Sign up for the new Patron's Area / Musicianship Course HERE: go.mattwrightmusic.com/patron There were some little audio bumps in this one.. But only in the beginning. Did my best to fix it! Next time I'll record audio twice. :-) What was your biggest takeaway? 👇
I’m only 10 minutes in and I’ve already learned I have the blues hand position for everything Going to keep watching but just wanted to again say, thank you for these detailed videos. I’m getting better in the last few days than I have over years.
Love the videos! I'm a 52 year old crappy guitar player and I'm really trying to get good. I feel you are doing the best job of explaining all of the little things that a great teacher/coach points out to allow students to improve quicker. For example, I have always had a hard time with holding a pick, constantly changing up over the years with mixed results. After watching your explanation I have felt more comfort and control than ever before. Can't wait for part 2 as I can hardly play any lead or single note runs.
Thanks Matt, really appreciate your clear explanations. You are the only UA-camr I've seen who takes the time to really go into the mechanics and show the various techniques in detail. It all makes perfect sense to me and my playing has improved since finding your channel. Peace to you too.
I’m actually a Blues / Rock player, however, I really appreciate your scientific and technical approach to teaching, especially when it comes to form and fundamentals. I found your channel from your video on how to hold a pick (which was great) and it also reminded me of when I was young (like 10-11 years old, I’m 55 now!), that my guitar teacher at the time used to make me play classical style with guitar on left knee, I just played for an hour like that and using your pick holding techniques and tips, I’ve never played so well or comfortably! Thanks again, I will be subscribing to your channel and watching more of your videos, even though I’ve never even heard any Dream Theater songs! lol (I do use the JP picks for a few years now, I love them and they’ve helped my playing. I suppose I’ll have to go check out Dream Theater and John Petrucci now and see why he’s so popular. (to me Jimi Hendrix, David Gilmore and SRV are my inspiration and idols)!
Thanks a bunch, man! Like I said, both techniques are important. Sounds like you’re finding space for both. 👏 Dream Theater can be a little tricky to break into cause they’re pretty broad stylistically. I’d say Systematic Chaos and Octavarium are pretty straightforward albums. I love tracks like These Walls, Constant Motion, and In the Presence of Enemies. To break into JP, just go listen to his Terminal Velocity album. Excellent album! Shred and musical!!
Matt, first video I've seen of yours. It is very refreshing to have transparent, correct instruction from someone properly trained and experienced. I really appreciate the deep dive into technique that I have been lacking for over 20 years. I'm hooked, thank you!
I'm a guitar teacher and I love everything that you teach here. I try to incorporate these into my lessons as needed. Sometimes students follow the instructions and do them well but it just seems like most of the time I have lazy students that do not want to do the work to do stuff like this.
Thanks a lot! Means a lot hearing it from a teacher. Unfortunately, yeah, most people don't want to do the work. It comes from 2 problems. 1 - The student doesn't know why they TRULY play guitar. They do it because they think it will get them approval, status, attention, or lifestyle. Listen to Tank the Tech on the URM podcast. He gives a fantastic behind the scenes of what it's actually like to be a working musician. And if you don't want to be a working musician, great. NO problem. Enjoy yourself! And you may chase one of those for a long time, get it, and then realize it's not true... Then you have to find new meaning for music. It's a lifelong journey. It's one we get to share with our students... Which is a HUGE honor. Meet them where they're at. 😀 2 - The student doesn't know how to practice effectively and recognize incremental progress. This demotivates them. Once they learn about effective goal setting as well as training in GREAT practice habits (see my life on practice), and the learn to celebrate incremental progress, then walking this virtuoso path becomes a lot less of a grind. But the idea that playing the great's guitar solos in a week like all of these hokey challenges and online gurus promote... Get real. If a 6th grader said he wanted to go to the Olympics you wouldn't tell him no... You'd tell him it's probably going to a take a few years and to keep at it! Plan your work your plan. A teacher helps. 😎
@@mattwright466 Dude, I've been using some of the methods in your videos for myself. I'm a metalhead with a classical background but somehow my shredding sucks. My right hand is solid. I had to kind of backtrack and see how my right hand got MUCH better than my left. It came down to realizing that if I played the rhythm parts to songs, people really enjoyed them and I was able to learn them faster than the leads. If I worked on the leads, I was only able to learn the slow ones like the intro to "Fade to Black". If I could hear the notes and play them, I could tell I was playing them correctly. But if the solos were super fast and I couldn't keep up, I could not tell if I was playing the solo correctly so I would give up and go back to my rhythms. None of my guitar teachers were shredders so my lessons never went that way. Instead, I did work on song writing and arrangements. I'm trying to retrace my steps and learn the solos to songs I would have loved to play back when I was 15/16 to get me to where I should be with my left hand.
@@mattwright466 What I like about the easier solos is I can work on on making them more expressive with legatos, vibratos, bending, etc... Also with my students, I started noticing something years ago not truly knowing why they play guitar. On the first lesson I would ask them basic stuff like what music/bands they like. Now they all answer "I don't know".
I love your teaching style you never miss a beat! I never have questions because you cover everything! Great lesson, I’m working on playing more relaxed and playing with good technique.
This really gave me a good start in fixing some less than optimal left hand habits. Very well explained and good demonstrations Matt. I Look forward to checking out the rest of your stuff!
As an older guy and pretty new to guitar I enjoy getting the correct info rather than have to spend ages getting rid of bad habits. Considering I'm a huge Petrucci fan I need the technique to be spot on from the start if I ever want to attempt his crazy runs. Thanks for enlightening us Matt!
Thank you so much for this video, I'm one of those that needs to learn every minute detail. I bought a guitar (Acoustic) less than a week ago and been struggling with taking chords cleanly. Putting the guitar on the left leg helped massively, I even managed to do chords without looking because I now have STABILITY and anchor points. Everyone I've seen has it on the right leg, which just doesn't mix well with my left hand. I've read the comments and sure the intro was a bit long, but my patience paid off big time. Well done! (Also, with the guitar on my left leg, I get a massively better view on what the hell I'm doing). Would love some acoustic tutorials from you as well.
