Classical Guitar Lesson # 8: The Left Hand, Part 2

[shimeonmorpheus]

what part of my finger is suppose to touch the string because i always end up touching other strings??

[LeccySheep]

After coming from years of playing electric guitar I find that the only comfortable position for my thumb is to have it almost at the top of the back of the neck, any other position feels unnatural and seems to impede how I play. Is this something that I really have to correct or can I, for want of a better phrase, get away with playing in that position?

[Lutemann]

@LeccySheep It depends on how big your hand is. 

[LeccySheep]

@Lutemann I suspect that the answer to that question is "too big". After trying to play with my thumb set in the middle or upper third of the neck I can now see how cramped my hand was using the 'electric guitar' technique of holding the neck. I am going to keep trying, although it still feels strange, mainly because it feels like I have no support...if that makes sense, as I am so used to having my palm against the neck. Thank you very much for taking the time to reply.

[Razyel27]

I have a question about the left hand thumb: Should the thumb be straight or bent (at the base) on the back of the neck of the guitar ?Some times in some positions I get mine bent.Some say it's wrong(too much tension on it) and some just say it's right.I would like an opinion on this :) thanks!

[moxoloxom]

nice video but... Turkish sub-titles please :)

[TJ52009]

wow!! i think i recognized the guitar!! is that guitar a Guillermo del pilar??

if it is i have two of them!!

[Estebanfuturo]

oh well, anyways good job professor, and i meant it.

[Estebanfuturo]

almost forgot to add, your pinki is as if not more important than your index finger, so exercise it to the extremen but remember, no tension, miss the strings as many times as you need to.

[Estebanfuturo]

i retract what i said that his guy doesnt know much, actuall y it is the best video of left hand technique i have found on youtube , he is just missing some details like never look at the fingerboard while playing and keep your thumb as low on the back of the neck as possible, any way, very good video.

[Lutemann]

I have to disagree with you there. Never looking at the fingerboard is an old myth -All the great players look at the fingerboard to varying degrees. I don't think you should completely depend on looking at the fingerboard, however.

[Lutemann]

Also, placement of the thumb depends on the size of your hand. You get the fingers in an advantagous position, and the thumb goes where it goes.

[n4179]

@Lutemann

does the thump have to be facing the middle finger or on the same line or whatever you call it? I mean like... behind the fret that m is on?

[swooc]

i find that my wrist bends alot when im doing bar chords with alot of stretch. is it suppose to be like that? if i flatten my wrist too much i can't fret the notes further away from the bar.

as for switching right handed to left handed, yes you can. i did it with mine, i changed the nut and saddle to a lefty setup.

[Lutemann]

The short answer is yes.

[ugarmada]

Great videos, Question: can I re-string a right handed classical guitar for my left hand playing?

[Lutemann]

You can try it. You have to switch the nut and the bridge bone.

[petelebu]

if you feel tension on the back of your hand while pressing the strings youre apllying force the wrong way , the strenght has to come from your forearm not your hand remember that,i you feel youre straining the back of the hand youre doing it wrong, forearm srenght.

[Lutemann]

that's a nice way of thinking aobut it. If you are straining th back of you hand it's because you are using the weaker extensor muscles in the pressing process? Seems like it.

[zezt]

@petelebu I read to day that the strength ONLY has to come from the fingers....?

[petelebu]

@zezt wrong, if you to that you WILL be putting unnecesary tension on the back of your hand

[petelebu]

dudes this guy knows something now he is not that good, you have to actually bend your wrist that much and pres the strings as close from the nails as posible, another thing he didint cover was that when you press the strings try to press only the strings without touching the fingerboard at all, only the strings always muting the strings youre not using , when you bend your wrist dont strain the back of your palm when you press a string do it as soft as posibble, if you feel tension on the

[b5b9]

Now is tells me!

[sudyma]

hey buddy, I appreciate that you try to share your ideas. but... you should think about... playing guitar is not natural... bending those fingers... tendonitis.... haha everybody who desires to avoid any inconveniences with his hand an fingers should stop playing instruments where hands and fingers are used....

[Lutemann]

Thanks for the appreciation, and I agree that playing the guitar is not natural. However, the closer you follow basic principles, the less likely you are to tendonitis. For example I have never heard of one of Aaron Shearer's students getting tendonitis, and he has taught litterally thousands of students.

[sudyma]

is it not about how you approach? about the time and patience you give yourself to get to a certain point? please pardon my ignorance... I have no idea who aaron shearer is... but our hands are so incredible... they learn almost everything we teach them... good luck

[thejugglenaut91]

what are you talking about? Playing guitar is very natural, just like putting pressure on any other kind of object. What could be more natural?

[sudyma]

playing with your **** hm?! haha

[2praise]

But does not play left handed

[rail123]

Find the 'on/off' switch for your left hand fingertips.Eliminate lifting and instead just cease doing work.Each year you should be able to play with less effort. Listen to Pepe Romero and other great teachers.Go to 9th position and place all 4 lft hand fingers on the same string. Now allow the 4th to relax and it will slightly lift- don't hold it close,just quit pressing.Patiently do each finger.Repeat daily with care. Go to master classes. Evaluate.

[Lutemann]

All of this happens pretty naturally. Most first year students have no trouble running scales at very high speeds, but it's the right hand that won't keep up. In my view the following is true: it takes a good teacher to teach you right hand, and a poor teacher to ruin your left hand.

