Finger pressure:tread lightly......

[curiousgeorge]

Hey guys,

I just picked up on something when I play that is limiting my speed and mobility on the guitar. Too much finger pressure. I had this thing from Satriani come back to me all of a sudden where he says that you should only use enough pressure to sound the note, but no more. He then says that you should expend your energy and focus on that( something like that). I think a lot of guitar players tend to fret harder when they pick harder, which I caught myself doing as well. You have to learn to synchronize both, but you should also be able to separate them for dynamics. You really don't need that much pressure at all to fret a note, even when doing legato runs. I found that after I concentrated on this for a bit, my hand really started flying all over the guitar. It will take a lot of time I figure to un-learn my habits gleaned from 13 years of electric guitar...

Cheers!

[JohnJumper]

Yea...I have been working on speed in the last 5-6 months and found that is my main problem. When I am relaxed and fretting notes lightly I find I can move pretty fast (upto 180 BPM 16th notes on simple exercises) and those nights when I cannot get my speed going I do notice I am gripping the guitar harder. I have had a real hard time breaking myself of this habit. Many years of focusing on slow blues has generated what I call my death grip. I took a few years of classical that seemed to help but I still revert to my old bad habits in jam sessions.

[1 Wah Freak]

I know what you mean. However, I found that only after I have learned something well enough am I able let up on the excess pressure. Shoulder tension is another big reason for adding excess pressure. Another thing I have seen recently is when I'm playing slower clean passages, I can hear the string slap against the fret board while fretting. It's hard to keep everythng real soft and quite when playing those kinds of parts.

[shinkyo00]

im assuming you guys know the mighty (and infamous) Yngwie Malmsteen

well his concept of a scalloped fretboard revolves around the idea that your fingers shouldnt have to touch the fretboard when you fret, right?

this can be done on a regular guitar without scallops and this has been the way ive been playing all along

it feels really really good when you can actually FEEL your fingers dip on the strings, and fly to the next fret you're going to

also adds a certain elegant grace to the movements :D

[JohnJumper]

I have heard that about the scalloped fretboard. I think that works because there is no way you are going to be able to press down to the lowered fretboard so you learn not to try while the regular fretboard stops your finger so you tend to press at least hard enough to touch the fretboard and usually harder.

One of my friends actually scalloped his guitar - I never tried playing on it. I'm not sure I could bring myself to do that to my guitar.

I have had the opposite reaction to pressing on the guitar string - sometimes when I am playing I can't press hard enough on the string - it feels good on the fingertips - don't know why :) .

[curiousgeorge]

I like scallops but prefer lobster myself!:P

[shinkyo00]

I have heard that about the scalloped fretboard. I think that works because there is no way you are going to be able to press down to the lowered fretboard so you learn not to try while the regular fretboard stops your finger so you tend to press at least hard enough to touch the fretboard and usually harder.

One of my friends actually scalloped his guitar - I never tried playing on it. I'm not sure I could bring myself to do that to my guitar.

I have had the opposite reaction to pressing on the guitar string - sometimes when I am playing I can't press hard enough on the string - it feels good on the fingertips - don't know why :) .
i dont think pressing hard enough to touch the fretboard's a good idea because if your fretwires are huge like mine, you will make the note sound sharp and thats horrible!

[shinkyo00]

fried octopus! :D

[JohnJumper]

Alaskan King Crab :p

[metalprep6969]

Yngwie also plays with ridiculously high action. To tell you the truth, I don't think he plays with a very light left hand touch, though his right hand is very light.

\m/

[fortymile]

i just discovered this same thing about three days ago. i was working on scales and speed. i was noodling in front of the tv and just decided to fix my left hand probs once and for all if i could. so i took a look at my thumb.

my thumb would actually tend to grip the neck when i tried fretting notes on the high b or e. i knew that was wrong but it was just what had felt natural.

i was doing pentatonic scale runs and tried moving my thumb back the way i vaguely remember my teacher telling me was the right way, years ago. to brace the thumb against the underside of the neck when on the high strings, like youre pressing down with it to squash a bug.

that made a big difference in being able to accurately hit those high notes. then i realized that the thumb wanted to be in another position for when i fret low notes. so i just started walking the thumb underneath whenever i needed to go up to high notes. everything became more flexible and lighter and easier because now the whole hand is mobile and i am playing with a lot less pressure.

i assume this is the way to do it; im looking forward to getting faster now.

[shinkyo00]

Yngwie also plays with ridiculously high action. To tell you the truth, I don't think he plays with a very light left hand touch, though his right hand is very light.

\m/
personally i dont think think the action matters in this case if your string gauges are as low, which is what Yng has

[jgregson]

Hi everyone,
I made the same discovery about 2 months ago, actually, after developing a bit of a 'deathgrip' on my fretting hand. I was watching Frank Gambale play, and couldn't believe how effortlessly he was fretting the notes. I find the best way to improve this light touch is simply to find the absolute minimum amount of pressure to sound the note, and also to minimise any movement from the fingers after playing - i.e. not letting your fingers 'jump' from the strings. Watch any of Frank's videos and you'll see what I mean (how do you teach this? I'm sure there's an article on this site about it somewhere) - my playing (not just speed) has improved tenfold since I worked on this, it's made my technique far more economical, which can only be a good thing!
Hope this helps!
John.