1. Thanks for taking all of your time to watch the whole video! 2. I'll think about doing some acoustic videos. I really don't spend much time on it... I find that it requires MUCH more hand strength than electric generally... Anybody who's new to guitar, I highly recommend starting on electric just to get the left hand coordination down first, then move to acoustic and build strength. Doing both at the same time is naturally challenging. 3. Generally, with acoustic technique, because the changes and shifts are much less frequent than electric playing, I don't care about a wrapped thumb because this greatly shortens the lever that force is applied across. This means you get more for your mileage in terms of not fatiguing your wrist/fingers. Some chords will need the space, but a lot won't. Talk soon, 🙂 - Matt
Thanks! Great video. Intermediate player here. Came to learn about nuances of LH technique. You did a great job all the information from start to finish was super helpful. Gonna incorporate diagonals in my practice and focus on thumb positioning
Thiss great advice I was struggling a few months ago and was convinced that I need to switch from blues position. I wasn’t getting the answer what to do and nobody I mean nobody on video was explaining that both are needed. They were convincing one is right other’s wrong. I decided I’ll keep both. I wish I found this video earlier. That would have saved a lot of overthinking on my end. Loved the details here❤.
Amazing in so glad you went it to so much details. I needed exactly this because I was feeling lost because of the other guitar UA-camrs being vague about placement. It helps to put visual indications with colours. I liked that you said several times stuff and repeating even 3 times because my brain sometimes needs someone to repeat several times information for it to sink in. So the more you say 1.important information 2. Important Information and 3. Important information. Again agin and again it actually sinks in better than if I would need to go back in the video to listen again. So I love this format of teaching. Thank you very much you earned a new subscriber and supporter👌
Great complete information. If instructors would be able to explained more of the information that your giving, reguardless of how much info, more guitarist would be getting correct and proficient information from the start, which allows them not to fall into unnecessary problems of relearning or changing their muscle memory and techniques to achieve where and what they want to receive from the start. Going back and tring to refocus on changing bad habit can be and is very difficult and frustrating. Also learning proper technique helps from recieving finger, wrist and joint pain from doing improper techniques and movements over a period of time. Having a instructor who studies music along with body, joint, muscle movement and motions is a plus. Your covering a wide spectrum of playing a instrument with proper body mechanics. I would have loved to have had a instructor such as yourself with all the knowledge of both instrument and body. 66 yrs ago I couldn't find a good guitar instructor period. They didn't explain music or technique as it pertained to guitar at all. Nothing about proper picking, various styles or thickness of picks. They didn't talk about holding the guitar in a position for your back,arms ar hand position. I had to figure most of this on my own. I went to college and majored in music but everything was taught pertaining to piano. Even my classical and jazz professors didn't talk about triad or any music on how it pertains to playing on guitar. My classical professor did talk about sitting guitar placement while sitting which I was already doing. He talked about hand placement but I had taught myself the correct way myself. My jazz professor really didn't talk about hand, picking position at all. He did tell me I had no businesswomen being at college playing guitar. He said I played better than he did and should be out performing. I went to college to learn what I was doing. I could play but had no idea of any theory at all. I couldn't even read well. Just real slow and I do mean slow. Using a metronome got on my nerves, I listened to the dr7mmer and other musicians and played from feeding of them. Both professors wouldn't play duets with me because I'd learn their part by ear. So before we played together they made me learn to read both parts, then we would play duets. I don't even use tablature, I learn by listening but I'm not into copying other music. I rather just play. I love playing and just feeding off other musicians while playing leads or accenting rhythm by playing chords in various was. I think your a amazing instructor with a great deal of knowledge that people who really want the proper foundation to take their play from the beginning of their guitar journey should have from the start. I'm sure with beginning guitarist you teach them the proper mechanics but not as in depth from the start. You feed them from the start with proper technique. I know that people are all different and they take with them the knowledge and later can adapt the information to themselves. No matter what some of the peoples comments may be your extremely knowledgeable and that is the type of person I enjoy talking to about any subject. I love trading information and learning from each other. I too look further into about subjects of interest no matter what they maybe. Some tell me I'm a know it all, I tell them no I just love learning and doing more research on subjects that I find interesting and I'm always learning especially when engaging in conversations with people of similar interest. I know a great deal of info on many subjects and always thirsty for new information from someone else or even their own perspective on subjects.
Thanks a million for this kind comment! 🙂 Keep it up on your guitar journey! The brain may not be as plastic as in youth, but it is still plastic! Old dogs CAN learn new tricks. Keep it up!
Good content. especially the part about amount of pressure. It's the same with the violin -whether the right hand-the bow or left hand. How much pressure to use? Just enough, no more and no less
You're a very good instructor and this video sticks out positively among countless similar ones. Sorry that you feel you have to be defensive and misunderstood, rarely seen that in a UA-cam video.
LOL! I don't want to come across as someone who doesn't have an open mind... but when my how to hold a guitar pick video blew up to 200k+ views, I got a lot of comments that completely missed the point of the video. "That's not how X player does it!!" 🤦♂ Wanted to avoid that here. 🙂 Glad you found this helpful!!
Hey Matt, this video is absolute gold, its like you have analysed my playing and made this lesson just for me 😆. I play like all you pictures with the big red X on lol. Thak you for this, I have already made changes to my thumb and it has made a huge difference.
Absolutely FANTASTIC! I'm more a blues and R&B kinda guy, however, much fits across the boardQ Glad I found you. I do have a question- I play out 4-5 times a week. It's hare for me to correct bad habits as when I play out, I can't concentrate on the corrections. I corrupt my new stuff with the 3hr a night stuff. I hope I made sense. Much Love~
Just do the diagonals exercise for 3 to 5 minutes a day, then forget about it. If you were going through and playing and need this style of left-hand position, then just do a quick check in it’s demoralizing to try and be perfect all of the time. Use the best hand position for what you are playing and it sounds like you are. :)
Hi there. Thanks for making this video, it is the best I have found re left hand and thumb positions and was very helpfull to me. Did you make a part 2 of the series?
