Bad habit for a beginner?
Question:
> I’ve been playing for roughly two months. Strictly self-thought, no > teachers. Recently, I’ve been taying to speed up my left fingers > whenever I change chords. I noticed a habit that may or may not be > considered an acceptable guitar technique.
You’re a beginner not a miracle worker. You won’t be able to play worth a crap for a long time so just keep practicing. We’ve all had to do it too.
Response:
> You won’t be able to play worth a > crap for a long time so just keep practicing.
Indeed. I’m rolling up on 5 months and just now I’ve graduated from completely hopeless to heinously awfull. Like life it’s a journey, not an event. Cheers! — http://www.subatomicblues.com
Response:
Not a bad habit at all. Actually it’s how we all started (well, most of us!) but very soon all them digits will be coming down simultaneously. Trust me. ~SLG~
– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text -> Whenever I switch chords, my fretting fingers do not fret their > assigned strings simultaneously. Instead, they almost always > progress from the lowest (low E) to the highest (high E). > I think we all do a bit of this, depending on the chord change. As someone > else said, the more you play, the closer to simultaneous your finger > placement will get. Sometimes my fingers all land at once, sometimes one > finger goes first and acts as an "anchor for the others. > It’s actually a handy technique for fingerstyle…to increase sustain, I > often leave fingers fretting the strings until just before I need them. > Hope this helps, > Mike Pugh
Response:
One thing not mentioned. Make sure you mute or don’t play strings that are not yet properly fretted.
– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text -> I’ve been playing for roughly two months. Strictly self-thought, no > teachers. Recently, I’ve been taying to speed up my left fingers > whenever I change chords. I noticed a habit that may or may not be > considered an acceptable guitar technique. > Whenever I switch chords, my fretting fingers do not fret their > assigned strings simultaneously. Instead, they almost always progress > from the lowest (low E) to the highest (high E). So if I was > fingering a ‘C’ chord, my 3rd finger would fret its string first, > followed by the 2nd finger, and then the 1st finger. Of course, > there’s only a split second difference between each finger. > The problem is that when I’m strumming in a hurry (ie 75 beats per > sec), the first strum in a new measure of the new chord often will not > have the highest string fretted (did that make sense? read it again). > So if I’m strumming E,E,E,E,C,C,C,C… the first strum with ‘C’ will > almost always be strummed before my 1st finger gets into position. > The chord still sounds kinda like a ‘C’ though, because the 2nd and > 3rd fingers are fretting their strings. > Is this considered an acceptable practice for a beginner, or a bad > habit?
Response:
- Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – > I’ve been playing for roughly two months. Strictly self-thought, no > teachers. Recently, I’ve been taying to speed up my left fingers > whenever I change chords. I noticed a habit that may or may not be > considered an acceptable guitar technique. > Whenever I switch chords, my fretting fingers do not fret their > assigned strings simultaneously. Instead, they almost always progress > from the lowest (low E) to the highest (high E). So if I was > fingering a ‘C’ chord, my 3rd finger would fret its string first, > followed by the 2nd finger, and then the 1st finger. Of course, > there’s only a split second difference between each finger. > The problem is that when I’m strumming in a hurry (ie 75 beats per > sec), the first strum in a new measure of the new chord often will not > have the highest string fretted (did that make sense? read it again). > So if I’m strumming E,E,E,E,C,C,C,C… the first strum with ‘C’ will > almost always be strummed before my 1st finger gets into position. > The chord still sounds kinda like a ‘C’ though, because the 2nd and > 3rd fingers are fretting their strings. > Is this considered an acceptable practice for a beginner, or a bad > habit?
