• It's a Jungle Out There! Part One
• Parallel Knuckles In Right Hand Classical Position
• Tapping Foot In Classical Position
• Struggling With FingerPicked Arpeggios

As many of you may know, my essays appear on many of the major guitar sites on the web. Recently, my essay "Teaching By Travel Brochure" was featured on many sites. In this essay I have put into words the experience of many guitar students, and the reason for it. The experience I am talking about is taking lessons, for months or years, and SEEING NO PROGRESS!

My message is this: if you are doing what your teacher tells you, and you are not getting better, it's your teacher's fault! They will probably try to put the blame on you, but it is their own lack of teaching ability. Some of you may find this shocking, but I know it is true.

There is no shame in having a "lack of teaching ability". There is quite a deal of shame in not RECOGNIZING the fact, and continuing to take people's money without delivering the product. Because of "The Principles", there is no longer any need for this situation to continue. I have said over and over, very boldly, that ANYONE who uses the Principles will learn to play, and become as good as they want to be. I prove it every day with those I teach in person, and my testimonial scroll proves it with people around the world I have never met, but are using "The Principles" to achieve growth they didn't think was possible.

Recently, because of the publication of the "Travel Brochure" essay, I have gotten many letters from students telling me of their bad to awful to horrid experiences with guitar teachers. Here is an interesting excerpt from one of them:

"If I hadn't run into so many horrid teachers on ego trips - who believe in the "purity" of music and put down one's innate abilities instead of trying to work with you at your level of ability - I might have been much more advanced today. Music teachers seem to be in a class of their own. You don't get the same abuse in physics or English or foreign language study."

I believe this person is very correct: when it comes to "ego-trips" and intimidating, petty, self-protective behavior masking deep seated inferiority complexes, I believe guitar teachers are in a class by themselves. And there are very good reasons why you don't find the uplifting purity in the teaching process that you do find from teachers of other disciplines, especially mathematics (I have always found that math teachers tend to be wonderful, superior teachers with a true love of the subject and a desire to pass it on).

The main reason is that most people out there teaching guitar DO NOT WANT TO BE TEACHING! They didn't plan on it, they wanted to be performers, they wanted to be "stars". They are frustrated. Many are really still trying to be stars, and will leave that teaching gig as soon as they don't need the money! I will go so far as to say that often they will harbor a secret contempt for the student, as if the student were to blame for their unfulfilled dreams. (I am not saying EVERY guitar teacher).

You students out there should keep this in mind as you go about trying to make progress based on your association with flesh and blood teachers. You very well may bump up against their "inner conflicts" and "quiet desperation". I certainly did from time to time with some of my teachers.

Next week I am going to share a letter from a longtime professional teacher that offers a revealing insight into the real attitudes of many in the field. Till then, watch your step as you travel through the jungle!

Parallel Knuckles In Right Hand Classical Position

Hi Jamie,

I'm using the principles book for about 2 months, and I still can't get the right hand positioning correct.. you see, do the knuckles still need to be parallel and the thumb so outstretched when you are playing say alternating rest strokes on the first string??

Another example would be Bach's bouree (lute suite no.1) ,when I play it, my thumb will somehow adjust itself so much so that it no longer sticks out to the right, but comes down that it is aligned to the I finger. Is this wrong? I can't seem to correct it even after posing, it just naturally goes down! Is this wrong?

The main issue is that my thumb does not stay straight 7/8 of the time, this is wrong ?? What should I do to remedy this problem, it is pretty frustrating...

--Yongwei


Hi Yongwie,

Good question, and one that is on an aspect of technique that is quite difficult to pin down precisely, in fact, I could even say impossible. However, I like to keep in shape by attempting the impossible a minimum of 3 times a day, so here goes!

First, let's understand this: there is no "one correct" hand position for ALL playing situations, or even, for ALL hands. When it comes to the "fine tuning" of things like sitting and holding the guitar, and positioning of the right arm and hand, there are always exceptions and variations, and nuances to be adjusted along the way. For instance, I am working with someone right now who has very long arms, and very large hands. It has taken a few weeks of the two of us working on it in lessons, and him at home, to discover HIS optimal sitting and right arm/hand positions. We just found, for instance, that his best sitting position requires the elevation of BOTH feet, (the right foot only an inch or two). It made a big difference in his ability to keep his arms/hands relaxed in position.

So, with that understood, I always try to give the best GENERAL guidelines possible, and to emphasize the aspects of positioning and technique that are most "universally valid". Taking things in order:

Knuckles parallel to strings: you will see great players with very parallel knuckles most of the time (Parkening, Segovia), you will see great players with less of a deviation, or turn of the wrist (Fisk). I will vary it myself in playing, but will generally keep near that "parallel knuckle" position, often turning the wrist a bit upward, (toward thumb) so the fingertips contact the string with a little more flesh, for a rounder tone. I stressed 'knuckles parallel to strings" to get people away from the common, and horrible, position where the FINGERS are almost parallel to the strings. This position is common among old folk type players, but is severely limiting in terms of your ability to bring the fingers to the strings with force.

Thumb Out: most beginners, and many longtime players, suffer from thumb problems resulting from positioning. Their thumbs are either held chronically tense, and/or in a position that DOES NOT GIVE THEM EASY ACCESS TO THE STRINGS THE THUMB NEEDS TO PLAY (which is usually the bass strings, but could easily be treble strings). I have found the best way to prevent this in a players development is to train the hand from the beginning to have the thumb out and away as a general hand position. 99.9% of the time, beginners will TENSE THE THUMB AS THE FINGERS PLAY, keep it tense, and lose the position and everything else. Of course, even if your thumb is out from the hand, but tense, that is no good either.

