MAJOR HELP NEEDED. ( left hand fingering )

[BluezHound]

Ok I know my chords basicully and I'm good with them HOW EVER my pinky and my first finger seems to be blockiong my e string can I get some help or some solution?

[brad347]

MAKE SURE that whatever chords you form, the first knuckle of each of your four fingers (the one closest to the nail) is bent at least slightly, not straight or hyperextended, unless you are doing a barre chord.

This is a fundamental of good technique, and if you get into this habit early, everything down the road will be much easier.

[BluezHound]

MAKE SURE that whatever chords you form, the first knuckle of each of your four fingers (the one closest to the nail) is bent at least slightly, not straight or hyperextended, unless you are doing a barre chord.

This is a fundamental of good technique, and if you get into this habit early, everything down the road will be much easier.so make your fingers when you bend them look like a ? when playing? I know my teachers been helping me work on this but I very well can't play AC/DC's hells bells with striaght figners LOL LOL. and thank you for the reply btw.

[Thwap]

I wish I had some secret to give you.

I've been working on some Tommy Emmanuel, numbers and it's mind numbing how good this guy is, and everything comes out so clearly.

The only way I've been able to acheive the clarity I need is to slow down to the point that I can play it with perfect note definition, paying attention to my fingerings, and maybe looking at different combinations of fingers used to facilitate the next move, then slowly speed up.

[brad347]

so make your fingers when you bend them look like a ? when playing? I know my teachers been helping me work on this but I very well can't play AC/DC's hells bells with striaght figners LOL LOL. and thank you for the reply btw.

It doesn't have to be that dramatic. Just don't "stiff-arm" it with your fingers, so to speak. It would be much easier to show someone than to describe.

Just concentrate on fretting with the tip on your finger, as far out on the very tip as you can with it still remaining comfortable.

[Rock Johnson]

+1 on Thwap's technique.

When I first started playing, I learned a little exercise that helped a lot. Start with a basic open C chord and a nice, clean tone. Finger the chord, and hit each note until all five notes ring out nice and clear. Then strum the chord - again, until all the notes sound out clear. Before long, you'll find a way to grip the chord that is both comfortable and results in no buzzing or muting.

Then go to a D chord and do the same thing. Then on to E, F, G, A, and B.

Do that every day. Before long, you'll get to where getting the chords to sound out nice and clean is no problem, so then you'll be ready to add the next degree of difficulty. Set your metronome to 60 beats per minute (or slower) and play through all the 'natural' chords - A, B, C, D, E, F, G, changing once every beat. Before long you'll get all those to sound out nice and clear.

The final degrees of difficulty are to do the same exercise faster (but anything above 70bpm is probably a waste of time), in each position, and for all kinds of chords. For instance, try playing minor 7th chords at the fifth fret at 60bpm. It's quite a challenge.

[BluezHound]

It doesn't have to be that dramatic. Just don't "stiff-arm" it with your fingers, so to speak. It would be much easier to show someone than to describe.

Just concentrate on fretting with the tip on your finger, as far out on the very tip as you can with it still remaining comfortable.Ok then whata bout making the Amin chord they use on the chorus part of the song hell's bell's? the first 4 strings are fretted and the a string is open thats a bit tuff as well for me.

[wcin]

so make your fingers when you bend them look like a ? when playing? I know my teachers been helping me work on this but I very well can't play AC/DC's hells bells with striaght figners LOL LOL. and thank you for the reply btw.

Make a claw with the fingers, thumb flat on the middle of the back of the neck, tuck you elbow into your ribs to pull your pinky up.

Try to over do it when practicing slowly, then when you speed up your technique will naturally relax.

[BluezHound]

Make a claw with the fingers, thumb flat on the middle of the back of the neck, tuck you elbow into your ribs to pull your pinky up.

Try to over do it when practicing slowly, then when you speed up your technique will naturally relax.Ok thank you I will try that.

[BluezHound]

can I put my index finger knuckle on the black fret ( the one fret that connects all the strings and puts them in the groves they need to be in for threaded strings? ) I know it's not rerally a fret but I don't know how to explain it., because I know my e string finally rings now if I want it to ring when I do that for the b chord in ac/dc's hells bells

[wcin]

This is a fundamental of good technique, and if you get into this habit early, everything down the road will be much easier.

Just to re-state the obvious, because as mentioned before good technique is habit and bad technique is also habit. Practice slowly with perfect form. Go as slow as necessary to incorporate all aspects of how you want the chord to sound and subdivide what you're trying to play into very small parts. Make those parts individual exercises. Concentrate on transitions, so in this case, play the 1st chord and the second chord as a group, then the second chord and the third chord as a group, etc.

Stick with the 1st and 2nd chord only until they sound perfect, make sure you hear all the notes in the 2 chords with the same clarity, listen to yourself play then listen to Angus/Malcolm. Listen closely to yourself when you play it, do you like the way it sounds? If you don't you're not finished with that part.

If you have to play it for some reason other than just practicing then do what you have to do to get the job done, but remember practicing builds good habits for the future so if you cheat etc, etc, etc......