I feel that oftentimes the best approach, as you said, is to modify as needed. In my experience, cramps arise when you are determined to do things a certain way and lock up your position. Comfort is easier to achieve when you allow your body to show you the easy way. I think it's easier for some people but everyone can get to know their body and learn to work with it.
I did play classical guitar now I play flamenco guitar. I’m woman with small hands and have to compensate for my smaller fingers and hand. Some of the fingerings and positions are physically impossible for me to do. I often get frustrated and feel limited in my playing. Is there anything that I can do to remedy this problem?
Thank you - this was tremendously helpful!! I was getting terrible cramps in the meaty part of my thumb and my wrist was always sore. Your methods have taken nearly all the pain out of my playing!
Very simple, intuitive, and well-described! I've been needing help with the classical style left hand technique in rock music. I'm on a journey to buy an electric guitar, but before I spend a pretty penny, I want to make sure I have the absolute perfect tool for the job. The classical left hand grip has been all but forgotten, but I find it's the only way I can truly play any string I want, at any time. I like to think of each string as its own individual instrument, and I layer different melodies across strings. This technique, combined with the (excessive) use of bar chords, is what gives me my unique sound. Quite simply, I could just never play what I like to play with the modern left hand technique. I think everybody has forgotten about the classical style because it takes a bit more practice. But the flexibility in my playing is something that my fellow guitarists have commended me for, saying "I don't think I could ever play that". If you have any insight into guitar design and structure, I would much appreciate your help! I'm trying to figure out details like neck and fingerboard radius, width, compound vs simple neck ratios, and so on. So far, I find that if the neck is too thin, I feel like I'm not grounded in my left hand position, but "floating" and inaccurate with too many measures. But if it's too thick...well then I just can't stretch enough. Cheers to the old ways!
Well, people don't usually look for classical guitar, but for "5 ways to play faster". They think classical guitar is just an old fashioned style of playing, because it's much more cool watching Slash bend his whole body to reach the 7th fret of his guitar. And it's ok. The technical vocabulary wich is used in classical lessons is difficult to understand.
Thanks a lot. I trust in you. You look super smart, dude. And your technique its super good. I pick up a lot of good stuff from this, I watch it like 4 times. Again, thanks. Back to work now!
Oh my god this is amazing. I had been playing the guitar for two years and stopped to focus on the piano. Recently I've been getting back to it and I've been having terrible wrist issues, so I couldn't practice as much. This addresses much of that so I really do appreciate it. Imma try all those things tomorrow!
Thanks for your guitar videos. They’re really helpful. I’ve been learning classical guitar for the last two months and am trying to settle into the most comfortable posture for playing without it hurting. I’ve been switching between a footstool, a cushion and an ergoplay stand. I’ve got longish hands and when I use the left hand to fret the guitar, I have to twist my wrist in order for my knuckles to be parallel to the guitar neck. It’s much easier in the middle of the neck. However all beginner stuff is on the frets near the nut. Would you have any left hand technique pointers for taller players? I want to be able to play without straining my wrist so that I can play longer. Thanks!!
Hi! I got used to pressing the tip of my thumb behind the neck when I play. Does this mean I have to use the pressure of my 1-4 fingers themselves and keep my thumb relaxed?
Hello and thank you very much for this video and all the pices aswell the other videos in information. May I ask a question that came up because of the video. When playing the guitar for a long period of time (weeks/months) the tip skin of the fingers on the left hand thickens, so when pressuring on them they dont hurt when playing. So for me, who is playing roundabout 6 to 7 hours a day the skin really thickens a lot. When is it too thick? And what can i do, to change the thickness (lowering it down)?
Hey "Uncreative" have you considered a pumice stone... thats a stone people use to smooth the balls and heels of their feet. You file your strumming fingernails don't you? Well you can file or smooth off some of you fretting finger tips dead skin the same way. Or use a 120 or 200 grit sand paper.
@@MAZiese Hello I actually never thought about that. I really thank you very much for this advice. But I myself have a question on that. Should I polish it so that the fingertips can thicken by themself again or should i just polish it a bit down, because I dont know if the skin would be damaged in any way, like conflicting with the grip on strings. But still thank you for this advice and i'll look do do what I can.
