When it comes to fingerstyle guitar, there is a hugely important approach that you should always keep in mind as you learn how to play your fingers against the strings. That approach is called "preparing," and nothing will help you reign in bad guitar habits more quickly and effectively. The basic idea is to train your fingers to "prepare" on the strings before they're actually needed to play the next notes in whatever song you're playing. If you train your fingers to prepare on the strings, it's much easier to then adjust and hover your fingers very close to the strings. Alternatively, if you never take the time to train your fingers to stay close by preparing, you'll be much more likely to do something that plagues many a well-intentional fingerstyle guitarist, which is "floaty fingers" syndrome, whereby your fingers float high above the strings and constantly race to catch up to the music. So, without further ado, let's take a closer look at how to practice preparations and why they're so effective in fingerstyle guitar training.
If you want to work on preparing from scratch, then simple arpeggios will become your best friend. Basically, all you need to do is select an arpeggio that is incredibly comfortable for you. The famed PIMA arpeggio works extremely well for this sort of thing. If you decide to go with the PIMA arpeggio, then simply play through the arpeggio one time, and as you circle back around to play the arpeggio again beginning with your thumb, place all of your fingers into contact with the strings. Make sure you place your fingers precisely. Strive to land at the same point on each finger whenever you prepare. The ideal contact point is the little slot into which the string can fit between your fingertip and fingernail.
As you prepare, the strings will be muted. This is okay, although for some types of music and some songs you won't be able to prepare fully and still create the sustained notes the song requires. As a practice technique, however, preparing is incredibly important. Remember: it's much easier to prepare and then hold your fingers very close to the strings than it is to never prepare and then suddenly have to keep your fingers as close to the strings as possible. In fingerstyle guitar, the name of the game is precision. The closer your fingers remain to the strings, the more easily they'll be able to play their notes. So, put in a good effort to master preparations and then notice the powerful control that naturally infuses your fingers!
After you've mastered using preparations for straight arpeggios like the PIMA arpeggio, it's time to work them within complex passages of music. Start relatively easy and work up. The basic idea remains the same: have each finger prepared on the string it will play next well before it's called upon to play. As you work this sensation of preparing every finger in turn, you will develop an incredible sense of security and comfort from feeling your fingers on the strings. Your fingers will develop up to the point where they move smoothly and fluidly from one note to the next in coordination with each other. This is a fantastic feeling. You really feel like you're in command of the guitar.
Although it's only possible to give a very cursory treatment of preparations in this essay, hopefully you're appreciating just how powerful and pivotal they can be for your fingerstyle guitar technique. Fingerstyle guitar playing calls on a huge array of different technical aspects in order for you to be able to play it well. Preparing helps you become more aware of how your fingers move and how they coordinate through challenging passages of music. Take the time to become more aware of where you currently place your fingers as you play, and strive to prepare more and more often. Your playing will shine!
If you want to work on preparing from scratch, then simple arpeggios will become your best friend. Basically, all you need to do is select an arpeggio that is incredibly comfortable for you. The famed PIMA arpeggio works extremely well for this sort of thing. If you decide to go with the PIMA arpeggio, then simply play through the arpeggio one time, and as you circle back around to play the arpeggio again beginning with your thumb, place all of your fingers into contact with the strings. Make sure you place your fingers precisely. Strive to land at the same point on each finger whenever you prepare. The ideal contact point is the little slot into which the string can fit between your fingertip and fingernail.
As you prepare, the strings will be muted. This is okay, although for some types of music and some songs you won't be able to prepare fully and still create the sustained notes the song requires. As a practice technique, however, preparing is incredibly important. Remember: it's much easier to prepare and then hold your fingers very close to the strings than it is to never prepare and then suddenly have to keep your fingers as close to the strings as possible. In fingerstyle guitar, the name of the game is precision. The closer your fingers remain to the strings, the more easily they'll be able to play their notes. So, put in a good effort to master preparations and then notice the powerful control that naturally infuses your fingers!
After you've mastered using preparations for straight arpeggios like the PIMA arpeggio, it's time to work them within complex passages of music. Start relatively easy and work up. The basic idea remains the same: have each finger prepared on the string it will play next well before it's called upon to play. As you work this sensation of preparing every finger in turn, you will develop an incredible sense of security and comfort from feeling your fingers on the strings. Your fingers will develop up to the point where they move smoothly and fluidly from one note to the next in coordination with each other. This is a fantastic feeling. You really feel like you're in command of the guitar.
Although it's only possible to give a very cursory treatment of preparations in this essay, hopefully you're appreciating just how powerful and pivotal they can be for your fingerstyle guitar technique. Fingerstyle guitar playing calls on a huge array of different technical aspects in order for you to be able to play it well. Preparing helps you become more aware of how your fingers move and how they coordinate through challenging passages of music. Take the time to become more aware of where you currently place your fingers as you play, and strive to prepare more and more often. Your playing will shine!
About the Author:
This is just one of many Nashville guitar lessons available at String Love Guitar. Come on by and stay a while!. Free reprint available from: Prepare Your Fingers When You Play the Guitar.
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