How do you move your left hand on the guitar so fast?

acoustic guitar songs for beginners kids image

Besch

I am a guitar beginner so I'm learning and I'm trying to learn big girls don't cry by fergie. It's pretty simple just Em, C, D and G mostly but I can't really play it because I can never get my left hand to move fast enough! How do you remember where your fingers are and postition them every time?
Practice I guess but how do you guys improve your left hand? Becuase right now I can't even play 2 notes one after another because my left hand can't do it all fast enough.
Thanks!
p.s. anyone have any tips for acoustic guitar or big girls don't cry?

also does anyone know any websites for like little kids songs on guitar? thanks.

Answer
in big girls dont cry if you listen very closly you will notice there are 2 guitars playing at the same time

Are these wise goals for starting out on guitar?

BeatnikBla

I would like to just focus on 1. Developing relative pitch 2. Memorizing each note on the fretboard and 3. Finger dexterity and technique. I still consider myself a beginner although I do know basic chords etc a few songs and some of my own but my end goal is just to be "fluent" on guitar so to speak. Would you not recommend accomplishing these 3 goals first why or why not?

Answer
It sounds like a good plan to me.

Here's my thoughts. Technique is a good thing to focus on. When I was learning (mainly self-taught), I didn't pay attention to that hardly at all. As a result, I have had to 'unlearn' some things. I held the pick in a not-so-good way which has prevented me from getting a nice strum. Years later, I am still having to develop a good strum for acoustic guitar. There's at least a couple strum tutorial videos out there on the web, which I found useful to get me started on a decent strum.

Knowing the notes is good. Put some effort into learning where they are. I would just say that eventually you will come to know where all of them are through practicing and reading music, so I wouldn't put a LOT of focus and energy into memorizing as if you were going to be tested on it.

Finger dexterity and technique. Good. I talked about the strum already. Here's a fretboard problem I had, which I would love for you to avoid (haha. I've had to unlearn this as well.) You don't really want the thumb of your fretting hand to be up over the top of the fretboard. Play a standard-position (not a bar chord) C-chord for me right now, will you? OK. Where is your thumb? Is it hanging slightly over the top of the fretboard? If so, that will kind of come back to haunt you, or at least limit you in some ways. It's kind of a 'lazy' technique. It actually 'cramps up' your fingers and reduces how far your fingers can reach, and it also slows down your hand as you move up and down the neck. Your thumb should always be firm yet relaxed against the middle of the back of the neck so that you are always stable with your chords and notes, and it also makes going up and down the neck smooth.

I've seen great guitarists have their thumb hanging over the top though. It's whatever works for you that matters. (I think I remember seeing Eric Clapton doing it before, among others. And we all know that Clapton isn't very good LOL just kidding).

But you'll never see a classical guitarist doing that. Their technique has to be perfect to play those complex preludes and suites that Bach wrote for lute. I'd actually suggest that you look up Bach guitar pieces on youTube and watch the fretting hands of the players. One thing I'm working on now is keeping my fingers close to the fretboard. I've been letting them 'fly up', which is preventing me from playing faster passages.

Actually, I just found this one today. This is what I would call excellent technique. See how she is relaxed, fingers flying, can reach all the notes, has a stable fretting posture ? Love it. Very fun to improvise along with too! ;)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=endscreen&NR=1&v=QDNrgrb9gpI

Happy playing !

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And here's Clapton hanging his thumb over the top:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nyk2eQcltso

Do you see how that is 'inefficient'? When he goes to a bar chord, he has to take a split-second to put his thumb against the back of the neck. He has to change his entire hand position actually. @ 0.48 for example.

A classical guitarist learns from the get-go that it's best to KEEP the thumb back there where it belongs haha.

This is also why classical guitarists hold their guitars at an angle (either in their laps or using a foot-stand). When the neck of the guitar is angled up, it is very comfortable for the thumb to rest lightly but firmly against the back of the neck. When a guitarist is sitting down with the neck horizontal, parallel to the ground (like Clapton in that video), it is somewhat uncomfortable and unnatural-feeling to have your thumb on the mid-back of the neck. So . . . we hang the thumb over to ease that cramped feeling as much as possible. Then it becomes an engrained habit (which I have found to be limiting and am trying to change in my technique).

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I'm not trying to make you into a classical guitarist, if that crossed your mind haha.

I have just found that these are things that are limiting to me. I play and write songs in the 'classic rock' or 'folk' genres, if I were to label my song-writing style. But I enjoy improvising along with these classical pieces ~ and I have found that my improv skills have greatly improved by not having my thumb over the top and by tilting the neck of the guitar up as I play along with songs of any genre.

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