I've been playing for more than 50 years, and my fretting-hand callouses have been permanent since the first couple of months. And the string groove in my callous is equally permanent. Once formed, they don't get any thicker. Occasionally a layer of the skin will peel, but there is still a callous underneath it. I have never had to use any abrasive and I can play any time I like, for as long as I like.
@@pickerdad8402 So, i could not explain myself, sorry for that. Normally that would be same for me aswell but lately, what is fixed by now already, the skin havent got thicker,but it hardened itself. And for me it was too much and the skin started to blacken and it just felt thicker, wich was not the case here. But thank you for this statement wich lead to correct myself. ;)
Hi, I play guitar on my left leg, not because I play classical, but my right shoulder has bone spurs and it's painful when I have the guitar under my right elbow. I play electric (the smaller body also is less painful for my shoulder). However, being as I play more rock, would you suggest anything to help reduce wrist cramping when doing bar chords?
Not completely sure what you're asking, but yes, in all his instruction, Allen assumes that you play right handed and talks of "left" and "right" hands. If you don't play that way, just think "fretting hand" when Allen says "left hand" and "picking hand"when he says "right hand". Another thing to remember, there is no rule or reason that you have to use your dominant hand for picking and the other hand for fretting. if you are a naturally left handed person and a beginner to guitar, you can just as easily learn to play a "right-handed" guitar, meaning you fret with your left hand and pick with your right, just like right-handed people. In fact, it might be easier for left-handed people to use their dominant (left) hand for fretting. Perhaps we right-handed people have always been doing it wrong!
Learn more about the Left-Hand Position while Playing Guitar:
www.classicalguitarshed.com/left-hand-guitar-position/
Oh my god, this is what I needed! The thumb position, and the wiggling of the wrist when necessary are game changers for me!
I feel that oftentimes the best approach, as you said, is to modify as needed. In my experience, cramps arise when you are determined to do things a certain way and lock up your position. Comfort is easier to achieve when you allow your body to show you the easy way. I think it's easier for some people but everyone can get to know their body and learn to work with it.
I did play classical guitar now I play flamenco guitar. I’m woman with small hands and have to compensate for my smaller fingers and hand. Some of the fingerings and positions are physically impossible for me to do. I often get frustrated and feel limited in my playing. Is there anything that I can do to remedy this problem?
does the pressure of the fingers on the string come from the thumb or from the shoulder and weight of the arm?
Best technical advice I’ve ever heard
Thank you - this was tremendously helpful!! I was getting terrible cramps in the meaty part of my thumb and my wrist was always sore. Your methods have taken nearly all the pain out of my playing!
Very simple, intuitive, and well-described! I've been needing help with the classical style left hand technique in rock music.
I'm on a journey to buy an electric guitar, but before I spend a pretty penny, I want to make sure I have the absolute perfect tool for the job.
The classical left hand grip has been all but forgotten, but I find it's the only way I can truly play any string I want, at any time. I like to think of each string as its own individual instrument, and I layer different melodies across strings. This technique, combined with the (excessive) use of bar chords, is what gives me my unique sound.
Quite simply, I could just never play what I like to play with the modern left hand technique. I think everybody has forgotten about the classical style because it takes a bit more practice. But the flexibility in my playing is something that my fellow guitarists have commended me for, saying "I don't think I could ever play that".
If you have any insight into guitar design and structure, I would much appreciate your help! I'm trying to figure out details like neck and fingerboard radius, width, compound vs simple neck ratios, and so on. So far, I find that if the neck is too thin, I feel like I'm not grounded in my left hand position, but "floating" and inaccurate with too many measures. But if it's too thick...well then I just can't stretch enough.
Cheers to the old ways!
Thank you very much.
I sometimes don't understand why serious musicians don't get the recognition they deserve
It's because UA-cam love musicians who are also stand up comedians that make fun of themselves for video content.
@@l6101 😅
Well, people don't usually look for classical guitar, but for "5 ways to play faster". They think classical guitar is just an old fashioned style of playing, because it's much more cool watching Slash bend his whole body to reach the 7th fret of his guitar. And it's ok. The technical vocabulary wich is used in classical lessons is difficult to understand.
