Peter Kun Frary, Professor of Music • University of Hawaii, Leeward
. Problems reaching notes,
especially notes on the fourth fret of the 5th and
6th strings, are usually due to poor hand position.
Shortness of reach is caused when the palm is held
diagonal or perpendicular to the neck, when the
thumb is hooked over the top of the neck, or when a
finger, often the little finger, is held too far
from the fingerboard. Review the diagrams below for
the proper hand position: Buzzing or muffled tones
may be due to improperly set action, worn or
defective strings or frets, incorrect neck relief,
plucking too hard or poor finger placement.
However, most beginners will find that poor finger
placement is the most common cause of buzzing or
muffled tones. When fretting, place your finger
next to the fret, touching it but not directly on
top of it. Whenever possible, avoid placing the
finger midway between the frets--this position
buzzes easily and requires additional pressure to
make a clear tone. Sore fingers are sometimes
due to an improperly adjusted guitar, but more
often than not stem from excessive finger pressure.
Here's how to find the minimum finger pressure:
Place your finger against the string (next to the
fret), but don't press it down to the fret. Pluck
the string. You should hear a muffled sound.
Continue plucking and slowly increase the pressure
until the string begins to buzz. Hold the pressure
there--let it buzz. The pressure needed to maintain
the "buzz threshold" is very small. Now, press just
hard enough to stop the buzz and break into a clear
tone. This small amount of pressure--a few
grams--is all the pressure you need when
playing! Source
Materials Frary, Peter Kun. Beginning
to Play Classical Guitar. Book 1. Honolulu: FRM
Publication, 1988. "Left-Hand Troubleshooting"
was originally published in Beginning to Play
Classical Guitar, Book 1. This article appears
here in edited form and is used by permission of
the copyright owner, Peter Kun Frary. ©Copyright 1988 and
1998 by Peter Kun Frary • All Rights
Reserved
.
Do Your
Fingers Seem too Short?
String
Buzzes
If you think
something is wrong with your guitar, get the
opinion of your teacher or a guitar technician. If
your guitar is new, your dealer should be willing
to adjust it for you (adjustments are often needed
for new guitars, especially cheap ones).
Sore
Fingers?
