Of all the things, boy have I been having trouble getting down the accuracy of my right hand. I've been working on two excercioses that have been giving me fits. One in my lead laessons where I have to do string skipping- you know, playing two notes one after the other thhat are not adjacet strings. the other, a rhythm exercise, is similar. It involves playing bass notes and doing hammer ons and pull offs on one of the strings in the chord. the trouble is hittling the right strings for the bass notes and such. I have to look at my right hand to do it, but then I sometimes don't get the chord fingering right, and vice versa when I look at my left hand.
Anybody know any good ways to improve right hand accuracy? I am told you should be able to find strings with the right hand without having to look, that instead you should be looking at your fretting hand.
Regards,
Mike
"Growing Older But Not UP!"
You'll probably get a hundered answers to this, varying from people of different playing levels, but my biggest piece of advice is (the somewhat tedious); PRACTICE!
"Anybody know any good ways to improve right hand accuracy? I am told you should be able to find strings with the right hand without having to look, that instead you should be looking at your fretting hand." I think any musician, whatever level, checks on both hands now and again, especially if you are playing a difficult piece.
Personally, I try to play mostly with my eyes shut, to try and keep myself in check with each hand. Plus with my eyes closed I feel like I can 'hear' the music better, know what I mean? I think at the end of the day it's down to you.
If you can play by looking at you right hand, then do it! Whatever you feel comfortable with.
But obviously you will improve with practice.
Pete
I used to get mad whenever anyone would reply to my questions with "practice!" However, they were ALWAYS right! I am now finding that I learn things much faster and I don't get as frustrated with my learning as I did. Yes I still have my momments but for the most part I am happy...
In regards to string skipping here is a great drill:
Try any one of these finger combinations and play them on non_adjacent strings:
USE A METRONOME WHILE PRACTICING!
1= pointer finger
2= middle finger
3= ring finger
4= pinky finger
each | | represents a pattern
Pattern 1(play as 8th notes)
1-2 | 1-3 | 1-4
2-1 | 2-3 | 2-4
3-1 | 3-2 | 3-4
4-1 | 4-2 | 4-3
Pattern 2(play as 8th notes)
1-2-1 | 1-3-1 | 1-4-1
2-1-2 | 2-3-2 | 2-4-2
3-1-3 | 3-2-3 | 3-4-3
4-1-4 | 4-2-4 | 4-3-4
Pattern 3(play as 16th notes)
1-2-1-2 | 1-3-1-3 | 1-4-1-4
2-1-2-1 | 2-3-2-3 | 1-4-1-4
3-1-3-1 | 3-2-3-2 | 3-4-3-4
4-1-4-1 | 4-2-4-2 | 4-1-4-1
Pattern 4(8th notes)
1-2-3 | 1-2-4 | 1-3-2 | 1-3-4 | 1-4-2 | 1-4-3
2-1-3 | 2-1-4 | 2-3-1 | 2-3-4 | 2-4-1 | 2-4-3
3-1-2 | 3-1-4 | 3-2-1 | 3-2-4 | 3-4-1 | 3-4-2
4-1-2 | 4-1-3 | 4-2-1 | 4-2-3 | 4-3-1 | 4-3-2
Pattern 5(16th notes)
1-2-3-4 | 1-2-4-3 | 1-3-2-4 | 1-3-4-2 | 1-4-2-3 | 1-4-3-2
2-1-3-4 | 2-1-4-3 | 2-3-1-4 | 2-3-4-1 | 2-4-1-3 | 2-4-3-1
3-1-2-4 | 3-1-4-2 | 3-2-1-4 | 3-2-4-1 | 3-4-1-2 | 3-4-2-1
4-1-2-3 | 4-1-3-2 | 4-2-1-3 | 4-2-3-1 | 4-3-1-2 | 4-3-2-1
heres a example:
You want to practice the pattern 1-2-3, its played like this(begining on the 9th fret):
-------------------------------1-2-3---------------------------------
-------------------------1-2-3------1-2-3----------------------------
-------------------1-2-3------------------1-2-3----------------------
-------------1-2-3------------------------------1-2-3----------------
-------1-2-3-------------------------------------------1-2-3---------
-1-2-3-------------------------------------------------------1-2-3---
So if I were to use the 1-2-3 pattern then I might try this:
---------------------------------------------------------------------
-------------------------1-2-3------1-2-3----------------------------
---------------------------------------------------------------------
-------------1-2-3------------------------------1-2-3----------------
---------------------------------------------------------------------
-1-2-3-------------------------------------------------------1-2-3---
You can use any pattern and any strings. I would only do 1 or 2 patterns per day. Work more on accuracy and not quanity.
Sorry to butt in....... but.......
I think you two are at cross purposes. Slipperman's question was about (and please correct me if I'm wrong), string skipping with a pick (going from the A string to the B string to the High E string......), and that Mikespe is talking about fingerpicking.
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"Don't wanna ride no shootin' star. Just wanna play on the rhythm guitar." Emmylou Harris, "Rhythm Guitar" from "The Ballad of Sally Rose"
i learned some of what you're talking about on an old folk song called Freight Train.
I also bought a book recently called Beginning Fingerstyle blues Guitar by Ernie Berle that offers exercises which can help to improve in the area of right hand technique. I too, had a hard time with hitting a bass note while hammering on with another finger but it's fun once you get it.
Sorry to butt in....... but.......
I think you two are at cross purposes. Slipperman's question was about (and please correct me if I'm wrong), string skipping with a pick (going from the A string to the B string to the High E string......), and that Mikespe is talking about fingerpicking.
That's not finger picking...that;s left hand fingerings on the frets...
If you need to skip strings to play something...there's a trick
Learn to mute well with the left hand, and then you can play rough with the right one, you'l allways get it...
But remember... use this trick only until you get the skip-string thingy... that's only a resource if you need it now...
Hope it helps
i don't think you should ever have to look at your picking hand when you play. try practicing the song just watching your fret hand. try doing the same with songs you already know but don't look at anything. after a while you'll find you glance down just to make sure you're in the right position.
to me praticing with songs is a lot more fun then practicing with cromatics. i can't finger pick so i learned those parts by string skiping. same deal with hybird picking. "tears in heaven" works well...just by playing bass notes and main melody.
I think I'll try Mike's exercise and see how it goes. I'll also continue to work on the one riff from my leson book tht involves string skipping and perhaps come up with a few other riffs as well.
Regards,
Mike
"Growing Older But Not UP!"