Ahh isn’t it nice to look back three years ago and see what happened to this point since then.
Thanks a lot. I trust in you. You look super smart, dude. And your technique its super good. I pick up a lot of good stuff from this, I watch it like 4 times. Again, thanks. Back to work now!
Oh my god this is amazing. I had been playing the guitar for two years and stopped to focus on the piano. Recently I've been getting back to it and I've been having terrible wrist issues, so I couldn't practice as much.
This addresses much of that so I really do appreciate it. Imma try all those things tomorrow!
Wow! This is super helpful! Thank you!
Thank you sir
Really helpful lesson😊🙏
Great to see you back!
So so helpful. Thank you
brilliant advice
Thanks mate. Very helpful.
Great
Thanks for your guitar videos. They’re really helpful.
I’ve been learning classical guitar for the last two months and am trying to settle into the most comfortable posture for playing without it hurting. I’ve been switching between a footstool, a cushion and an ergoplay stand.
I’ve got longish hands and when I use the left hand to fret the guitar, I have to twist my wrist in order for my knuckles to be parallel to the guitar neck. It’s much easier in the middle of the neck. However all beginner stuff is on the frets near the nut.
Would you have any left hand technique pointers for taller players? I want to be able to play without straining my wrist so that I can play longer.
Thanks!!
Hi! I got used to pressing the tip of my thumb behind the neck when I play. Does this mean I have to use the pressure of my 1-4 fingers themselves and keep my thumb relaxed?
Hello and thank you very much for this video and all the pices aswell the other videos in information. May I ask a question that came up because of the video.
When playing the guitar for a long period of time (weeks/months) the tip skin of the fingers on the left hand thickens, so when pressuring on them they dont hurt when playing.
So for me, who is playing roundabout 6 to 7 hours a day the skin really thickens a lot.
When is it too thick?
And what can i do, to change the thickness (lowering it down)?
Hey "Uncreative" have you considered a pumice stone... thats a stone people use to smooth the balls and heels of their feet. You file your strumming fingernails don't you? Well you can file or smooth off some of you fretting finger tips dead skin the same way. Or use a 120 or 200 grit sand paper.
@@MAZiese Hello
I actually never thought about that. I really thank you very much for this advice. But I myself have a question on that. Should I polish it so that the fingertips can thicken by themself again or should i just polish it a bit down, because I dont know if the skin would be damaged in any way, like conflicting with the grip on strings.
But still thank you for this advice and i'll look do do what I can.
I've been playing for more than 50 years, and my fretting-hand callouses have been permanent since the first couple of months. And the string groove in my callous is equally permanent. Once formed, they don't get any thicker. Occasionally a layer of the skin will peel, but there is still a callous underneath it. I have never had to use any abrasive and I can play any time I like, for as long as I like.
@@pickerdad8402 So, i could not explain myself, sorry for that. Normally that would be same for me aswell but lately, what is fixed by now already, the skin havent got thicker,but it hardened itself. And for me it was too much and the skin started to blacken and it just felt thicker, wich was not the case here. But thank you for this statement wich lead to correct myself. ;)
Hi, I play guitar on my left leg, not because I play classical, but my right shoulder has bone spurs and it's painful when I have the guitar under my right elbow. I play electric (the smaller body also is less painful for my shoulder). However, being as I play more rock, would you suggest anything to help reduce wrist cramping when doing bar chords?
🙏😀
Master
Hey I m and left handed so can I play normal guitar rift handed
Not completely sure what you're asking, but yes, in all his instruction, Allen assumes that you play right handed and talks of "left" and "right" hands. If you don't play that way, just think "fretting hand" when Allen says "left hand" and "picking hand"when he says "right hand".
Another thing to remember, there is no rule or reason that you have to use your dominant hand for picking and the other hand for fretting. if you are a naturally left handed person and a beginner to guitar, you can just as easily learn to play a "right-handed" guitar, meaning you fret with your left hand and pick with your right, just like right-handed people. In fact, it might be easier for left-handed people to use their dominant (left) hand for fretting. Perhaps we right-handed people have always been doing it wrong!
Excellent video! Thank you!