Basti
not much space to wr
...and essentially starting over. Long story short, I recently realised just how sloppy I've been about learning efficient technique, evidently I chose to ignore the massive build-up of tension I was creating in both hands because of wanting to get better as fast as possible. Meaning I have massively inconsistent picking accuracy and speed, fretting, bending, and so on...
Fast-forward to the present and I'm trying to re-learn songs, make exercises to focus on different abilities and techniques, taking it easy and trying not to kick myself too hard.
All I want to know is if I'm on the right track...I'm learning by a bunch of golden rules for both my fretting and picking techniques and I feel like I've made a step in the right direction, but I want to be cautious.
General rule: if I'm straining and tensing up too much with any movement, it can't be right.
Fretting: hand is relaxed, fingers are the ones that make the journey to the frets while the rest of the hand is there to shift up and down the board. Relaxation means my thumb is in the lower hemisphere of the neck and pretty much stays where it is. [bending (still pretty unsure here): as little strain as possible, rotating my wrist with anchorage from my thumb which goes to the outside of the neck.
Picking: just keep it simple, I frequently check there isn't any tension from my shoulder down to my fingers (well, except to keep the pick in place), often play clean without letting any of my right arm or hand touch the guitar, which feels weird but not uncomfortable or painful so I could get used to it with time.
I apologise for the wall of text, it's part of my making this a complete turning point so I can go back and do it right this time. If anyone knows where I'm coming from or has any helpful advice on the matter, I will be really, truly and extremely grateful.
- Basti
Fast-forward to the present and I'm trying to re-learn songs, make exercises to focus on different abilities and techniques, taking it easy and trying not to kick myself too hard.
All I want to know is if I'm on the right track...I'm learning by a bunch of golden rules for both my fretting and picking techniques and I feel like I've made a step in the right direction, but I want to be cautious.
General rule: if I'm straining and tensing up too much with any movement, it can't be right.
Fretting: hand is relaxed, fingers are the ones that make the journey to the frets while the rest of the hand is there to shift up and down the board. Relaxation means my thumb is in the lower hemisphere of the neck and pretty much stays where it is. [bending (still pretty unsure here): as little strain as possible, rotating my wrist with anchorage from my thumb which goes to the outside of the neck.
Picking: just keep it simple, I frequently check there isn't any tension from my shoulder down to my fingers (well, except to keep the pick in place), often play clean without letting any of my right arm or hand touch the guitar, which feels weird but not uncomfortable or painful so I could get used to it with time.
I apologise for the wall of text, it's part of my making this a complete turning point so I can go back and do it right this time. If anyone knows where I'm coming from or has any helpful advice on the matter, I will be really, truly and extremely grateful.
- Basti