The 2 Right Hand Positions On GuitarThere is a basic position for playing with a pick, and a basic position for playing fingerstyle. Although pro players may use variations of these positions, we should learn these basic positions first. Here are the basic characteristics of each position… FingerstylePickstyle1. The fingers are almost perpendicular to the […]
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As a lifelong guitar student, guitar player and guitar teacher, this is the subject that fires my greatest passion. If I could get across only one message, and for some reason wasn’t allowed to say anything else, this is what I would want to say. I want to tell you what I have learned about […]
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Here is one of many stories that guitar students have written to me over the years…. Hi Jamie, I have a history of hand problems, and I was searching for some instruction on proper form that might help. I was a student at GIT in the late 80s, and practiced about 15 hours a day, apparently without […]
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The 2 Left Hand Positions You Need On GuitarThere is more than one “correct” position for the left hand on guitar. There are two basic left hand positions for guitar. However, one of them should be learned before the other, or important muscles in the hand will not develop properly.1) The Straight Position2) The Slanted […]
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Form First, Then MovementNo matter what field of activity, if it is done with your body you are going to find that the best training teaches you form before anything else. If you take dance lessons, they will teach you to stand correctly and imagine a string pulling you from the chest. If you study […]
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Expert Performance and Deliberate Practice There is a field of study called “expert performance”. It is basically the study of “people who are great at doing something”, and trying to figure out why they are the way they are, and how they got to be that way. There is a name given to this process of “getting […]
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There are 3 Levels of Practice that guitar players must know how to use in order to achieve their full potential on guitar. They are Microscopic Practice, Assimilating, and Shaping. I have covered in detail these 3 levels, or aspects of practice in Chapter 5 of “The Principles Of Correct Practice For Guitar”. The first two […]
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How To Make Sure Your Fingers Do The Right ThingAt this point, we know two very important things about practicing guitar effectively.1Our fingers remember whatever they do, but they don’t know the difference between the right thing and the wrong thing. 2When we practice, it is our job to make sure they do the right thing.How […]
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Your Muscles Don’t Know Right From WrongMuscle memory is a great thing, but it can work for you or against you. What happens if f you do the right thing once, then the wrong thing, and then various combinations of right and wrong? You end up with some pretty confused fingers! This is what most people […]
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How Fingers Learn To Play Guitar: The Power of Muscle MemoryYour fingers have this amazing ability, as does every muscle in your body, to “remember”anything they do. We all use this ability of the muscles in different ways in various things we do in life. We’re all familiar with how a carpenter will take a […]
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