Not yet! Working on some other things currently. 🙂 TLDR legato is going to be a little more on the tips of your fingers instead of the 45, turn off any gates, and focus on a hard attack. Ensure VERY even hits with all fingers. Your hands will get used to it in time,
There’s a sweet spot that isn’t exactly on the fingertips. If you need to play more open, it will be more fingertips. If you need to play more muted, then flatter (more in the 45) is going to work better. It’s situational. Re watch my playing examples and remember- everybody has slightly different sized hands and fingers :-)
Acho fantástico os seus vídeos, são bem didáticos e teóricos. Se voce continuar assim, você ainda conseguirá engrandecer o canal rapidamente. Porém queria que você falasse mais devagar.
I’ve been practicing for 8 months so far. My story began lazy. In middle school I had a guitar and put myself in a class but never applied myself. Than I sold that guitar. in 2020 I bought a new one and didn’t play it until something pushed me to do it and I haven’t stopped since. My biggest ailments are my left hand technique. probably where to place my thumb, how my fingers should arch when planting on the fret. Usual suspects , I feel I’ve made much progress but I just can’t nail down how my left hand should be exactly. I find myself at times adjusting atleast 3 different times per play session to see which feels best.
Also when I try to do certain chords like the f variation with the partial barre the stretching is awkward. The first four frets are kind of awkward for me as far stretching goes at times. Even if I got many chords down in this area.
@@Punkypoetico One of the big lessons from this video is that there are 2 hand positions and that, within the classical position, there are two ways to move the thumb - Counter-rotating and reaching deeper with the hand. ua-cam.com/video/htaim5bYw6Q/v-deo.html This video has all of the right principles so keep playing with it and find what's comfortable for you. Or you can book in a lesson 🙂 go.mattwrightmusic.com/lessons
@@mattwright466 I wonder why some guitars still stick with old and uncomfortable design. I love PRS birds but don't like their body design. Silver Sky doesn't look pretty with their pick guard.
Very cool video. The only thing I disagree with is when you discuss the "where to press the finger" as it really does have an optimal place and it varies slightly depending on guitar and fret. Best way to learn your own guitar is to simply listen to the sound. As a general rule, from the perspective of a sound engineer, simply listening to the "purity" of the tone, you do not want to hit it right in the middle of the frets. Usually the best tone is found closer to the fret, like 2/3rds the way to the fret. Yes the area of best sound is quite small but it's quite consistent so not impossible to learn to hit it correctly.. and if one is a beginner, it's especially important not to start by learning to hit the middle of the fret. That's what I was taught 30 years ago when I took lessons as a teen and I wish the teacher would have taught us to listen to the optimal sound and place right from the get-go. Now that I have 25+ years of engineering experience behind me and some casual guitar playing over the years, I've learned to listen and definitely do not recommend hitting in the middle between two frets. Strongest and cleanest tone, with least amount of pressure needed, is about 2/3rds towards the fret above.
I definitely thought about this while writing the script. Looking back, I could have spent a little more time here scripting and spent more time on this topic.
@@mattwright466Thank you! The exercise is straightforward enough to really not need the tab, but if I put a print of it on my music stand, it will remind me to practice it daily as you suggest!
1. If you have a solo with a legato section, it might make sense to add a little more gain than usual 2. You will need to practice legato with all four fingers, making sure the strength of the hits is even on each finger for ascending and descending. Any chromatic exercise going across all of the strings is great for this. It will feel like you are hitting "too hard" for the first few days you do it. Then it will start to even out. 3. You will need to make sure that whatever amp/modeler you're using does not have a gate. Fractal has a default gate on the input of -80 dB. Turn it OFF. Once you do that, legato is much easier. And yes, you will have to practice noise control a lot.
@@mattwright466 thank you :) sorry but how long should a exercise be? i wanted to practise alternating picking and 20 minutes doesn’t feel like long enough, cramming a warm up and 4 exercise in 2 hours is difficult
1. How to practice effectively: ua-cam.com/video/85zQBybwiJs/v-deo.html 2. 2 hours is plenty. Make sure you're spending time on music and not just fundamentals. Ideally, you want the balance to playing music to be more than playing fundamentals. 3. I would spend maybe 10 minutes on the diagonals exercise. 4. Alternate picking takes time to warmup, and then to develop to your max tempo. I spend a minimum of 20 minutes on this, and find that beyond 50 minutes, I'm not making any more progress. 5. Fundamental exercises are designed to be practiced with high focus and to change the way you play, even when you're not thinking about it. This happens automatically when you intensely focus on an exercise and then go play other stuff. You should only have to do a little mini check in to make sure you're using proper technique if you're having trouble playing music.
so you suggest a more classical guitar position? i used to play classical guitar when i was little, so i learnt that you should place the guitar between your legs. now that ive bought an electric guitar, every video says that i should place it on the right leg but its so uncomfortable for me
Great tips, perhaps you can work on audio form next to practice good techniques so the sound doesn't cut out every couple seconds. When talking about playing guitar sound is kind of important also yes?
Yes of course! I worked very hard on this video and decided to release it because 1) the sound issues are only in the beginning and 2) it's not during any of the important parts... I'm well aware... I hope you could get past those and get to the meat of this video! 🙂
This is good stuff. I'm always looking for efficiency of movement. But, after having nerve impingement in my neck that affected my left hand (I had neck fusion surgery to fix it), my left hand is taking a LONG time to get the strength back! So, sometimes I have to utilize "bad habits" just to avoid hand cramps. (BTW, I practice almost exclusively on an acoustic guitar, that's partly to force it to build strength.) Also, FYI, I'm having a hard time with this video because the audio is terrible! There's static, and it keeps switching microphones in mid sentence {like from a lapel mic to one that seems like it's across the room from you)! Really bad. I KNOW you can do better.
Hey there! Yeah there were some audio recording issues that were unfixable without completely re-recording. I did my best. They’re basically only in the beginning of the video and basically none of them are during instructional parts. So keep working your way through. It gets better! :-) Regarding hand strength, I highly recommend getting a GyroBall and using that for 1-2 minutes on each hand before playing. Also, check out my wrist pain video :-)
Hey, I just wanted to ask if there's any good way you could help me figure out why my left wrist ends up hurting when I'm just playing scales. There's no health problems with my wrist for starters and I've been trying your diagonal exercise for a while now and my wrist ends up hurting still I'm just having a really hard time pin pointing what I'm doing wrong so I can fix it. Thanks for any help!
