Strumming Hand

[winterscold]

I've been playing guitar for about a year and 3 months or so, and my strumming hand sucks. My left hand is prety accurate, a few slip ups here and there, but what really brings me down is my strumming hand. I recently realized this while playing The Stone, I've been trying to play this song for awhile but keep slipping up with my strumming hand. I do this with a lot of songs, I either hit the string too hard and my strings buzz or i hit it way to soft so I'm not very accurate. Does anyone know of any nice exercises i can do to help my problem?

[winterscold]

and another thing, my pick keeps slipping out of my hand, but i heard it's bad for your hands of you grip it tight. What should I do?

[Pipsqueak]

I think you'll find that it comes with time.....like everything else that has to do with guitar.

but anyway....
sometimes to get the rhythm down for strumming, I will just mute all strings with my left hand that then strum away......
This way I am concentrating on the strumming and not what my left hand is doing.

(this is probably most applicable when you are doing a full strumming pattern.....but it still works when you're picking individual notes)


as for your pick.....what kind are you using?
ever tried Dunlop picks?....they make one called Gator. They aren't too bad and supposedly aid with grip.

I personally use the Dunlop Ultex picks with the Rhino on them.

linky --> http://217.160.250.165/forums/showthread.php?t=60538

some people use that stuff called Gorilla Snot.....I guess it helps you hold on to your pick....
I've just never seen the need.....but I know there are fellas out there with abnormally sweaty hands. (not saying you're one of them ;) )

[winterscold]

thanks, and i useFender medium picks, and i'll have to try some dunlop picks. But i've been really focusing on my strumming hand and taking it slow, and i've come a long ways in just like 30 minutes.

[alphatabs]

Hey man. I've noticed that it's best to find a pick with ridges. A lot of picks out there are just flat plastic and have no grip whatsoever. Find one with bumps or if not, ruff one up to get that grip. I've noticed a substantial differance by doing so.

[JG2121]

for your accuracy, you should pick some songs (or exercises ) that only use 1 string at a time then play away - like satellite or the stone - for example. I can't really think of anyothers right now

[newscane]

I started with the Fender mediums. I don't like them anymore. At first I switched to the Dunlop Tortex picks, which are pretty good. The Gator ones are good too. But I like my current pick the most -- the Dunlop Big Stubby. It's very firm, and has a good indentation for the thumb.

[Rob]

As others have addressed the pick, I'll address the buzzing.

Assuming the guitar is set up properly, you should be able to pluck the string fairly hard without a buzz. If you aren't fretting properly, that could cause a buzz. If you're trying to fix a left-hand problem in the right-hand, you can see where some frustration will come in.

You want to fret notes very close to the fret itself, and put some good pressure on it. If you start to move away from the fret (toward the headstock) the string can buzz against the fret's metal itself. By fretting as close to the fret as possible, you cut down on the room the string has to vibrate against that fret.

As for picking, remember- DMB is not the be-all end-all of learning guitar. There are alot of exersizes out there to help. For example...

E--1-2-3-4

Looks as simple as possible. Keep your fretting hand in one place, use your pointer on the 1, middle on the 2, ring on the 3, pinky on the 4. Play them in sequence. Pick down on the 1, up on the 2, down on the 3, up on the 4. Without a pause, move to the A-string and do the same thing, then the D, etc. When you get to the high-e, walk down. Do this slowly. You'll likely get a hand cramp. With time, speed it up. If you make mistakes, you're going to fast. The goal here is to be as accurate and fast as possible. You will build up a ton of hand strength (especially in the pinky) and work your pick accuracy through the roof (both on the correct string and the ability to pick in both directions).

If this is unclear, let me know and I'll try to work it out for you.

[winterscold]

As others have addressed the pick, I'll address the buzzing.

Assuming the guitar is set up properly, you should be able to pluck the string fairly hard without a buzz. If you aren't fretting properly, that could cause a buzz. If you're trying to fix a left-hand problem in the right-hand, you can see where some frustration will come in.

You want to fret notes very close to the fret itself, and put some good pressure on it. If you start to move away from the fret (toward the headstock) the string can buzz against the fret's metal itself. By fretting as close to the fret as possible, you cut down on the room the string has to vibrate against that fret.

As for picking, remember- DMB is not the be-all end-all of learning guitar. There are alot of exersizes out there to help. For example...

