Happy New Year, Everyone! Now that we have survived the Holidays, it's time to get back to the business of being great guitarists!
I have several students who are starting to learn basic chord shapes, and most of them are experiencing the same issues that all guitarists face when trying to play clean chords: 1) buzzing or muted strings, 2) quicker transitions between chords, and 3) fretting-hand fatigue or aching hands.
I really want to hone in again on issues 1 and 3 because they are relevant and related. And at the same time, I want to assure you that EVERY guitarist has struggled to make clean chords--with time and practice, you will conquer and master these chords.
They say that a picture is often worth a thousand words, and the pic above does just that. I want you to notice a few things: first of all, notice that the guitarist's fingers are almost perpendicular to the fretboard. That is one thing to really shoot for, as you want as little as possible of your fingertip to be pressing on the string. This is how you AVOID muting other strings in the chord.
Secondly, notice that the guitarist's thumb and palm are positioned in such a way that his fingertips can be as perpendicular as possible. As I often tell my students, everyone's hand is a little different, but YOU have control over your thumb position as well as the pivoting of your wrist to allow for clean chords and for having a "relaxed" grip that will not fatigue your hand.
Finally, notice that the guitarist has positioned his fingers so that he is using that small part of his fingertips just below the nail. This is where you will eventually develop calluses as you play, but is also a way from keeping the more fleshy parts of your finger from making contact with the other strings. Notice also that sometimes, you have to "rake" your fingers back a bit toward the headstock of the guitar in order to access that small part of your fingertip that allows for clean chords.
One little p.s.: Learning chords can be a frustrating process--but if you put the time in, you will get the results out. If you find yourself getting upset, just walk away from the guitar for a while--clear your head, let your fingers rest a bit, and then try again later. You WILL get there!
In the video below, I expound upon these tips a little bit. So enjoy--and Happy Pickin'!