[noir91101]

SO so so true. I am left handed but I played right handed for a long time. Now that I play left handed I know from painful experience and wasted time that lefties should play left handed . A BAD teacher forced me to play right handed when I was 10 years old. The picking hand is INTEGRAL . It would seem logical that the fretting hand drives and thats what everyone looks at an says "wow so fast" but its the picking that matters most.

[taylor410ce]

I two am left-handed.

[SteveFeces]

ugh why does this guy get such low ratings, his videos are great. I think some classical people are so god damn anal about doing things the "RIGHT" way that they dont even consider the fact that the "RIGHT" way is totally unintuitive.

[Singardia]

They are great instructional videos, but my opinion is that people rate videos for how entertaining they are.

By the way, I rated it a 5 :-)

[Lutemann]

It depends on how far it flys up. It can go up one or even two inches without causing tension. I'd have to see it to give an opinion. Play chromatic scales in the 1st position and watch the left hand in a mirror. At first you may have to force it closer until it just relaxes.

[dsfretagord]

Thanks

[dsfretagord]

I can't get my left small finger to stay down - what should I do? Let it fly up all the time or try to keep it down? The latter is very frustrating and doesn't work and I've been trying to make it work for a week.

[rail123]

You don't need to put your 4th finger in a straight jacket. To gain accuracy work patiently to never lift- just quit pressing down. Go to a high postion and place all 4 fingers on the 1st Sting. Can you find the inner off/on switch and quit doing work with your 4th finger- don't lift at all. If you are relaxing it will lift slightly without any effort. Do this each day until it's easier than all that lifting.

[theoden707]

Ha Ha! Bantering fools. "Another thing you dont have to worry about is..." watching this video. Everyone's hands are different, and the left hand must do whatever is necessary to communicate the passage. Its unfortunate that so many instructional videos, be they on youtube or by melbay, try to offer "rules" for guitarists to follow when in fact the real players, ie. Segovia, Bream,Giglia, Fisk, etc. each have a unique technique that best serves their own personal styles.

[Lutemann]

The left hand is not static. You are right about rules governing the left hand - there are none because the hands of different people vary in size. There are, however, principles which govern physical activity when using the hands:

1) a straight wrist works better than a bent wrist.

2) curved fingers are stronger than traight fingers

3) muscle against muscle tension should be minimized

to name a few.

[binary0011]

how to we reach the 6th string 1-4 frat without bending our wrist? i find it almost impossible, have to bend my wrist.

[Lutemann]

For scales you don't have to bend your wrist at all, the fingers flex and extend. When you are on the 6th string,the fingers are only slightly curved and when on the 1st string they are very curved. The more independence you have in your fingers, the less the wrist must bend. Beginners must bend the wrist in more situations than advanced players.

[Jitpring]

The thumb moves to maintain lh finger curvature on w/ longitudinal motion on scales.

[Lutemann]

That's true, the thumb may move a bit as well as changing the curvature itself. As long a sther is some curve to the fingers, the left hand will work fine in scales.

[fridrikur]

Wise words from a wise man. Thank you very much for these wise words! I have received some bad advice in my past, wish I had you as a teacher!

[jasonwaite2]

Sir,you are incorrect. JW keeps his fingers close as does Bream and as did Segovia. They have more credibility than you. Who are you? Can you even play? Segovia once said that everything Shearer wrote was a waste. I suggest this applies to you too.

[nmclay]

Wow. Such hostility. How about you? You play? Let's hear you.  Come on. Let's see it.

[CarlosMacMartin]

Nonsense! Segovia had his own technique/philosophies

but it doen't mean that Shearer's ideas are useless.

I have Kent's video's on CD-ROM and everything that he

advocates,is anatomically correct,even to your own body

type.Try out his exercises before you make any more

ridiculous comments about Kent's playing or credibilty.

Segovia,Bream,& Williams all had/have different ways of

playing the guitar but it doesn't mean that their way

of playing or philosophies are absolute.

[Lutemann]

If you look at Segovia, Williams and Bream on Youtube, you can see them lift the 4th finger two or more inches from the fingerboard. For almost everyone the left hand will move as fast as it's needed. It's the right hand that slows things down.

[Lutemann]

No, but I have his instructional DVD. I studied with Aaron Shearer and various other teachers.

[cursillo]

Did you study with Carlevaro?

[Lutemann]

JW seems to lift his fingers up pretty high. I don't think it's much of an issue. However, if you attempt to force the fingers to stay close to the strings, it can cause problems. I've seen people ruin their left hands trying to keep the fingers close.

[buddybear]

I agree with you on some things. Regarding the left hand having "freedom of movement" what exactly do you mean? I tend to TRY* to keep my fingers close to the fingerboard as much as possible, as they will have a small distance to travel to produce the desired note/chord. As I look at someone like John Williams I begin to appreciate this more.

[buddybear]

Hi there. I have looked at some of your video lessons. Would love to hear you play a full piece! Cheers, Buddybear.

[Lutemann]

I'm going to put up a video on ballistic motion very soon. BTW, I expect these videos will be trumped within the next few months.

[GFAJanitor]

Mr. Lutemann, don't you love Youtube? I'm glad you are on it! Will we also see examples of your ideas concerning advanced technique?