Accuracy issues are actually synchronization issues. All this means is some muscles are weaker than others. Perception issues, that's just not knowing where you're going.
When you read the neuroscientific literature, you will discover the word "synchronization" is rarely if ever used. The word that is used instead is "coordination". "Sync" and "coordination" are the same thing, though one might argue that sync is a little more specific to the dimension of time... That's just semantics though. Further, when you study on reaction time, you'll learn that reaction time cannot be significantly improved. The only thing that can be improved is the ability to predict which results in minimal gains. Knowing this, I suggest that far too many people are concentrated on "sync" specific "exercises" when in reality there are none. Every time that you play the guitar is an exercise in synchronization and coordination. Scientific literature in Focus of Attention (FOA) / Attentional Focus will further inform that the amount of benefit one derives from any particular exercise is mostly based on where they place their focus, not the exercise itself. This is why I chose to specifically break things down as "accuracy" and "perception". Accuracy referring to the misplacement or incomplete pressing down of a string. Perception deals with the cognitive feedback loop that arises when playing an instrument. Action and reaction. We play a note, then we hear a sound, then we judge whether it's right or wrong. Like I said, issues arise in beginner players when their put their attentional focus in the wrong place (not on the SOUND, which is the final RESULT of applied TECHNIQUE). The exercise posed in this video challenges all of these domains simultaneously. Hope this helps. 🙂 Sources: The Physiology of Speed www.jstor.org/stable/43534131?read-now=1&seq=1#page_scan_tab_contents The Art of Piano Playing: A Scientific Approach by Kochevitsky Focus of Attention pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC11033434/
Haven't made it yet because I have not mastered legato to the extent that I want to. Once I feel I have something new to bring to the table BEYOND just telling you what my teachers told me, I'll make it. 🙂
There were a few recording issues but 1) it's not in any of the important teaching sections 2) they're only in the first few minutes of the video. The other option was to re-record the entire video, which, maybe I'll do, but not soon.
19:30 this one fucks me dead... After i switch my middle fingers they instamute both lower strings even though they are as perpendicular to the fretboard as possible.. Any tips or advice on how to fix that issue?
@@mattwright466 tried 45 degree and tips, but still have the same issue. Would say fingers are rather short, than large. Gonna try some more options tomorrow :) Thanks for advice anyway, appreciate it🙏
@@Horizzzz Try: - Guitar on left leg - Higher neck angle - Use more the tip or pad of the thumb - This will bring the left hand wrist AROUND more - Watch for wrist pain and adjust position Good luck! You will surely get there!
Note: Not recommending that as a 100% of the time, default playing position, just recommending so you can find what the right position and execution FEELS like, practice there for a few weeks, then get back to playing in a less nerdy position. 🙂 But yeah, for some stuff, left leg and high guitar angle and being very on top of the strings will be necessary.
Yeah I had some audio issues on this one, but it's not during the important parts which is why I decided to go ahead and release the video. Glad you got some use out of it 🙂
After some additional study, I found Anton Oparin's video helpful on the bent/straight wrist thing. According to him, it make the finger movement come from muscles in the forearm versus the hand. The forearm muscles are stronger. He doesn't go super in depth to practical application in his video though, such as playing the "stretchy prog chords" like I address in this video. So like I said in the beginning of this video, we really need two hand positions to play all of the kinds of music for guitar.
I know. The options were reshooting the ENTIRE video, or rolling with it. I decided to roll with it because it doesn't interrupt any of the crucial teaching parts, and it's only in the beginning. :-)
Ok, after watching most of the video, I can see this is not for me. I've spent years studying neuroscience (as a scientist, in a medical school), so I didn't need all the "explanations." And, since I started out playing Classical guitar (I'm self-taught, but I studied Segovia's technique), so I know about the 2 positions. I've noticed how I have to shift back & forth, so I've already worked out the speed of switching. And, as far as synchronizing my hands, that has never been a problem. I start out practicing slow 24:01 because, as they say in the military, "Slow is smooth and smooth is fast " Any time when I'm playing, if I make mistakes, I'll slow down and practice very deliberately until I've got it. Then I'll speed up. But, I'm glad you're teaching these things to others. Good luck!
It's so depressing to see how UA-cam guitar experts are so wildly contradicting each other on everything. I wish there were some authority that tells you who's telling the truth. Honestly from holding the pick to positioning the left hand thumb and anything in between. Even among guitarists of the same genre. And since they all seem to be amazingly good players, I ask myself does it all matter?
The difference between myself and other guitar content creators is the fact that I was raised in the classical tradition. I've had teachers basically my entire life... And very very excellent teachers at that. The second difference is that I have an entirely separate video teaching how to do bends and I show how to merge both the classical and the blues style technique -- Something I've seen zero others do here on UA-cam. Every video on my channel is built to form a single, COHESIVE, technical approach to guitar. None of the movements contradict or overlap because it's formed that way from the ground up. My videos are so long because I watch everybody else's videos, find all of the flaws, and then put all of the answers in one place so you, the viewer, don't need to go watch 6 videos from 5 different instructors to get something that will work. Hope this helps and all the best on your guitar journey.
John Petrucci plays a style that borders on nonmusical. He and his drummer both suffer from the more notes or beats you play per second equals better music. Yea it is impressive as an athletic precision perspective but it is IMO not very musical. People love Neil Pert but his solos bore me in about 10 seconds as does Petrucci's solos. Give me Ringo Starr and Eric Clapton over either of these guys any day. What Petrucci says in his 500 note 15 second solo Clapton says in a 15 note 15 second solo. I have played professionally for 0ver 30 years and most all of my peers look down and shake their heads at this kind of stuff. They can't play creatively so they work on playing fast. That doesn't impress me much.