One thing I read on the net somewhere was a suggestion to fret your "slowest" finger first for chords like C and G. So for C you may try first fretting your index finger on the 2nd string 1st fret, then the other two fingers on strings 4 and 5 on frets 2 and 3. It really helped me speed up G because my pinkie is the weakest chain in the link with regards to speed and accuracy. By fretting the pinkie first then I could pretty much automatically plop the other fingers on their proper strings and in a matter of a month or so they were all going on at about the same time. You may want to try it out for a while to see if it helps you. Cheers! — http://www.subatomicblues.com
Response:
Hi Opti…… Some unsolicited advice….. Go to a teacher,a player who is out working,not some campfire singer teacher.It will shave years off the learning process.Most players i’ve met who are proud to be "self taught" sound like it 
. A good teacher sets you in the right direction.As guitar players we get hung up on shapes and positions,and playing VISUAL PATTERNS.We only learn songs in "Guitar keys" like A G E D C etc,a good teacher will get you playing in all 12 keys and force you to use your ear before you use your eyes. Learn to play melodies,melodies and more melodies."Old Mac Donald","Mary had a little lamb",TV show melodies,Rock,Country,Reggae,what ever.Melody will train you to hear intervals of 5ths,4ths,3rd,minor3rd,etc etc Eric
Response:
> Whenever I switch chords, my fretting fingers do not fret their > assigned strings simultaneously. Instead, they almost always progress > from the lowest (low E) to the highest (high E). So if I was > fingering a ‘C’ chord, my 3rd finger would fret its string first, > followed by the 2nd finger, and then the 1st finger. Of course, > there’s only a split second difference between each finger.
I don’t think it’s a bad habit. I remember doing the same thing, when I started out. But as I progressed, the third finger and the second finger merged closer in time. Then those two became simultaneous, then the first finger became closer in time. Pretty soon all those three fingers became simultaneous. It’s always a work in progress. Keep it up! You’re doing nothing wrong so far. Every chords you learn, will all become simultaneous with enough time and practice.
Response:
> Whenever I switch chords, my fretting fingers do not fret their > assigned strings simultaneously. Instead, they almost always > progress from the lowest (low E) to the highest (high E).
I think we all do a bit of this, depending on the chord change. As someone else said, the more you play, the closer to simultaneous your finger placement will get. Sometimes my fingers all land at once, sometimes one finger goes first and acts as an "anchor for the others. It’s actually a handy technique for fingerstyle…to increase sustain, I often leave fingers fretting the strings until just before I need them. Hope this helps, Mike Pugh
Response:
Hi Opticreep It is perfectly normal. You can learn yourself to put the 1st finger first, or the 3th.first, or any other. put the finger first that is used first.especially with more difficult chords. After a while everything is going really fast. greetings Peter. – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text -> I’ve been playing for roughly two months. Strictly self-thought, no > teachers. Recently, I’ve been taying to speed up my left fingers > whenever I change chords. I noticed a habit that may or may not be > considered an acceptable guitar technique. > Whenever I switch chords, my fretting fingers do not fret their > assigned strings simultaneously. Instead, they almost always progress > from the lowest (low E) to the highest (high E). So if I was > fingering a ‘C’ chord, my 3rd finger would fret its string first, > followed by the 2nd finger, and then the 1st finger. Of course, > there’s only a split second difference between each finger. > The problem is that when I’m strumming in a hurry (ie 75 beats per > sec), the first strum in a new measure of the new chord often will not > have the highest string fretted (did that make sense? read it again). > So if I’m strumming E,E,E,E,C,C,C,C… the first strum with ‘C’ will > almost always be strummed before my 1st finger gets into position. > The chord still sounds kinda like a ‘C’ though, because the 2nd and > 3rd fingers are fretting their strings. > Is this considered an acceptable practice for a beginner, or a bad > habit?
Response:
I’ve been playing for roughly two months. Strictly self-thought, no teachers. Recently, I’ve been taying to speed up my left fingers whenever I change chords. I noticed a habit that may or may not be considered an acceptable guitar technique. Whenever I switch chords, my fretting fingers do not fret their assigned strings simultaneously. Instead, they almost always progress from the lowest (low E) to the highest (high E). So if I was fingering a ‘C’ chord, my 3rd finger would fret its string first, followed by the 2nd finger, and then the 1st finger. Of course, there’s only a split second difference between each finger. The problem is that when I’m strumming in a hurry (ie 75 beats per sec), the first strum in a new measure of the new chord often will not have the highest string fretted (did that make sense? read it again). So if I’m strumming E,E,E,E,C,C,C,C… the first strum with ‘C’ will almost always be strummed before my 1st finger gets into position. The chord still sounds kinda like a ‘C’ though, because the 2nd and 3rd fingers are fretting their strings. Is this considered an acceptable practice for a beginner, or a bad habit?
Response:
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