Question: I have short fingers and have trouble stretching my pinky to positions when playing individual notes. Moving my hand slows my action down. Any suggestions?Answer: First of all, having long fingers myself, I'm aware I might have neglected those players with short fingers on my site. However, there are a few options you have when faced with the difficulty you mentioned...
1) Ensure that your thumb is positioned slightly lower than usual on the back of the guitar neck so your fretting fingers have as much fretboard coverage as possible. To do this, move your forearm, not so much your actual wrist, as this may cause strain injury over the long term.
2) Master the art of jumping from fret to fret - you will speed up if you keep at it. Try the warm-up exercises towards the bottom of the finger warmup exercises page.
3) Ignore your pinky/little finger altogether! Yes, I mean that. Did you know that Eric Clapton did not (or rarely did) use his pinky finger? In fact, many guitarists choose not to get their pinky involved.
If you do cut out your pinky finger altogether, this might actually help you create a distinct quality in your lead guitar, as you'll be more inclined to use slides (see: finger slides) and other techniques to get to the next note, rather than "leaping" to it.
If you are in the early stages of playing then it will seem physically impossible at times, but you just have to keep moving forward and get over the hump. Deliberately give yourself awkward finger movements to work on and practice them every day until you nail it in your own way (e.g. through one of the above methods).
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Question: So I've been reading about economy picking. This picking technique seems counter-intuitive as it involves consecutive upstrokes and downstrokes. I actually experimented with this technique in the past but didn't stick with it because I always read online that alternate picking was the proper way to pick.So, anyway I guess my question would be, is economy picking used by speedier pickers like Batio and Malmsteen? I've been playing for ten years and my rhythm has always sucked. It would certainly explain a lot if this is what I was supposed to be doing the whole time.
Answer: There is no right or wrong answer when it comes to which picking technique you prefer. Many guitarists swear by strict alternate picking in everything they play. Others prefer to economise. Nobody should be telling you one technique is the ONLY way to pick.
If you've been playing for 10 years, you will most likely have found certain picking techniques more comfortable than others. My advice is to go with what feels natural to you.
Personally, I feel most comfortable using economy picking, which means using consecutive up and down strokes depending on the direction of pick travel. I feel more comfortable when the direction of the pick stroke corresponds with the direction of the proceeding string. However, using alternate picking when you're picking consecutively from low E to high E (for example) is not "wrong" at all. It's just another way of executing the same sequence. See the chord picking lessons for more on alternate picking with chords.
As for speed picking... neither alternate picking or economy picking will get you playing faster by default. Again, I would stick with the one you're most comfortable with and use a metronome to gradually speed up.
There are exceptions, such as if you come to learn sweep picking, which does require you to be comfortable with playing consecutively and using economy picking.
I hope that wasn't too much of an "on the fence" answer to your question, but that's just the way it is.
There are many more lessons on picking technique in the pipeline!
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We already know the powerchord shape on the lowest string changes, and that the low B string is not in a standard position in relation to the other 6 strings, as its standard position would be C#.
What if we played an open C chord shape in drop B? The lowest root note for this chord is usually on the A string. In drop B, that's the F# string.
Tuning A down to F# is 3 semi-tones (1 and a half steps) lower. Therefore if we know the notes of open C major in standard tuning, all we need to do is work each note back 3 semi-tones.
If you can focus some time on learning the order of notes, and visualise them like a scrolling marquee in your mind, you will eventually be able to memorise it in the same way you can in standard tuning.
The most important notes to learn are the root notes on the lowest 3 strings. Although chords don't always use the low root, it's a good place to start, as most chords are built from those notes.
Question: If i have the following chord progression:A E7 A D A E7 A - and I wish to place a diminished chord and an augmented chord in there, where could it go?
Having the same chord progression:
A E7 A D A E7 A - as number one, and then repeated again, which chords connect the ending with the beginning?
With the chord progression being the same, I wish to add the chords Bm, Cm and F#m to the progression, where could they go?
Where do intro chords come from? can they be used as ending chords?
Answer: Firstly, it's worth pointing out that diminished chords are often not needed from the guitarist if s/he is playing with a bassist. In your example, on an A7 chord, the bassist could move the root note from A up to the 3rd of A major (which would be the note C#/C sharp). The guitarist could keep the chord as A7 and the bassist would create that diminished link from A7 up to D major.
However, if the guitarist was to play the full diminished chord, it would most naturally be (as the link between A and D) C#dim (C sharp diminished).
Diminished chords also naturally appear a semitone/half step below the tonic or "starting chord" of the progression (that's the equivalent of 1 fret below). In your example, that could be:
E7 - Abdim (A flat diminished) - A
As for augmented, you could use it as a modification of the starting A major chord. So it might look something like this:
A - Aaug - D - E | A - Aaug - etc.
Another example of using augmented would be:
C - Aaug(7) - D
Augmentation makes a chord unstable and will often be resolved back to the tonic chord or another more stable chord in the progression.
For the second question, yes, intro chords can be (and are commonly) used as ending chords. For example:
A - E7 - D - A | A - E7 - D - A | A - etc.
The sequence ends on A and begins again on A. The time signature defines the split between the two A majors.
You mentioned you wanted to make use of the chords Bm, Cm and F#m in the above progression. Firstly, Cm is not really "compatible" with this progression, although it has been used commonly in jazz in this form:
Amaj - Cm7 - Bm7 - E7 - Amaj7 - etc.