12:22 :-) All of my videos are time stamped. You'll learn best by watching all. Too many teachers or students make assumptions about what each other know. This miscommunication leads to flaws in technique that can last literal years. All the best, - Matt
Because 1) context is important and 2) watch time on UA-cam matters. There are time stamps if you want to skip around, but the fact is to get all of your answers, you’ll likely end up watching 100% anyways. 😉
I know my intros are long. I wish they didn’t have to be that way! But there’s so many little things I need to stress the importance of so the viewer has full context for the video. Skip through the time stamps about 4:00 in to get past the intro. 🙏
With all due respect, the actual lesson doesn't start until 5:45. Whatever your rationale for such an incredibly long preamble does not justify it. Many other teachers have figured out how to self-edit to keep the viewers interest... I think you can too. I say this only because you are a fine teacher and it would be a shame if you lost potential subscribers for such an easily-remedied issue.
Matt: Both your critics and you are right. May I suggest a great compromise? Start your videos as if the viewer has already seen it and provide the sequences of exercises as they should be practiced with no talking. Then do your video as usual for those that want to know the motivation for your lesson. It is far easier to criticize than toshow gratitude for those able to create content. Thank you Matt.
@@claudiafrers8923 The problem with doing that: 1. It will destroy watch time, which is how I get paid by UA-cam. 2. People will take the exercises out of context and then complain that they don't work. It is not the notes we play, but HOW we play them that makes the difference. ;-)
Not about the notes - it's about how you play them. :-) There are ~18 examples in this video. Is there something you don't understand or that I wasn't clear about?
![How to Hold a Guitar Pick the RIGHT Way [Guitar Playing Masterclass PART 1]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/v9RIjw8psHo/mqdefault.jpg)
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There were some little audio bumps in this one.. But only in the beginning. Did my best to fix it! Next time I'll record audio twice. :-)
What was your biggest takeaway? 👇
I thought the audio bumps were part of the show. I thought how cool LOL.
I'll take it... lol@@dwaynelasater2350
I thought it's a problem on my pc lololol
❤Don't waste your energy on the critics here. You are providing excellent teaching for free. Thank you!!
I’m only 10 minutes in and I’ve already learned I have the blues hand position for everything
Going to keep watching but just wanted to again say, thank you for these detailed videos. I’m getting better in the last few days than I have over years.
I know it's a long video! But yes, definition is our first order of business. :-)
i think this is the first guitar vid i've seen on youtube that goes through left hand positioning as thoroughly as you do, really great stuff here.
Thanks! That’s the idea :-)
Love the videos! I'm a 52 year old crappy guitar player and I'm really trying to get good. I feel you are doing the best job of explaining all of the little things that a great teacher/coach points out to allow students to improve quicker. For example, I have always had a hard time with holding a pick, constantly changing up over the years with mixed results. After watching your explanation I have felt more comfort and control than ever before. Can't wait for part 2 as I can hardly play any lead or single note runs.
Thanks Matt, really appreciate your clear explanations. You are the only UA-camr I've seen who takes the time to really go into the mechanics and show the various techniques in detail. It all makes perfect sense to me and my playing has improved since finding your channel. Peace to you too.
I’m actually a Blues / Rock player, however, I really appreciate your scientific and technical approach to teaching, especially when it comes to form and fundamentals.
I found your channel from your video on how to hold a pick (which was great) and it also reminded me of when I was young (like 10-11 years old, I’m 55 now!), that my guitar teacher at the time used to make me play classical style with guitar on left knee, I just played for an hour like that and using your pick holding techniques and tips, I’ve never played so well or comfortably!
Thanks again, I will be subscribing to your channel and watching more of your videos, even though I’ve never even heard any Dream Theater songs! lol (I do use the JP picks for a few years now, I love them and they’ve helped my playing. I suppose I’ll have to go check out Dream Theater and John Petrucci now and see why he’s so popular. (to me Jimi Hendrix, David Gilmore
and SRV are my inspiration and idols)!
Thanks a bunch, man! Like I said, both techniques are important. Sounds like you’re finding space for both. 👏
Dream Theater can be a little tricky to break into cause they’re pretty broad stylistically. I’d say Systematic Chaos and Octavarium are pretty straightforward albums. I love tracks like These Walls, Constant Motion, and In the Presence of Enemies.
To break into JP, just go listen to his Terminal Velocity album. Excellent album! Shred and musical!!
Matt, first video I've seen of yours. It is very refreshing to have transparent, correct instruction from someone properly trained and experienced. I really appreciate the deep dive into technique that I have been lacking for over 20 years. I'm hooked, thank you!
Thank you!!! You're very welcome!! :-)
I'm a guitar teacher and I love everything that you teach here. I try to incorporate these into my lessons as needed. Sometimes students follow the instructions and do them well but it just seems like most of the time I have lazy students that do not want to do the work to do stuff like this.
Thanks a lot! Means a lot hearing it from a teacher.
Unfortunately, yeah, most people don't want to do the work. It comes from 2 problems.
1 - The student doesn't know why they TRULY play guitar. They do it because they think it will get them approval, status, attention, or lifestyle. Listen to Tank the Tech on the URM podcast. He gives a fantastic behind the scenes of what it's actually like to be a working musician. And if you don't want to be a working musician, great. NO problem. Enjoy yourself!
And you may chase one of those for a long time, get it, and then realize it's not true... Then you have to find new meaning for music. It's a lifelong journey.
It's one we get to share with our students... Which is a HUGE honor. Meet them where they're at. 😀
2 - The student doesn't know how to practice effectively and recognize incremental progress. This demotivates them.
Once they learn about effective goal setting as well as training in GREAT practice habits (see my life on practice), and the learn to celebrate incremental progress, then walking this virtuoso path becomes a lot less of a grind.
But the idea that playing the great's guitar solos in a week like all of these hokey challenges and online gurus promote... Get real. If a 6th grader said he wanted to go to the Olympics you wouldn't tell him no... You'd tell him it's probably going to a take a few years and to keep at it!
Plan your work your plan.
