Understandably, the enthusiastic guitar learner just wants to play their axe as soon as possible. Their guitar lessons consist of imitating their guitar models and they throw their fingers at notes the best they can. I certainly can relate to that because I was that guitar learner. And I played like that for nearly two decades before I realised there was more to playing a guitar string (let alone the whole guitar) than my intuition was aware of.
How did I realise this? I lucked out with a better model. I found a great guitar teacher, who was also a professional session musician. He taught me the steps. Seeing those steps (that I am about to reveal to you) was relatively simple. Adjusting my mind to realise the importance of these simple principles took a lot longer. But because he attributed his amazing playing to the foundation provided by this exercise, I took his advice seriously. When I doubted his advice in the solitude of my practise room, I just thought of his playing. Which quickly snapped me back on track. To this simple exercise of placing all four fingers on the e string, 1st string (the skinniest string).
How To Guitar
The physiological purpose of this exercise is to train your fingers to move into formation, along the length of a string, one finger at a time, one fret at a time.
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The mental purpose is to train your mind to observe your fingers closely, to listen to them, evaluate what they are doing at any time and providing them with the information they need to perform correctly.
The musical benefit of this exercise is a balanced hand that can play the notes of the song, wherever they lay on the fingerboard, as and when you desire, flawlessly and fluently.
The social benefit of this exercise is a confidence in your technique and recognition of your cool guitar playing by your friends, family and fans.
For this article I will assume you can read very basic guitar tab and that you are familiar with the concept of posing as described by Jamie Andreas in her classic book, "The Principles Of Correct Practice For Guitar".
So now is the time to grab your guitar and try out these steps.
Step 1
Place your thumb behind the neck and as relaxed as possible bring all four fingers on the E string. Just touch the string with all fingers. Make sure you are not pressing on the string. Pose and hold for a full sixty seconds.
Step 2
Now raise all four fingers evenly to just off the string, like maybe two millimetres or one eighth of an inch. Pose and hold for a full sixty seconds keeping everything as relaxed as possible. Observe any tension anywhere between your fingertips and your spine.
Step 3
While continuing to hold all other fingers in the air, place finger 4 on E string, fret 4, right by the fret wire. Pose and hold for a full sixty seconds keeping everything as relaxed as possible. Observe any tension anywhere between your fingertips and your spine.
Why are you posing so much? Because this is the first time your neurology and muscles have done this task. And your whole system has to train the whole system to learn the task.
Your primary task here is to relax every muscle you can, observe every sensation and relax any tension you observe.
This is what your task looks like guitar tab.
E1 |------|------|------|--E4--|
Step 4
As for step 3 but keep fingers 1 and 2 in the air and place the 3rd finger on E string, fret 3, right by the fret wire while keeping finger 4 on fret 4, right by the fret wire.
Let both fingers only just touch the string with no pressure whatsoever. Pose and hold for a full sixty seconds keeping everything as relaxed as possible. Observe any tension anywhere between your fingertips and your spine.
What are you noticing?
Your task is tabbed out here.
E1 |------|------|--E3--|--E4--|
Step 5
Like step 4 but keep finger 1 in the air and place the 2nd finger on E string, fret 2, right by the fret wire while keeping the other fingers by their respective fret wire positions.
Let the three fingers only touch the string with no pressure whatsoever. Pose and hold for a full sixty seconds keeping everything as relaxed as possible. Notice any tension and relax it as much as possible. Breathe.
Do your fingers want to press the string all the way down? Sorry, they are only allowed to barely touch the string.
Your task is tabbed out here.
E1 |------|--E2--|--E3--|--E4--|
Step 6
Now place the 1st finger on E string, fret 1. Let the all fingers only touch the string. No pressing whatsoever. Pose and hold for a full sixty seconds keeping everything as relaxed as possible. Notice any tension and relax it as much as possible.
E1 |--E1--|--E2--|--E3--|--E4--|
Was that the easiest step to do?
Congratulations. You have learned to pose your fingers in the air above a string and with touch sensitivity on the E string. You have learned to position each finger next to each fret by relaxing your hand in every step. And wherever you observe tension in your body. That is no small feat.
If you are a very new player you may have noticed this simple exercise is actually very challenging. My guitar students find it so. In this case start this exercise with your 4th finger just above E string fret 10. When your hand gets comfortable, then start on E9 and so on until, many sessions later, you can comfortably start on E4. I have guitar students who are skilled and experienced. They find this exercise useful for maintaining their technique and touch.
Step by Step Guitar Lessons - How to Touch the Guitar String With Four Fingers in Formation
