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Fret fingering technique help needed
Good evening! I’m picking up the guitar again after scores of years and very intermittent play and there is one thing that annoys me; and that’s the screeching noise my fret fingers make on the E, A, and D strings when playing the blues baseline on 30 days to play. So far I’ve tried slowing down, moving the guitar to my left leg and trying moving my left elbow away from my body to help position my left hand better. Is it just a matter of slow practice or is there another technique that can help? Thanks.
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10 Replies
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Hi @old_salt and welcome to TAC. I saw a YouTube video regarding how much finger pressure is needed to fret a clean note. An exercise was suggested to put your finder on a string and apply only the pressure that actually fully mutes the string and pluck the string. Then apply very small increments of pressure and repeat the exercise until you hear a clean note. Once you are able to produce a clean note, that is the pressure needed.! The amount of pressure is very small compared to the “vice grip” l put on the strings 😂. This person also indicated that too much pressure when repositioning the fingers will make the scraping sound on wound strings. Here is the video link
https://youtu.be/1c15JWPx6JA?list=PLho65cYn4nF1FXo8IWbKUb9_k0pMhgbtr
Thanks to @N-lightMike first shared the video link!
Have fun and keep playing guitar 😎🎶🎸
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Thanks, I will check it out. I tend to grip pretty hard too, especially on four finger chords when I have to use my pinky finger.
I’ve also heard of low tension acoustic strings, but they aren’t as loud. That’s fine for me, as the sound fills my little room now. Any experience with those?
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This reply was modified 3 years, 3 months ago by old_salt.
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I don’t have any experience with low tension strings – in fact this is the first I have heard of them. @the-old-coach ‘s and @Cadgirl ‘s advice on stretching is spot on. I took the skills course they indicated and it did wonders for both my playing and the “after playing soreness”. There was a post a while back from a gentleman that was kind enough to put together a picture guide of the stretches from the skills class. I’ve attached them so you can take a look. I have this saved on my computer and the first thing I do when I start my guitar routine are these stretches. If I don’t follow through – I can feel it during my playing and the next day. Here is the file – all credit and a thank you to the gentleman that made it!
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Thanks.
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This reply was modified 3 years, 3 months ago by
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OldSalt–
My small two-cents worth……… Remember to do your stretching exercises- (and try to keep your fretting ARM straight as you can for maximum effect). Take it easy at first with the stretching- you can hurt yourself.
theoldcoach
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Thanks, where would I find stretching exercises? I haven’t come across those yet, if they are in the 30 day plan, unless I missed it.
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@old_salt This is the link to the warm up exercises. https://tonypolecastro.com/courses/guitar-players-daily-stretch-guide/
One of the members made up this nifty cheat sheet. Hope this all helps. 🙂
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Thank you!
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OldSalt-
The stretching warmups are actually a thing.
As K-man and Cadgirl said- (and I agree)- they make a difference- especially if your hands and finger joints are stiff & sore from whatever as you are “going in” to a practice session.
Disclosure- I don’t do it as long as the Skills-lesson might say- maybe a total of about 2-3 minutes seems to be enough for me- unless my hands are really “tired” or sore.
Sometimes I’ll also stretch for a minute or so DURING a practice. THAT HELPS in the middle of a grueling Barre-chord session.
And when I said, “you can hurt yourself”, I more-like meant I can aggravate existing conditions- (like, for me, it’s arthritis in my finger & thumb joints just from being beat-up over the years).
And you DON’T want to be “that guy” braggin’ to his buddies over a beer or two about how he hurt himself playin’ guitar.🤨 🤣
theoldcoach
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Thank you.
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