There’s so much information to take in when you start playing guitar, and for most of us this information takes the form of which frets to play with one hand and which strings to pluck with the other. All fine of course, but over the years I’ve encountered many beginners who could have developed much more quickly had they been shown some simple little things to make it all easier.
Remembering String Names:
It’s so important to know which string is which but rarely gets pointed out so I have a couple of mnemonics that should make it a little easier:
Elephants And Donkeys Got Big Ears
Elvis Ate Dynamite Good Bye Elvis
I can’t take credit for these as they were both passed on to me by students but they have certainly proved to be useful.
Left hand position:
Something that we take for granted when we have been playing for a while as it seems so natural and comfortable, but for a new starter finding the best hand position can be not only difficult, but crucial in their potential for development. Poor left hand position can make chords and scales harder to play, limit stretch and cause problems with technique long term. Here are two pictures, the image below shows a scrunched up hand with the thumb wrapped around the guitar neck. Sure it looks like the guitar is getting some love but just try a barre chord or a 2 octave dominant arpeggio like that. Hard. Perhaps not impossible, but definitely hard.
The next image shows what I would consider to be ‘correct’ hand position.
Obviously ‘correct’ means different things to different people in a field where every player has their own slightly different style, but from the point of view of a beginner this position gives the best chance of reaching all the new shapes with the minimum of risk of hand damage and the maximum sound quality. To my eyes this hand position best resembles that which you would have should you be holding a sandwich (filling of your choice), with thumb and forefinger in line with each other, pointing somewhere towards the ceiling, thumb low down on the back of the neck. The guitar neck then slots into the hand where the sandwich would otherwise be. The advantage of this is that the fingers are flat against the neck, rather than bent one way, allowing for greater stretch (great for scales) and the ability to perch the fingers on top of the strings thus letting others ring out clearly (great for basic chords). It’s also the perfect preparation for tackling barre chords – the beginner’s arch nemesis. So, REMEMBER THE SANDWICH and all will be ok.
Practice:
When you start playing an instrument it’s difficult to work out how much, and what you should practice. It’s tempting to sit for an hour and play until your hands are tired, your brain hurts and nothing makes much sense anymore. I don’t think that’s entirely productive, but I fully understand the temptation and commend the effort. Unfortunately this usually hinders development and can dent the enthusiasm. Longer practice sessions are much more suited to people who have been playing for a few months.
Let’s think about how we learn melodies and chords when we’re just starting out: One note (or a small group of notes) at a time. I think beginner practice sessions should be approached in the same way to ensure retention of information and keep motivation levels consistently high. In addition, as a beginner you simply don’t know enough to fill a one hour practice session without retreading the same ground. That’s not a criticism, it’s simply a fact. So, what I propose is a 5 day practice regimen focusing on developing core abilities essential to your playing.
Day 1, 10 minutes total practice divided into two 5 minute mini sessions
Day 2, 10 minutes
Day 3, 15 minutes total practice divided into three 5 minute mini sessions
Day 4, 10 minutes
Day 5, 15 minutes
The five minute sessions can be filled with whatever content you choose, although I would recommend regular recap of chords (finger placement, memory and changes), scales, warm up exercises, left and right hand specific exercises and playing through songs from a list of suitable beginner material. As you develop these mini sessions can be filled with new content and extended in duration (provided you can make the time), until your playing ability demands longer and more focused sessions.
Phil Rochard Guitar Tuition 