[jon sheen]

Yngwie doesnt use a high action at all, he uses high frets which givet the guitar that sort of lute sound when played clean. i have a malmsteen strat and i have to say yngwie doesnt lie when he says it doesnt help with playing fast. its all to do with grip, and to get that wide vibrato he has. my advice would be to start by just playing certain examples with a light touch- the ones that physically are easier to sound with little pressure, then hopefully it should integrate into your playing.

[eastwood]

I have a Malmsteen Strat too and I would agree !

Its all about the Vibrato that can be added - HUGE !!!!!

I didnt like the bridge pick up in mine so I swapped it for a lill'59.

Daz

[ashc]

This thread might have just helped me answer why my left hand is slower than my right and my position shifts are so difficult (and maybe the thumb impressions in the back of the neck and excessive fret wear :rolleyes: ).

Seriously, though I tried to lighten up in the last day or so and it makes a difference! - I knew this why didnt I do it before !!!

[phantom]

not gripping the strings and the neck too hard is the first thing that helps you instantly setting the metronome 20 bpm higher.
to get the least amount of pressure on the strings is a difficult task though and requires concentration an practice, but pays off tremendously.

so i recommend before practicing speed at the limit, check your grip, correct it, and go from there.

[ashc]

Phantom - Thanks! I noticied you do gain about that speed straight away, but there is a sensation that you are losing some control that you had in the "death grip" at the same time (as well as some volume). I'm going to get it under control before going mad with speed.

I'll use one eye for that and the other to check my old thumb and finger picking habit doesn't come back ;)

[EricV]

Phantom of course is completely right there. I think it was Satch once who said "The older you get, the more your grip lightens up. Look at some cat who´s been playing for 30 years... he probably has an incredibly light touch"
I think it is something that happens naturally if you play a lot, a subconscious thing, because somehow your hands ( or brain ) notice that it´s just not necessary to press down that hard.
But of course, as Sven suggested, you can also pay attention to that in between and work on it, and that might speed up that process.
Eric

[phantom]

what i saw yesterday again while teachng is, that if the left hand grips to hard and tenses up, the right one followes. means, the fingers hold the pick too tight , the wrist (and maybe more) gets stiff and the movement is not flowing but rather errrm.. ungroovy.

so there is a connection between both hands. if you lighten up the left hand touch, chances are good you are going to pick with less effort as well.
best thing is to be able to separate both hands regarding power/pressure. if you wanna play with more dynamics the right hand has to be over control of the picking strength without affecting the left.
- picking hard doesn't mean gripping hard.

.. but i know that it is not easy to seperate both hands. the thing you can fo is being aware of where and when tensions are in your hands, and try to control them. if you mangage that, you'll make a big step. not only in speed, but in overall control over your instrument!

[ashc]

Yep, thats the other thing I noticied, I started picking so light I nearly dropped the pick and when I picked a bit harder my left hand started gripping again - need to work on separating that connection - the 2 hand independence problem was what made me a not very good keyboard player - this time I will win!

[jon sheen]

what about those screaming jobbies that yngwie uses. i have those but i dont think im allowed to talk about gear cos of the rules. and yes that vibrato can be searing- try playing blitzkrieg- that slow bit really sounds good- and because we dont touch the wood as such we probobly do execute the faster bit in a cleaner way anyway. brrrrrrrrr

[xenor]

This is a good article about this thread :) (http://www.ibreathemusic.com/article/41)

[roel]

It also helps to give some space beneath the fretting hand under the neck.

[roel]

A few months ago, i was using most of the time an acoustic guitar for my practices. I got used to pressing hard on the strings even in solo playing on the acoustic, coz the strings are still 'heavy' despite the extra light acoustic gauge.

Now, i alternate both acoustic and electric guitars for practice sessions. It made me feel like i had an 'adjusting mode' of some kind when i change instruments. I think it's an automatic thing that the body does. I feel great coz my fretting hand's strength has learned a good balance in pressing the strings. :cool:

[jan 87]

when i pinch harmonic i jus get that thumb cathcin afterwards, it does matter bout the strings or frets or action, but it does matter where you sweet spot is, you'll have to keep movin across the pisck ups till you find it.

[roel]

Sweet spots or nodes could be familiarized at about the fractional length of any string whether fretted or open. Say, about the middle, 1/3, 1/4, length of the string towards the bridge. but it could also be produced toward the fretted/open string note.

[roel]

Steve Vai says "Practice everything very, very slow, and perfect".

What effected on me is: i learn not to rush hand movements, i get aware of every move, i could fix mistakes or wrong movements along the way, then by continually being aware of these things, FINE movement is ingrained and become "automatic".

I also noticed Joe Satriani's playing style, particularly with the left hand. He does not strictly locks his thumb on the neck, he flexibly switches positions (of the thumb) whenever doing a certain technique, i.e. while playing legato: thumb = middle centerline of the neck; bending: top of the neck. ETC. Etc

It's good to watch (and learn) from DVD's of players who have a COMMAND on technique to sound production. (PS also look for classical guitar technique)