempo of 120 in 16ths, with the metronome.

To that end, I have put on the site a video clip of me doing this. I am doing it at 60, then 120. Check it out. If you are not presently working toward this, well, get out your metronome!

All players, keep this in mind: the finger mobility demonstrated in these clips is possible for ANYONE to attain through CORRECT PRACTICE. The ability to perform these exercises with good form, smoothness and relaxation, is fundamental to all left hand functioning on the neck, especially anything having to do with scales and speed.

I am proud and happy to tell you that I have begun to officially document and publish the many reports from players around the world using "The Principles" to create real Vertical Growth in their playing abilities. These reports testify mightily to the power of the Principles, and also to how NECESSARY they are to aspiring guitar players.

It is so interesting to read them, and see the many reports of INSTANT progress, as if they just received a key that turned a lock they couldn't open. It is also interesting, and wonderful, to read about the people who have become POWER USERS, using and expanding upon The Principles in their practice on a long term basis.

I especially like the doctor who told me he has used The Principles to improve his cross country skiing!

New reports from players are welcome. It helps everyone to read how players of every age, style, and background are using the Principles to become the players they want to be. I want to see YOUR story there too!

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