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1) Tales from the gig. Monthly feature with a lesson we can all learn from.

2) Readers questions. Answers to your questions concerning guitar related issues.

Tales From The Gig

Here is an exercise that I learned from Matt. It's based on the principal of economy of motion. In other words, you don't want your fingers to move any more than they have to. This exercise seems very simple but if you give it your full attention it will pay great benefits.

Pick 4 consecutive frets like the 5th through the 8th. Start with your index finger on the 5th fret and then using the one finger per fret rule, your second finger will be in the 6th fret, 3rd in the 7th and little finger in the 8th fret. Use good hand position. Put your thumb in the center of the neck in the back and keep your fingers arched. The palm of your hand and the bottom of the fretboard should form parallel lines.

Start by playing the note at the 5th fret with your 1st finger. Position your remaining fingers just above the string and over the appropriate frets. Next add the 2nd finger at the 6th fret while keeping the 1st finger down. Then add the 3rd finger at the 7th fret and keep your 1st 2 fingers down. Last, add your 4th finger at the 8th fret. Now you should have all 4 fingers on the string.

Now comes the fun part. Play the note at the 8th fret and then take your 4th finger off the string while keeping it as close to the string as possible. Play the note under your 3rd finger and then lift your 3rd finger off, keeping your thumb and 4th finger as close to the string as possible. Most people have a tendency here to let their little finger fly away from the fretboard. It takes concentration to keep them all close to the string as you remove more fingers. Your finger should only be about 1/8 inch off the string.

Now play the note under your second finger and then lift your 2nd finger off the string. Now your first finger will be the only one remaining on the string. Your other three fingers should be right above the frets they played in and just above the string. Now repeat again.

Do this exercise slowly. Speed is not important here, Think economy of motion, the least amount of movement possible to do this. I know that you will be pleasantly surprised by the results.

Reader Questions

Let's continue on this month where we left off last time, using the well formed outcome to help you reach your guitar playing goals in as short a time as possible. If you did last months exercise you should be well on your way to having a clear vision of the kind of guitar player you want to be.

This month we will explore some additional ways to help develop this picture.

What stops you from becoming the player you want to be? Is it the time involved? Does the television take up valuable practice time? Maybe it's a belief like "learning the guitar is harder than I thought. Take a look at what has stopped you in the past and see what steps you can take to overcome these limitations.

What resources do you have that can propel you towards your goal? Do you have all the learning materials you need? A good teacher? Is your guitar suitable for learning? A guitar that is not set up properly or that is difficult to play on can be very discouraging. Maybe you have lots of motivation and desire. Organization can be another valuable resource. Take inventory of all the resources that you already have at your disposal.

What additional resources do you need to meet your goals? Maybe it's one of the things listed above or maybe it's something else. Do you need a music stand? If so, put it on the list. Perhaps you need to find other players to jam with and learn from. Take the time now to list any additional resources you might need.

How are you going to get there? What is the first step you need to take in order to achieve your goals? Do you need to find a good teacher? How about organizing a lesson plan? Figure out now the first step that you are going to take in order to achieve your goals.

I am convinced that if you take the time to work through the well formed outcome presented in the last issue and this one, you will experience accelerated learning. Use the well formed outcome to set long and short-term goals. Use it to set weekly, monthly and one year goals. Even longer ones if you desire. The short-term goals allow you to have frequent successes. Those frequent successes will keep you motivated to achieve your long term goals.

I am very interested in any feedback or comments you have concerning this or any other matters on your mind. Please drop me a line at bob@learn-guitar-online.com.

Good Luck, Bob

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I really appreciate any comments both good and bad that you might have.

If you have any comments at all let me have it right between the eyes.

To your guitar playing success.

Best wishes,

Bob