A teacher helps. 😎
@@mattwright466 Dude, I've been using some of the methods in your videos for myself. I'm a metalhead with a classical background but somehow my shredding sucks. My right hand is solid. I had to kind of backtrack and see how my right hand got MUCH better than my left. It came down to realizing that if I played the rhythm parts to songs, people really enjoyed them and I was able to learn them faster than the leads. If I worked on the leads, I was only able to learn the slow ones like the intro to "Fade to Black". If I could hear the notes and play them, I could tell I was playing them correctly. But if the solos were super fast and I couldn't keep up, I could not tell if I was playing the solo correctly so I would give up and go back to my rhythms. None of my guitar teachers were shredders so my lessons never went that way. Instead, I did work on song writing and arrangements. I'm trying to retrace my steps and learn the solos to songs I would have loved to play back when I was 15/16 to get me to where I should be with my left hand.
Diagonals will get you in shape real fast! Also, no shame in working on some easier solos. :-) @@somarriba333
@@mattwright466 What I like about the easier solos is I can work on on making them more expressive with legatos, vibratos, bending, etc...
Also with my students, I started noticing something years ago not truly knowing why
they play guitar. On the first lesson I would ask them basic stuff like what music/bands they like. Now they all answer "I don't know".
It really helps me. , my country 's videos don't have this kind of detailed information.
자세한 설명 너무 좋아요
The more specific the better to understand block anyone that isnt down with it💯🤘🏻
I love your teaching style you never miss a beat! I never have questions because you cover everything! Great lesson, I’m working on playing more relaxed and playing with good technique.
Thanks 😁
This really gave me a good start in fixing some less than optimal left hand habits. Very well explained and good demonstrations Matt. I Look forward to checking out the rest of your stuff!
As an older guy and pretty new to guitar I enjoy getting the correct info rather than have to spend ages getting rid of bad habits. Considering I'm a huge Petrucci fan I need the technique to be spot on from the start if I ever want to attempt his crazy runs. Thanks for enlightening us Matt!
You're welcome! Keep at it 💪
Ignore the haters you have the best-described advice you at the top on how to play guitar videos go please keep it up
🙏 😃
Thank you so much for this video, I'm one of those that needs to learn every minute detail. I bought a guitar (Acoustic) less than a week ago and been struggling with taking chords cleanly. Putting the guitar on the left leg helped massively, I even managed to do chords without looking because I now have STABILITY and anchor points. Everyone I've seen has it on the right leg, which just doesn't mix well with my left hand. I've read the comments and sure the intro was a bit long, but my patience paid off big time. Well done! (Also, with the guitar on my left leg, I get a massively better view on what the hell I'm doing). Would love some acoustic tutorials from you as well.
1. Thanks for taking all of your time to watch the whole video!
2. I'll think about doing some acoustic videos. I really don't spend much time on it... I find that it requires MUCH more hand strength than electric generally... Anybody who's new to guitar, I highly recommend starting on electric just to get the left hand coordination down first, then move to acoustic and build strength. Doing both at the same time is naturally challenging.
3. Generally, with acoustic technique, because the changes and shifts are much less frequent than electric playing, I don't care about a wrapped thumb because this greatly shortens the lever that force is applied across. This means you get more for your mileage in terms of not fatiguing your wrist/fingers. Some chords will need the space, but a lot won't.
Talk soon, 🙂
- Matt
the audio takes me back to zoom sessions during covid lockdown in school hahahah
It's just in the first 2 minutes. So sorry!! It gets better! 🙂
Thanks! Great video. Intermediate player here. Came to learn about nuances of LH technique. You did a great job all the information from start to finish was super helpful. Gonna incorporate diagonals in my practice and focus on thumb positioning
🙏
Thiss great advice I was struggling a few months ago and was convinced that I need to switch from blues position. I wasn’t getting the answer what to do and nobody I mean nobody on video was explaining that both are needed. They were convincing one is right other’s wrong. I decided I’ll keep both. I wish I found this video earlier. That would have saved a lot of overthinking on my end.
Loved the details here❤.
You're so welcome!!! 🙂
Amazing in so glad you went it to so much details. I needed exactly this because I was feeling lost because of the other guitar UA-camrs being vague about placement. It helps to put visual indications with colours. I liked that you said several times stuff and repeating even 3 times because my brain sometimes needs someone to repeat several times information for it to sink in. So the more you say 1.important information 2. Important Information and 3. Important information. Again agin and again it actually sinks in better than if I would need to go back in the video to listen again. So I love this format of teaching. Thank you very much you earned a new subscriber and supporter👌
Thanks so much!! 🙂
Glad it helped!
Great complete information. If instructors would be able to explained more of the information that your giving, reguardless of how much info, more guitarist would be getting correct and proficient information from the start, which allows them not to fall into unnecessary problems of relearning or changing their muscle memory and techniques to achieve where and what they want to receive from the start. Going back and tring to refocus on changing bad habit can be and is very difficult and frustrating. Also learning proper technique helps from recieving finger, wrist and joint pain from doing improper techniques and movements over a period of time. Having a instructor who studies music along with body, joint, muscle movement and motions is a plus. Your covering a wide spectrum of playing a instrument with proper body mechanics. I would have loved to have had a instructor such as yourself with all the knowledge of both instrument and body. 66 yrs ago I couldn't find a good guitar instructor period. They didn't explain music or technique as it pertained to guitar at all. Nothing about proper picking, various styles or thickness of picks. They didn't talk about holding the guitar in a position for your back,arms ar hand position. I had to figure most of this on my own. I went to college and majored in music but everything was taught pertaining to piano. Even my classical and jazz professors didn't talk about triad or any music on how it pertains to playing on guitar. My classical professor did talk about sitting guitar placement while sitting which I was already doing. He talked about hand placement but I had taught myself the correct way myself. My jazz professor really didn't talk about hand, picking position at all. He did tell me I had no businesswomen being at college playing guitar. He said I played better than he did and should be out performing. I went to college to learn what I was doing. I could play but had no idea of any theory at all. I couldn't even read well. Just real slow and I do mean slow. Using a metronome got on my nerves, I listened to the dr7mmer and other musicians and played from feeding of them. Both professors wouldn't play duets with me because I'd learn their part by ear. So before we played together they made me learn to read both parts, then we would play duets. I don't even use tablature, I learn by listening but I'm not into copying other music. I rather just play. I love playing and just feeding off other musicians while playing leads or accenting rhythm by playing chords in various was. I think your a amazing instructor with a great deal of knowledge that people who really want the proper foundation to take their play from the beginning of their guitar journey should have from the start. I'm sure with beginning guitarist you teach them the proper mechanics but not as in depth from the start. You feed them from the start with proper technique. I know that people are all different and they take with them the knowledge and later can adapt the information to themselves. No matter what some of the peoples comments may be your extremely knowledgeable and that is the type of person I enjoy talking to about any subject. I love trading information and learning from each other. I too look further into about subjects of interest no matter what they maybe. Some tell me I'm a know it all, I tell them no I just love learning and doing more research on subjects that I find interesting and I'm always learning especially when engaging in conversations with people of similar interest. I know a great deal of info on many subjects and always thirsty for new information from someone else or even their own perspective on subjects.
