Decide to Conquer Bad Habits and Build Technique

When you first begin playing guitar, it's easy to develop bad habits.

Posture. To help develop good posture, sit in a chair that has no arms, position the music at eye level, and use a music stand. Too many of my guitar students tell me they practice sitting on the bed, on the couch or on the floor. The music is either on a coffee table, on the floor or on the side of the bed. This really puts you at a disadvantage.

Left Hand and Arm. To get the most length out of your fingers, be sure you're not doing any of these things. Don't rest your left arm on your leg. You'll restrict the movement of your left hand and this will slow you down. The thumb should be in the middle of the neck, and the fingers should be bent at both joints. Arch the hand so that the fingers don't bump into adjacent strings. You'll notice improvement in your chords as well as your notes.

Holding the Guitar Correctly. The important thing to remember here is that your left hand should not be holding the guitar up. Position the guitar so that your left hand and are can move freely. You can find lots of pictures in guitar books and on internet sites that show you the way to hold the guitar.

Pushing the Strings Down. A comment I get from my students is that it doesn't look like I'm pressing that hard, and the fact is, I'm not. Once your left hand fingers toughen up you won't have to push as hard as you did when you first started. Pressing too hard causes fatigue in the hand and arm muscles and also contributes to not being able to play clear sounding chords.

The Picking Hand.  If you use a pick, most people hold it between the thumb and the index finger. Be sure the point is between the strings. You hold it tight enough so that it doesn't wiggle around, but not so tight that you feel like you're squeezing it.