Conditioning Your Left Hand
There is nothing in your everyday life that will prepare your hands for playing a stringed instrument. Playing guitar feels strange and uncomfortable when you first start. Your hands are not used to performing the movements required to play.
The first step for any beginner is conditioning your hands, especially your left hand. This is a fast and easy process if you approach it systematically.
Here are a few conditioning steps for your left hand. These are still positions. They don't involve any movement. These still positions will produce a moderate strain in your hand. The longer you do them, the less strain you experience. Getting your hands used to these positions will cut your practice and learning time by months.
Using these conditioning steps during your first two months of playing increases your chances of success. The tension you feel in your hands at first will change to a relaxed and comfortable feeling. Watch any good player, they're not tense. The better they are, the more relaxed they are.
Even though they don't involve any movement, these positions will create 'muscle memory.' Remember, your hands stay completely still. You don't have to play anything with your right. You should see noticeable results after just a few sessions of 10 minutes each. Do these exercises while you for watch TV. A 3-minute commercial break is the perfect time for a short still-conditioning session. If you DO the program, your hand WILL be conditioned for playing leads and chords. This lets you play with economy of motion without months of practice. It works every time. You don't know until you try it. It's a small price to pay ... are you convinced yet? Just do it!
The worksheets are designed so that you start in the middle of the neck on the high strings, then work your way to the left and the right. Then, you move to the low strings, start in the middle of the neck, then work left, then right. You'll spend a little more time on the low strings, since they use the furthest stretch.
Don't worry if your hand posture looks different from mine. Don't worry about how you place your thumb on the back of the neck. Place your thumb wherever it is comfortable -- experiment.
One Finger Per Fret On the High E String
You don't have to press down hard, use a light pressure.
1 First, place your index finger just behind the 5th fret of the high string. |
2 Next, place your middle finger on the 6th fret. |
3 Next, place your ring finger on the 7th fret. |
4 Next, place your little finger on the 8th fret. |
You might be surprised at how much tension you feel in your fingers, hand, arm, and even your shoulder. This is tension that will turn to relaxation, just by doing these exercises. Relax your hand for a minute before you go onto the next hold.
Next, move this hold over one string to the 2nd string. Hold this for one minute. (Index on the 5th fret of the 2nd-highest string.)
Next, move this hold over one string to the 3rd string. Hold this for one minute. (Index on the 5th fret of the 3rd-highest string.)
Try this four-finger hold on all strings, and on all frets. You will feel a slightly different tension at each position, so the idea is to try this on all frets on all strings.
Playing In Different Registers You have to get your left hand used to playing in all areas of the guitar neck. Your hand feels completely different playing at the 1st fret on the low E string than playing at the 12th fret on the B string.
Apply the pattern used in the pictures on the previous page to all frets on all strings. Use one finger per fret, on the same string. It will be easiest to begin in the middle of the neck, between the 5th and 10th frets. Then, move this one-finger-per-fret hand posture to the lower frets, and then later, move to the higher frets.
Use these holds for a few minutes a day to develop flexibility and stamina in your left hand. This serious exercise, so don't overdo it. If your hands get sore or cramped, then stop. You've done enough for one day. Use these exercises for at least 6 to 8 weeks.
Use the Left Hand Conditioning Worksheets on the pages that follow to track your progress.
Chords and Scales Ninety percent of popular music in all styles uses only about 5 scales and about 20 chord shapes. Use the same 'still approach' to get your hands used to making chord shapes. **Don't worry about how your open chords sound for the first 3 weeks.** Give your fingers a few weeks to get used to making the shapes. Don't worry too much about your form at first. You can fine tune your technique later. Once you have 4 or 5 chords and one scale, you can start to interact with real music.
Print the next five worksheet pages. Check each box as you complete the exercise.
