Help! Please!

Help! Please! (Full Version)

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Merle -> Help! Please! (Oct. 30 2003 22:50:08)
Hey, all you gang of pros! I need some serious technique help for my left hand! I have found out that when I play barr chords during a falseta (or whatever, using a barr chord), and while trying to hold a particular chord while playing indivual notes within the barr chord, I have a REAL BAD habit of raising my 3 finger to high, thus making my playing even more lousey than it already is!! Say, for instance, when I practice picado, thumb, or what ever technique...when I finger 1,2, 3, 4 it's ok...my 3 finger stays low, HOWEVER, when I practice the same technique going from 4, 3, 2, 1 (backwards) my 3 finger is always LIKE 7 INCHES TO HIGH!! I know this must be something to do with the muscles of the hand, and I try to concentrate when I practice on the fretboard/scales to keep the 3 finger of the left hand close to the fretboard, but I always find my 3 finger way to high when I have to play from the 4 finger down to the 1 finger! The 3 finger of the left hand is not a problem when I play 1,2, 3, 4 or any combination therein, the problem (a serious problem at that) is when I have to play anything that requires me to play notes from the 4 finger to the 3 finger to the 2 finger to the 1 finger! My 3 finger is always raised to HIGH! I cannot seem to correct this by myself, and I don't have a teacher, so does ANYONE know how I can correct this bad techinque? I would really appreciate it if someone could give me an exercise or some advice on what I'm doing wrong! Thanks, Merle P.S. I hope this post makes sense...

Thomas Whiteley -> RE: Help! Please! (Oct. 30 2003 22:56:03)
Merle; I would have to be there to be of real help. One suggestion is to relax the left hand and use as little pressure as possible. You will have to go slow with this and build up strength slowly. If you over do it you will injure yourself. Not a nice thought.

Miguel de Maria -> RE: Help! Please! (Oct. 30 2003 23:25:24)
Merle, Merle, you just have to open up "The Principles" to page 57 and get started. I do these exercises myself almost every day, that's why I recommend them to you.

Merle -> RE: Help! Please! (Oct. 31 2003 1:23:42)
Tom and Michael, I made a mistake! I mean my 2 finger, not the 3 finger!! The point is, that when I play finger 1 2 3 4, not a problem, but coming back down, 4 3 2 1, that's my problem! My 2 finger get's to high... Miguel, I will look again at page 57. Aside from this, are there any specific exercises that I might be able to use? Thanx, amigos... Merle

Miguel de Maria -> RE: Help! Please! (Oct. 31 2003 2:38:16)
Merle, read the chapter in the book and do the exercises! Anything else is just a quick fix. But if you want a quick fix, play the problem passage and isolate exactly where the problem occurs. Watch your finger and when it starts to fly, that is the problem point. Go back and just play that part, concentrating on relaxing your hand. The fingers that aren't playing should "hang" there...like grapes on a vine. Use only the muscles you need to accomplish the action. Slow it down....real real slow, and eliminate the tension which is causing this thing. The finger as it touches the string, whether note, hammer on, whatever--should feel as light as a butterfly. Once it touches the string, you may then apply pressure. So remember, grapes on a vine, and the butterfly. Got it? :)

Jon Boyes -> RE: Help! Please! (Oct. 31 2003 9:29:28)
Merle Miguel and Tom are bang on the money, listen to their advice. Once you have got into a habit like this, the fingers start working reflexively, and the only way to undo it is the way Mike suggests. In the longer term, what you are trying to do is build finger independence - relaxed individual control of the fingers. As Tom says, this is about minimising pressure so that you can feel the individual fingers properly. There are lots of exercises around that help build finger independence, but they are useless if the hand is not totally relaxed. I am sure the exercises in Mike's book will help. If you want more, I will post some. Jon

Billyboy -> RE: Help! Please! (Oct. 31 2003 13:51:51)
It really is just a matter of practice, try this execise of playing one note on each fret, with the 2,nd, 3rd, 4th, fingers while barring, up and down from treble to bass, the raising the bar to the next fret and doing the same

Jim Opfer -> RE: Help! Please! (Oct. 31 2003 14:30:06)
Sorry Merle, I just can't visualise what you mean, I guess if you have a particular problem with one finger jumping up and out of control, it's going to be due to you applying unessesary pressure on another finger and your hand is trying to compensate in some way to balance things out. I guess the Barre? I like Billyboy's notion of holding a Barre on progressive frets and playing picado over all strings using your remaining fingers, all this with minimal left hand force. Cheers Jim.

Merle -> RE: Help! Please! (Nov. 1 2003 21:47:54)
Thanks everyone for all your suggestions and help/concerns. After being reminded from Miguel de Maria, I found out that I was raising my shoulders and putting LOTS of tension in my arms and fingers. So, I re-read what I already read many months ago, and that seems to help a lot! I've been trying to learn this zambra, and I guess during this, I was really getting tense and resorting back to a bad habit. HOWEVER, last night I was playign in the kitchen while the wife cooked dinner, and I was playing all my material, keeping in mind the lessons of the principles, and she commented that my music was sounding sweet tonight! Sometimes when I (and maybe other players) play and they are all tensed up, start playing loud and hard, rather than medium and paying attention to the notes that your playing, and let the guitar do the work, not your poor body!! Anyway, thanks everyone....

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