Thanks a million for this kind comment! 🙂
Keep it up on your guitar journey! The brain may not be as plastic as in youth, but it is still plastic! Old dogs CAN learn new tricks. Keep it up!
Good content. especially the part about amount of pressure. It's the same with the violin -whether the right hand-the bow or left hand. How much pressure to use? Just enough, no more and no less
You're a very good instructor and this video sticks out positively among countless similar ones. Sorry that you feel you have to be defensive and misunderstood, rarely seen that in a UA-cam video.
LOL! I don't want to come across as someone who doesn't have an open mind... but when my how to hold a guitar pick video blew up to 200k+ views, I got a lot of comments that completely missed the point of the video. "That's not how X player does it!!" 🤦♂
Wanted to avoid that here. 🙂
Glad you found this helpful!!
It’s about time someone posted a guitar video that has substance. Thank you!
These videos are super helpful for super beginners like me:( Thanks!
INSANELY well made video. Great teacher and great, detailed content. Keep it up.
Hey Matt, this video is absolute gold, its like you have analysed my playing and made this lesson just for me 😆. I play like all you pictures with the big red X on lol. Thak you for this, I have already made changes to my thumb and it has made a huge difference.
You’re so welcome! Keep practicing hard and you’ll be rewarded!
Symphony X mentioned :) Glad to see you also enjoy the works of Michael Romeo.
Great video and tips.
this video really helped me, thank you
What a very well professionally made video. I truly enjoy that!
Thank you very much! I worked hard on it!
@@mattwright466 I can tell it shows.
fastest like ive ever given!
Thanks for the free lesson!
Absolutely FANTASTIC! I'm more a blues and R&B kinda guy, however, much fits across the boardQ
Glad I found you. I do have a question- I play out 4-5 times a week. It's hare for me to correct bad habits as when I play out, I can't concentrate on the corrections. I corrupt my new stuff with the 3hr a night stuff. I hope I made sense.
Much Love~
Just do the diagonals exercise for 3 to 5 minutes a day, then forget about it. If you were going through and playing and need this style of left-hand position, then just do a quick check in it’s demoralizing to try and be perfect all of the time. Use the best hand position for what you are playing and it sounds like you are. :)
@@mattwright466 thanks Matt!!! At 73 old are learning!
Hi there. Thanks for making this video, it is the best I have found re left hand and thumb positions and was very helpfull to me. Did you make a part 2 of the series?
Not yet! Working on some other things currently. 🙂
TLDR legato is going to be a little more on the tips of your fingers instead of the 45, turn off any gates, and focus on a hard attack. Ensure VERY even hits with all fingers. Your hands will get used to it in time,
i love the lesson but i have fat fingers when i play on 45 position i mute strings that want to fret
There’s a sweet spot that isn’t exactly on the fingertips. If you need to play more open, it will be more fingertips. If you need to play more muted, then flatter (more in the 45) is going to work better. It’s situational. Re watch my playing examples and remember- everybody has slightly different sized hands and fingers :-)
Acho fantástico os seus vídeos, são bem didáticos e teóricos. Se voce continuar assim, você ainda conseguirá engrandecer o canal rapidamente.
Porém queria que você falasse mais devagar.
Obrigado. Eu usei o Google Tradutor.
Você tem legendas? :-)
@@mattwright466 Yep, i have. Thanks :-)
I subscribed because of this video, GOOD JOB!
Amazing work! Any idea when we can expect the second part? Super excited!
When I get time and also have a need to master legato. 😅
@@mattwright466 its all about the technique insights from you that we are waiting for.😌
I’ve been practicing for 8 months so far. My story began lazy. In middle school I had a guitar and put myself in a class but never applied myself. Than I sold that guitar. in 2020 I bought a new one and didn’t play it until something pushed me to do it and I haven’t stopped since.
My biggest ailments are my left hand technique. probably where to place my thumb, how my fingers should arch when planting on the fret. Usual suspects , I feel I’ve made much progress but I just can’t nail down how my left hand should be exactly. I find myself at times adjusting atleast 3 different times per play session to see which feels best.
Also when I try to do certain chords like the f variation with the partial barre the stretching is awkward. The first four frets are kind of awkward for me as far stretching goes at times. Even if I got many chords down in this area.
@@Punkypoetico One of the big lessons from this video is that there are 2 hand positions and that, within the classical position, there are two ways to move the thumb - Counter-rotating and reaching deeper with the hand.
ua-cam.com/video/htaim5bYw6Q/v-deo.html
This video has all of the right principles so keep playing with it and find what's comfortable for you.
Or you can book in a lesson 🙂
go.mattwrightmusic.com/lessons
These videos have helped tremendously, it's like I've unlocked the secret guitar tricks backrooms of UA-cam lol,
:-)
Tell a friend haha
That said it’s still a vey informative video. Thank you.
I find stratocaster being so much easier to hold the guitar and also make my right arm comfortable.
I agree! It's basically the perfect guitar body design.
@@mattwright466 I wonder why some guitars still stick with old and uncomfortable design. I love PRS birds but don't like their body design. Silver Sky doesn't look pretty with their pick guard.