If I were playing rest strokes on the first string with the fingers, I may very well allow my thumb to relax into toward the hand. But my position would be such that I could reach it back to the 6th string with no trouble or tension, or alteration of hand position.

However, in playing something like you mention (the Bach Bouree in Em), where the fingers are playing rest stroke on the upper strings AND the thumb must often play bass notes simultaneously, I would keep my thumb out and near the bass strings they needed to play pretty much all the time.

I couldn't answer your question with absolute certainty unless I saw you in person, playing that piece, but you must investigate it yourself. Ask yourself the right questions, such as:

1. Are the notes there when you play, or are they being missed at a certain speed? If they are not there, then your fingers are not there either, when they need to be. Where are they? Is it something to do with position.

2. Is tension build up preventing the fingers from being in the right place at the right time? If so, is it related to position? Experiment.

Hope this helps you get closer to a solution Yongwie, let me know.

Tapping Foot In Classical Position

Dear Jamie

In one of your newsletters you said that when playing guitar it is important to tap your feet along to the beat, to fully understand the rhythm. I was just wondering that when playing in the classical position what foot you should tap as my playing seems to be affected when I try to tap either one.

Yours,
Frankie

Hi Frankie,

Well, remember I pointed out it is important to BE ABLE to tap the beat, not necessarily saying that you should ALWAYS be tapping the beat when you play. It should be done as needed during practice. The main thing to understand is that the BASIC BEAT (the downbeat) must be mentally maintained, and able to be physically expressed, even while the fingers are busy creating subdivisions of it, as in 8ths and 16ths. If you cannot tap the beat while playing, then you are not really aware of it.

There could be many reasons your playing is affected by tapping, ranging from not really being secure technically in what you are doing, or not really understanding the rhythm in the first place. Make sure you can tap as you count the rhythm out loud WITHOUT playing. I usually tap my right foot when in the classical position.

If it is a simple matter of having trouble because the guitar is MOVING from the foot tapping, try just tapping your toes, inside your shoe, up and down and not the whole foot!

Struggling With FingerPicked Arpeggios

Jamie,

I first of all want to thank you for your website and your tremendous help with my guitar techniques!!! I haven't even bought the book yet and I have improved greatly based on the information in your newsletters. The "heavy arm" technique, and the calm attention to detail has redefined by leaps and bounds how I play and how I practice.

Until.... Last Sunday I started Flamenco lessons for the first time. The first thing we are learning is the right hand "plucking" motion. It is a consistent movement where you pluck the top string with the thumb, then the index finger plucks the G string, then the thumb plucks the A, then the middle finger plucks the B, and so on and so on... It is the beautiful arpeggio base so often heard associated to flamenco. Well, I have been practicing and practicing, applying as much of your principles as possible to try and improve, to NO luck whatsoever!!! After about four (4) days I am no closer to my simple goal of keeping a steady (apreggiated) rhythm. I am almost
frustrated...

My question is this: Am I just not "coordinated" enough with my right hand, or is this just something that will take time to work into my motor system...? Did you (yourself) struggle with arpeggios in the beginning and is this typical of most of your students?

If you can answer, I am thanking you in advance. If not, don't worry about it I know you are busy! Thank you for including me on your email list and please keep them coming!!!

Jeff

Hi Jeff,

I have to tell you Jeff, that arpeggios are about THE hardest thing to get students doing CORRECTLY, in a way that allows for future development, and doesn't just bring some "quick results". That is, after many years of hit and miss results with students, I devised the "finger dipping" exercises in my book, that have the student practicing individual actions with each finger separately (while using other Principle based techniques to minimize body tensions).

It is impossible to tell you exactly what your problem is without seeing you in person. Anyway, these things are often "combination problems", having many contributing factors, and it is a matter of deciding which one to work on and remove first, then going on to the next.

Based on my experience, what I would suspect is happening is that your position is inherently too tense, and your wrist is tensing (as well as forearm and shoulder area) and your wrist is coming down flat with tension, which gets worse as your thumb is required to reach back to the sixth string. If I were to watch you practice, I would probably tell you that you are practicing too fast, with too much tension.

In answer to your question "am I just not co-coordinated", it depends on what you really mean. If you mean "is it just not in me to do it", the answer is "yes, it is in YOU, and every body ELSE to do it". I guarantee you if you were sitting in front of me I would get you to do it, because I would point out to you EXACTLY what is in your present approach that is PREVENTING you from forming the correct motor programs that will perform those actions required of the fingers that would result in the smooth execution of that arpeggio.

Since you are not sitting in front of me, you must do you best to discover these things. Follow the indications I have given you.

I don't remember having trouble with arpeggios, but I'll tell you this: I, like so many people, learned them "wrong", even though I could get them to be smooth UP TO A CERTAIN TEMPO. Because of the "hidden" things wrong with them, I had severe problems on demanding pieces and demanding tempos until I corrected what was wrong, and I mean about ten to fifteen years into my playing.

Also, understand, although I say this skill is well within the capabilities of any average person, as is the motor skill of, say, walking, these things are NOT simple, but are often given out in lessons as if they are! It is why I have said in my book "when you see the complexity of what you think is simple, you will see the simplicity of what you think is complex." Mastering this "simple movement" is the key to so many other movements. It shouldn't be "the first thing you are learning", but until all the guitar teachers of the world have read my book, there will still be a lot of this kind of thing happening!

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