Great Guitar Sound in Two Steps
Plucking the strings of a guitar seems simple, right?
Parents who have children learning to play the guitar know that getting a strong, consistent tone out of the guitar can be one of the first challenges faced by young students.
Since plucking the strings is one of the first things you learn on guitar, you would think there would be some agreement on how to do it.
But, as is often the case with the guitar, there is no clear agreement among teachers on what young students should be doing.
Should you use a pick or not?
If you do use a pick, how should you hold it and how should you hit the strings?
If you don’t use a pick, which fingers (or tentacles) should you use?
At AG4K we begin with a simple, but effective method, that sets your child up for short and long term success.
It goes a little something like this:
Parents who have children learning to play the guitar know that getting a strong, consistent tone out of the guitar can be one of the first challenges faced by young students.
Since plucking the strings is one of the first things you learn on guitar, you would think there would be some agreement on how to do it.
But, as is often the case with the guitar, there is no clear agreement among teachers on what young students should be doing.
Should you use a pick or not?
If you do use a pick, how should you hold it and how should you hit the strings?
If you don’t use a pick, which fingers (or tentacles) should you use?
At AG4K we begin with a simple, but effective method, that sets your child up for short and long term success.
It goes a little something like this:
Step 1: Walk the Dogs
We start by getting a sense of how to make sounds with our fingers in Walk the Dog.
The things to look for as you practice are:
The things to look for as you practice are:
- The thumb is anchored on the thickest string.
- The fingers are passing over the tops of the strings and not snapping from underneath.
- The knuckles of the finger are not stiff but move as the fingers move.
The thumb is in the correct position here. But check out the pointer finger.
See how the finger is underneath the string? This will lead to a snapping sound. We call this the choke chain. Instead, the finger should stay above the string.
See how the finger is underneath the string? This will lead to a snapping sound. We call this the choke chain. Instead, the finger should stay above the string.
It is ok to make a lot of noise in the exercise, in fact, that is the point!
One of the biggest problems that young players have is that they play too darn quietly during lessons. As teachers, we can accidentally create anxiety if we don't create space for students to just explore the sound of their instrument without the burden of dozens of instructions. Let your young one strum away and only intervene occasionally to keep that thumb anchored and the fingers floating.
This exercise starts forming good habits and gets your child used to making a big sound.
Step 2: PEP-PER-O-NI PIZ-ZA
Once the student has gotten comfortable making a big, loud, sound while maintaining (basically) correct technique, we start to learn to control it.
- Have the student put their thumb on the top string.
- Find the G string (three up from the bottom).
- Walk your pointer finger over the G string and let it rest on the string above.
- Make the string say “Pep-per-o-ni Piz-za.”
The things to look for in this exercise are:
- The thumb is still anchored on the top string.
- The fingers are passing over the tops of the strings and not snapping from underneath.
- They are playing the G string.
- After a finger has plucked the G string, it rests on the string above G, while the G string rings out.
- Alternate between the pointer and middle fingers.
This walking of the fingers across the strings is the basis for Awesome Guitar for Kids right-hand technique.
I have found it to be the simplest and most effective way to start controlling the beautiful noise that is guitar playing.
I have found it to be the simplest and most effective way to start controlling the beautiful noise that is guitar playing.
