Jump to content
HAPPY NEW YEAR, TO ALL OUR HARMONY CENTRAL FORUMITES AND GUESTS!! ×

problem lifting fingers


rude

Recommended Posts

  • Members
Posted

when I lift a finger off a fret, the string rings again, sort of like a pull-off, when I'm not trying too. how do I go about improving so that I don't have this problem?

 

it only really happens if im moving a finger from one string down to another, I think my lifting motion is hitting the strings.

  • Members
Posted

It sounds like either a problem of bad playing posture or too much tension in your hand (or both).

Make sure you've got your thumb flat on the back of the neck and that you play on your fingertips. The motion you use to fret a note should be one that comes straight down onto the string (perpendicular to the fingerboard), and the motion to lift a finger should be retracing the motion you used to fret it in the first place. Your fingers should be arched at all times.

If it's a tension problem, remember to play only as hard as necessary to sound the notes...too much pressure forces you to lift your fingers off of the strings using way too much 'muscle', which results in a non-'vertical' motion, thus causing unwanted sounds.

Hope that makes sense. :)

  • Members
Posted

thanks, I'll try improving upon that.

I think my posture is ok, but now that I think about it I am putting to much pressure on the strings, since the strings are pressed into my fingers and tend to sort of stick.

  • Members
Posted

Also, to play precisely, you have to learn to mute unplayed strings. This includes both left-hand and right-hand muting.

Left-hand muting should come naturally just from playing chords. Right-hand muting takes some getting used to if you've never done it.

Basically, the edge of your right palm should be muting the unplayed strings lower that where what string you're currently on while the left hand takes care of everything else.

  • Members
Posted

Auggie Doggie has some great points, as always. One thing I've found that has helped me is doing finger exercises on the fret board.


You can see them here:
http://www.zentao.com/guitar/lesson7/left-hand.html

They will help you a lot. I do that exercise for 10 minutes everyday while I watch TV. I also do a nice warmup exercise a few times everyday to stretch out my fingers and I do a basic right handed exercise as well that is from one of Auggie Doggie's lessons. I also practice scales. For a few days I didn't even play any songs, I just did the exercises, when I came back to the song I was learning, I found I could play it much better.

  • Members
Posted

cool, thanks, I will try out those exercises.

I think I've figured out the problem. I'm moving my finger directly up a string (to the higher string), and when I move it, my finger makes a motion sort of like that of a pull-off, but subtler, on the original string.

  • Members
Posted

rude,

Just a blind shot.. Maybe you do just fine, but your callus on the fingertip is a bit rough and holds the string back?

Sometimes it's so obvious that you don't look at it.

  • Members
Posted

ok, thanks. I'll give that time but the exercises will benefit me either way, so I'll do those as well.

Archived

This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.

×
×
  • Create New...