I practice but the guitar runs away from me.... :)

Hi all, new to the site and trying (yet again) to start (and keep) learning guitar.

At the moment I´m following Lisa´s course for noobs :)

The problem I have is when I practice something like the spider exercise, I find that specially when you get to the part that you take your fingers away and get back to playing the open string (whether it´s the next string going forward or the same sting when you do it in reverse) it seems the pressure from mu right arm and elbow while at the same time nothing is holding the guitar neck, is causing the neck to sway away from me....

What am I doing wrong?

Hey & welcome to GT!

Originally Posted by: walterg74At the moment I´m following Lisa´s course for noobs :)[/quote]

Lisa's GF is a great place to start!

[quote=walterg74]it seems the pressure from mu right arm and elbow while at the same time nothing is holding the guitar neck, is causing the neck to sway away from me....

First don't take your fretting hand fingers too far away from the strings. Just lift them enough to get out of the way. And maintain light contact with your left hand, especially the thumb on the back of the neck. Any more motion is wasted effort & distance that you will have to move your fingers back on to the strings.

However, you identified what is likely the real problem by saying your right arm is applying too much pressure. Relax! Less tension overall in your posture, arms & hands is required.

Be patient with yourself here, though! This is a common beginner problem. When we first start learning we are naturally very tense. It's hard to fret the notes & you have to fight against the stiff strings with your weak hands! So your whole body naturally gets tense in order to get those first notes to sound.

But gradually as you acquire some strength & dexterity you'll need to back off of the amount of tension & pressure you use. You need to experiment with the amount of pressure on the strings, the amount of tension in your body to gradually get more relaxed. More tension is ultimately only going to make it harder to play, to get smoothly to the next note or chord. So, the sooner you start to make a conscious effort to relax the quicker it will become second nature.

What kind of guitar are you using?

Also, if you aren't using a strap then I strongly encouarge you to get one & start using it. It will help keep the guitar positioned properly without your hands & arms having the addtional task of holding the guitar while also playing notes!

Hope that helps! Please ask more if necessary & best of success!

Originally Posted by: ChristopherSchlegel

What kind of guitar are you using?

Also, if you aren't using a strap then I strongly encouarge you to get one & start using it. It will help keep the guitar positioned properly without your hands & arms having the addtional task of holding the guitar while also playing notes!

Hope that helps! Please ask more if necessary & best of success!

Hi Chris, thanks for your reply..

I actually have both an acoustic and an electric. I started out with the acoustic, but the idea is to practice with both to get used to their differences.

Unfortunately I cannot use a strap with the acoustic. For extra info, it's a Cordoba C5 guitar.

I will try out your tips on the next practice session and see how it goes :)

Regarding pressure and all, it kind of leads into a different question I havem and wondering if it's the same answer "sort of":

How come unless we apply enough pressure on a string over a fret the sound either doesn't happen or buzzes, yet when I see videos of people who already know how to play, it seems as though they barely touch the strings to produce the notes? (nor noticeable on electric).

Are the specific finger exercises for better hand strength? I just started with a those spring squeezing thingees.

John

You'e welcome!

Originally Posted by: walterg74Unfortunately I cannot use a strap with the acoustic. For extra info, it's a Cordoba C5 guitar.[/quote]

You can put a strap button on a classical guitar. But that is a somewhat extreme solution. A less invasion option is this special strap for classical guitar.

https://www.amazon.com/Levys-Leathers-M20JN-002-Classical-Guitar/dp/B00X5TGN68/

[quote=walterg74]Regarding pressure and all, it kind of leads into a different question I havem and wondering if it's the same answer "sort of":

How come unless we apply enough pressure on a string over a fret the sound either doesn't happen or buzzes, yet when I see videos of people who already know how to play, it seems as though they barely touch the strings to produce the notes? (nor noticeable on electric).

Yes, that's exactly because you eventually gain strength & dexterity & learn how to apply just enough pressure to get the job done. You can play with a heavy hand. But it's a surprisingly low amount of pressure that is actually required once you get to that level of skill. :)

Hey & welcome to GT!

Originally Posted by: john445

Are the specific finger exercises for better hand strength?

https://www.guitartricks.com/tutorial.php?input=1525

Next, tutorials are precisely aimed at building finger strength & dexterity.

https://www.guitartricks.com/tutorial.php?input=1829

https://www.guitartricks.com/tutorial.php?input=1292

Hope that helps. Best of success!

Originally Posted by: ChristopherSchlegel

You'e welcome!

Originally Posted by: walterg74Unfortunately I cannot use a strap with the acoustic. For extra info, it's a Cordoba C5 guitar.[/quote]

You can put a strap button on a classical guitar. But that is a somewhat extreme solution. A less invasion option is this special strap for classical guitar.

https://www.amazon.com/Levys-Leathers-M20JN-002-Classical-Guitar/dp/B00X5TGN68/

[quote=walterg74]Regarding pressure and all, it kind of leads into a different question I havem and wondering if it's the same answer "sort of":

How come unless we apply enough pressure on a string over a fret the sound either doesn't happen or buzzes, yet when I see videos of people who already know how to play, it seems as though they barely touch the strings to produce the notes? (nor noticeable on electric).

Yes, that's exactly because you eventually gain strength & dexterity & learn how to apply just enough pressure to get the job done. You can play with a heavy hand. But it's a surprisingly low amount of pressure that is actually required once you get to that level of skill. :)

Thanks, I´ll give it a look and see if I can get one :)