E--1-2-3-4

Looks as simple as possible. Keep your fretting hand in one place, use your pointer on the 1, middle on the 2, ring on the 3, pinky on the 4. Play them in sequence. Pick down on the 1, up on the 2, down on the 3, up on the 4. Without a pause, move to the A-string and do the same thing, then the D, etc. When you get to the high-e, walk down. Do this slowly. You'll likely get a hand cramp. With time, speed it up. If you make mistakes, you're going to fast. The goal here is to be as accurate and fast as possible. You will build up a ton of hand strength (especially in the pinky) and work your pick accuracy through the roof (both on the correct string and the ability to pick in both directions).

If this is unclear, let me know and I'll try to work it out for you.

thanks, and the buzzing is probly something to do wi th the humidity in our house, cause i've experimented and did some research and that's what my conclusion is. I know i'm putting my fingers on the right places, but you really helped, thanks

(sorry ran out of rep points for today:()

[Rob]

Humidity, or lack of humidity? You really need an exact number where the guitar is kept (which should always be in its case). Do you know how to sight the neck to make sure it's straight? Let me know if not, and I'll help you out.

[winterscold]

well i live in ND, and the weather has been really crazy lately, so it's prolly a combination of too much and lack as the days go by. And i would like to know how to sight my neck.

[Rob]

Okay, you need to keep the guitar cased whenever it's not in use, you need a hygrometer and a humidifier. These are simple musts of guitar ownership. Humidity in a room varies far too much- your guitar needs to "live" in a very narrow band. Unless you have a room or cabinet built specifically for humidity control, it simply isn't good enough. Room humidifiers, furnace humidifies, etc are not adequate.

First, read this- http://www.taylorguitars.com/global/pdfs/greatest_hits.pdf

Then read this on neck sighting- http://www.taylorguitars.com/global/pdfs/truss_rod_adjustment.pdf

Don't adjust your own truss rod if you find a problem. You need somebody skilled in this task, otherwise you can do more harm than good.

Also, do a search on the musician's forum for buzzing and/or humidity to read more on the subject- this unpleasant subject comes up quite often.

[taylorstone]

I've been playing the guitar since winter of '98 and I have definately gotten better over the years playing nearly everyday. I can't say that I write my own songs and I can't tune a guitar by ear, which bothers me in some ways, but I love to play other musician's songs. Rhythm is key without a doubt and that strumming hand should never be underestimated. Although the hand that hits the strings takes a while to get going to. Keep practicing.

[Dancing Ants]

I've been playing the guitar since winter of '98 and I have definately gotten better over the years playing nearly everyday. I can't say that I write my own songs and I can't tune a guitar by ear, which bothers me in some ways, but I love to play other musician's songs. Rhythm is key without a doubt and that strumming hand should never be underestimated. Although the hand that hits the strings takes a while to get going to. Keep practicing.

work on that tuning thing...you should be able to ear tune by year 2! good luck to you.

[Rob]

Tuning by ear, like any other guitar skill, needs practice. Rip the batteries out of your tuner so you don't rely on it!

Also, try to learn to tune by harmonics, as you don't fret the string to tune it. When you fret a string, you bend it slightly, changing its pitch (thus altering the tuning slightly).

[Pipsqueak]

one more exercise on strumming for you.....

One way to aid you in playing songs that pick out individual notes is.........
When you are practicing with scales, use what is called a "rest stroke" between each note.
A rest stroke is when you pick a note and then rest your pick on the next string. Don't pick the next string until after you've rested on it. (by the way...you're using all downstrokes here.....downstroke-rest...etc.)

So....it goes pluck-rest-pluck-rest-pluck-rest.....and so on.
By doing this, your right hand will learn the spacing between the strings (which is not the same between each).

It sounds silly, but your right hand will be able to pick out individual notes much easier.


(I think I outlined this routine in the Guitar Theory thread......but I can't recall. That's the gist of it anyway)

[Pipsqueak]

Tuning by ear, like any other guitar skill, needs practice. Rip the batteries out of your tuner so you don't rely on it!

Also, try to learn to tune by harmonics, as you don't fret the string to tune it. When you fret a string, you bend it slightly, changing its pitch (thus altering the tuning slightly).


this is true....
One thing to add.....When you are plucking the strings to tune, hum the note. This not only helps you stay on pitch if you're a singer, but it helps your ear to hear (imagine that) what the proper note is.......and you teach your voice at the same time.

(I strongly suggest using your tuner at first.....so you know you're humming the right note!) :ggoat

[dmbtimmyfan]

learn some scales, in my opinion they are universal in advancing your guitar playing. learn how to vary the patterns you use with the strumming hand, like skipping or adding notes. they will help teach you to be exact with that strum hand.