To succeed in the mastery of any musical instrument a musician needs to have a solid technical base upon which to build his or her skills; a foundation of unquestionable correctness that the player may return to at any time.
A guitar player needs to have such a foundation for both the picking hand and the fretting hand.
The picking hand
In its most basic form the picking hand action is either a down stroke or an up stroke. So often I encounter guitarists and students who are strong on the down stroke but weak on the up stroke. To build a solid technique we need to sort out this imbalance so that both down and up strokes are of equal strength and importance.
If we examine the bowing technique of the violin player we can employ similar principles to the picking technique for guitar. A violin player is equally strong in both directions; the up bow stroke and down bow stroke being of equal importance and strength. It makes sense therefore, as a guitarist, to feel the picking arm as if it where operating a bow, feeling the big move and the music with each stroke.
To assist in gaining this sensation, hold your guitar on a flatter plane for a moment as if it were a violin and move your picking arm in the violin type action described above. Now return the guitar to its usual position and hold down a 6 string chord such as E major and make big flowing strokes down and up in the action of a violin player, strokes of equal importance in both directions, trying at all times to feel the music in each stroke. This action then becomes the foundation for all picking hand technique whether you are playing chords or single string melodic lines. When playing single string melodic lines simply refine the movement over a smaller plane whilst all the time feeling the bigger movement as the foundation. It therefore goes without saying that the picking hand can in no way be anchored to the guitar. So many players do this, citing the need for stability or accuracy or whatever, but believe me, you will never attain a good, solid technique unless you disengage your hand from the body of the guitar and allow your arm, wrist and hand to flow freely like a violinist. If you are completely new to this concept it will feel strange at first so it is essential that you slow right down and get the feel of it. Play simple chromatic passages on one string in ascending and descending patterns. Indeed, thinking of the guitar as a one stringed instrument is helpful imagery in developing this technique. How would you play if you only had one string to deal with? You could make big up and down movements with the picking hand very comfortably without any worry of accidentally playing other strings.
The fretting hand
Applying pressure to the strings.
Firstly we are going to examine the mechanics of how best to apply pressure to the strings. Too many players rely on hand strength to depress the strings; that is they squeeze the strings between their fingers on the board and thumb behind the neck. This creates a myriad of problems including tension in the hand and the inability to shift positions efficiently. We need to find a way to put pressure on the strings without excessive gripping with the fretting hand. To begin with, place the guitar across your lap in the usual playing position and then tilt the guitar towards you at an angle of around 45 degrees. Keeping the head of the guitar reasonably high, place your middle finger on the fingerboard at around the 4th or 5th fret in good playing position, and feel the weight of your arm pulling your finger onto the string. Try releasing your thumb from the back of the neck to so that the only force you feel is the pull of your arm. Your finger is now like a hook that is attached to the fingerboard. Now return the guitar to your usual playing position, which should be on a slight tilt back towards your body so as to clear the back of the guitar for optimum sound, and with the help of the big muscles in your back and shoulder, pull your finger onto the string by pulling your arm towards your shoulder. Notice now that the wrist has straightened out. Now you can allow the thumb to rest behind the neck for balance, approximately opposite the middle finger. In this position the thumb may be used to add extra pressure when needed, such as when playing barre chords. In the case of chord playing you will notice that the thumb shifts around somewhat depending on the shape of the chord.
Equalising the playing strength in all fingers.
Once you have established this direct line of force by way of a combination of gravity and the use of the big muscles, it is now time to deal with the fingers of the fretting hand and their individual power capabilities. Do you believe that your little finger is weaker than the others? Do you avoid using your little finger as much possible because you feel it lacks strength and coordination? You can very easily remedy this situation. Firstly, look at the fingers of the fretting hand as hooks that are anchoring this force that you have created for applying pressure to the strings. Now examine the hand. The line of force should be equal along both sides of the hand; that is, on the index finger side and the small finger side. And if your fingers are merely the hooks which are anchoring the force, you should have the same feeling of strength on both sides of your hand. Therefore, you should have the same feeling of strength in your small finger as you do in your index finger. So now you can go about the business of working your little finger into the act and in so doing, dramatically improve your fretting hand technique.
Straightening out the angle of the wrist.
Many guitarists believe that they need to create a dramatic angle in the wrist of their fretting hand so as to access difficult chords and to achieve a general elegance in their playing. This can be extremely detrimental to technique and also to the health and well being of the hand. It is far better for the tendons in the fretting hand to operate in a straight line rather than toil away when bent around a corner. Once you have established the relaxed pressure described in the sections above, the wrist will of its own accord assume a straight line and then you will be in the most desirable position for strong and efficient playing. There may be times when a slight curve in the wrist will be apparent such as when playing particular barre chords but this should not be confused with the over exaggerated bending of the wrist described above.
Sort out your line of force and your wrist will straighten up accordingly.
Playing each finger as required with no presetting.
It is imperative that the fretting hand moves musically and rhythmically: that is, one finger at a time when needed. It is not necessary to leave fingers on the fingerboard behind the finger in use. This technique is widely taught but it is most detrimental to the musical feel of the fretting hand and certainly not the ideal fretting technique. A guitar player needs to feel the music in the fretting hand as much as in the picking hand. Put into simple terms, when a finger is placed on a note, the finger behind that finger is lifted off the fingerboard. Play a simple ascending chromatic run over four frets on one string. Play the first note with the first finger then as the second finger comes down, release the first finger. Focus the energy on the second finger. This is now your “anchor”. Now play the note with the second finger and as the third finger comes down, release the second finger. The third finger is now your “anchor” and so on. It is essential to feel this loading and emptying of each finger so that the fretting hand may operate in a rhythmic and musical manner.
Similarly, when playing a descending chromatic line there is no need to place all your fingers on the fingerboard together and then release each finger on the way down. This method is widely taught but it is far better to play each finger as needed, one at a time. This will give you greater control and a much improved feel for the music in your fretting hand.
There are times when you will preset fingers, the most obvious being hammer ons and snap offs. If you are employing your fretting hand in the manner described above it will become obvious when the need for presetting arises. However, in general playing it is important to feel the loading and releasing of each finger as needed.
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