However, F#m and Bm can be used in many combinations with A, E7 and D.
Couple of examples for you:
A - E7 - Bm - D
A - D - F#m - Bm - E7
You don't have to start on the tonic chord (A in this case):
Bm - E7 - D - A
A major is still the tonic chord in the above, and sounds like you've "returned home" when you play it, but we start away from the tonic and journey towards it.
Hope that helps!
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Question: I have just got an electric guitar and when I play the G/B/D/A strings on the 3rd fret it makes a buzzing noise no matter how close to the fret wire I hold them or how hard I press on. Any idea whats wrong or how I can solve this problem?Answer: Ah the old fret buzz. This is a common problem. Without having your guitar in front of me, a solution could be found by trying the following:
1) Raise the string height. This is where you downtune all the strings (thus slackening them) and use a screw driver to raise the bridge of the guitar so the strings are slightly further away from the fretboard. The distance depends on your individual guitar and taste, as the higher the action, the more pressure will be required of your fingers when playing.
Here's a good tutorial for raising string height.
2) Try heavier gauge strings. Ask for "10s" at your local guitar store (that's where the high E string is gauge 10) assuming you've had 9s on before. The heavier gauge will create more tension in the strings and can often eliminate fret buzz as a result.
3) Check the frets proceeding the fret you're having the problem with. See if any frets have become unseated or if any look more raised than the other frets. If a fret looks unusually raised, you'll probably need to take it to a guitar store to get it re-seated and set up properly. New guitars should ideally be setup professionally anyway.
4) How bad is it? When the guitar is plugged in and you're playing through the amp, do you still notice the buzz? Most electric guitarists put up with a bit of buzz as it's often worth it just to have a low action/string height or lighter gauge strings (which means lighter and therefore quicker fingering).
Hope these help. Let me know if you need some more options as there are a few more, they're just a bit more extreme!
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Question: I have just started learning guitar. I'm finding it very, very, very, VERY difficult to play barre chords. VERY!I can never get the sound to come out right. I've looked on the internet but find no help. I would just like to know if there is an easier way to press the strings down.
Where should my thumb be placed at the guitar neck?
I really need help. My guitar teacher is very young. Also I want to continue my studies in music when I'm older. Particularly guitar.
I'm sorry for all the questions. But please help. I'm in dire need of it. It's a matter of life and death right now. I can't even finish my home work because I have to practice barre chords!
Do all beginners find barre chords difficult though? How long does it normally take to play barre chords perfectly? How long did YOU take?
Answer: Right. First things first - don't panic!
You asked: "do all beginners find barre chords difficult?"
YES. They do. Any guitarist will tell you that barre chords are very tough at first. In fact, I would go as far as to say that barre chords are the most significant hurdle you are likely to meet as a beginner.
Secondly, please do make sure you have been through my barre chord series, as it has a lot of advice on how to get past those awkward early stages. Below is a link to the fingering section.
Guitar Barre Chord Fingering
Follow it word for word. The more you exercise those fingers in this manner, the more the "muscle memory" will set in. Don't expect it to happen over night. Like any form of progress, it takes time and persistence.
It gets easier. Be assured that guitarists all around the world, throughout guitar playing history, have successfully learned barre chords. Now they don't even think about it when they play them. It becomes second nature. That WILL be you, IF you have patience and persistence. You need to get your fingers used to this unusual activity.
If you go right back to the guitar basics lessons, and how to hold a guitar, the thumb position is demonstrated there:
How to Hold a Guitar
It should always (or at least where you can) be positioned from the center to the top of the back of the guitar neck. Give your fingers enough room to press down vertically on the strings, without collapsing back.
Personally, I can't remember how long it took me to learn barre chords. It doesn't seem to work that way. You just naturally develop stronger and more confident fingering over time. If you devote an hour a day, for 2 weeks, to barre chord finger exercises (e.g. changing between an F barre chord and A minor open chord), you'll be surprised at how confident you are by the end. But stick with it.
If your guitar tutor is giving you unrealistic deadlines then s/he is not a very good tutor full stop! It sounds like you're being rushed, which is the worst thing at this stage.
Take your time. Be persistent. Don't move on until you're confident. You will soon be playing barre chords in your sleep.
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Question: Is there anything I can do to help improve my speed? I am in a band and i want to learn to play faster for guitar solos.
Answer: The first thing to note about speed is that it's not really a separate skill that you can just take lessons on (which is why there is no "play guitar fast" lesson on my site). Here's why...
When you first learn a scale, you obviously play it slow, hopefully with the aid of a metronome. You figure out hooks and phrases around that scale. Gradually, your "muscle memory" becomes set in and you find you are able to speed up naturally, as your fingers are becoming more and more confident with negotiating the scale pattern in different ways.
This, in a nutshell, is how to develop speed! It's important not to focus on speed above tone and composition. Work on those latter two and speed will come with time, naturally.
Rule 1: you must use a metronome.
Speed should be put to the back of your mind when learning to really navigate scales and arpeggios in your own personal way. What you'll find is, as your playing develops, moments of speed playing will leap out at you. You'll feel exactly when a faster tempo will compliment your music rather than feel it must be the sole purpose of your music.
So, continue to persevere - learn your scales, arpeggios and legato lead techniques such as hammer-ons and pull-offs (all this stuff is covered on the site) and understand that you need to be able to walk before you can run. It may sound obvious and cliché, but it's true!
Some more clichés I'm afraid - be patient and persistent. Speed will come. Not over night, but it will come.
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