@@JoonKimDMD Because of economics/marketing and tradition over innovation. Generally...
Hey. Good stuff. The audio is weird tho. Like its picking up from different mics mid sentences
There were some issues with recording. Did my best I could to fix it. It gets better after the first 2 mins :-)
Very cool video. The only thing I disagree with is when you discuss the "where to press the finger" as it really does have an optimal place and it varies slightly depending on guitar and fret. Best way to learn your own guitar is to simply listen to the sound. As a general rule, from the perspective of a sound engineer, simply listening to the "purity" of the tone, you do not want to hit it right in the middle of the frets. Usually the best tone is found closer to the fret, like 2/3rds the way to the fret. Yes the area of best sound is quite small but it's quite consistent so not impossible to learn to hit it correctly.. and if one is a beginner, it's especially important not to start by learning to hit the middle of the fret. That's what I was taught 30 years ago when I took lessons as a teen and I wish the teacher would have taught us to listen to the optimal sound and place right from the get-go. Now that I have 25+ years of engineering experience behind me and some casual guitar playing over the years, I've learned to listen and definitely do not recommend hitting in the middle between two frets. Strongest and cleanest tone, with least amount of pressure needed, is about 2/3rds towards the fret above.
I definitely thought about this while writing the script. Looking back, I could have spent a little more time here scripting and spent more time on this topic.
IS the tab "hiding" somewhere that I missed ? Can't seem to find it. . . Thank you for the great (albeit challenging!) video !
My bad here you are!
drive.google.com/drive/folders/11LDkNwV4xy50YU-HFLy-VTJnxWK3gt6C?usp=drive_link
@@mattwright466Thank you! The exercise is straightforward enough to really not need the tab, but if I put a print of it on my music stand, it will remind me to practice it daily as you suggest!
That guitar is fiya
hey question, should you practise legato with a high gain or low gain?
1. If you have a solo with a legato section, it might make sense to add a little more gain than usual
2. You will need to practice legato with all four fingers, making sure the strength of the hits is even on each finger for ascending and descending. Any chromatic exercise going across all of the strings is great for this.
It will feel like you are hitting "too hard" for the first few days you do it. Then it will start to even out.
3. You will need to make sure that whatever amp/modeler you're using does not have a gate. Fractal has a default gate on the input of -80 dB. Turn it OFF. Once you do that, legato is much easier. And yes, you will have to practice noise control a lot.
@@mattwright466 thank you :) sorry but how long should a exercise be? i wanted to practise alternating picking and 20 minutes doesn’t feel like long enough, cramming a warm up and 4 exercise in 2 hours is difficult
1.
How to practice effectively:
ua-cam.com/video/85zQBybwiJs/v-deo.html
2.
2 hours is plenty. Make sure you're spending time on music and not just fundamentals. Ideally, you want the balance to playing music to be more than playing fundamentals.
3.
I would spend maybe 10 minutes on the diagonals exercise.
4.
Alternate picking takes time to warmup, and then to develop to your max tempo. I spend a minimum of 20 minutes on this, and find that beyond 50 minutes, I'm not making any more progress.
5.
Fundamental exercises are designed to be practiced with high focus and to change the way you play, even when you're not thinking about it. This happens automatically when you intensely focus on an exercise and then go play other stuff. You should only have to do a little mini check in to make sure you're using proper technique if you're having trouble playing music.
@@mattwright466 thank you so much
so you suggest a more classical guitar position? i used to play classical guitar when i was little, so i learnt that you should place the guitar between your legs. now that ive bought an electric guitar, every video says that i should place it on the right leg but its so uncomfortable for me
My suggestion is to do what the music requires for you to perform it ;-)
Great tips, perhaps you can work on audio form next to practice good techniques so the sound doesn't cut out every couple seconds. When talking about playing guitar sound is kind of important also yes?
Yes of course! I worked very hard on this video and decided to release it because 1) the sound issues are only in the beginning and 2) it's not during any of the important parts...
I'm well aware... I hope you could get past those and get to the meat of this video! 🙂
This is good stuff. I'm always looking for efficiency of movement.
But, after having nerve impingement in my neck that affected my left hand (I had neck fusion surgery to fix it), my left hand is taking a LONG time to get the strength back!
So, sometimes I have to utilize "bad habits" just to avoid hand cramps.
(BTW, I practice almost exclusively on an acoustic guitar, that's partly to force it to build strength.)
Also, FYI, I'm having a hard time with this video because the audio is terrible! There's static, and it keeps switching microphones in mid sentence {like from a lapel mic to one that seems like it's across the room from you)!
Really bad.
I KNOW you can do better.
Hey there! Yeah there were some audio recording issues that were unfixable without completely re-recording. I did my best. They’re basically only in the beginning of the video and basically none of them are during instructional parts. So keep working your way through. It gets better! :-)
Regarding hand strength, I highly recommend getting a GyroBall and using that for 1-2 minutes on each hand before playing. Also, check out my wrist pain video :-)
this is great‼️
Hey, I just wanted to ask if there's any good way you could help me figure out why my left wrist ends up hurting when I'm just playing scales. There's no health problems with my wrist for starters and I've been trying your diagonal exercise for a while now and my wrist ends up hurting still I'm just having a really hard time pin pointing what I'm doing wrong so I can fix it. Thanks for any help!
It’s going to be reallllly hard to troubleshoot this via a text convo. I’d recommend a lesson. :-)
go.mattwrightmusic.com/lessons
Man in orange T-shirt short video you looked like Christian Bale
Accuracy issues are actually synchronization issues. All this means is some muscles are weaker than others.
Perception issues, that's just not knowing where you're going.
When you read the neuroscientific literature, you will discover the word "synchronization" is rarely if ever used. The word that is used instead is "coordination".
"Sync" and "coordination" are the same thing, though one might argue that sync is a little more specific to the dimension of time... That's just semantics though.
Further, when you study on reaction time, you'll learn that reaction time cannot be significantly improved. The only thing that can be improved is the ability to predict which results in minimal gains.
Knowing this, I suggest that far too many people are concentrated on "sync" specific "exercises" when in reality there are none. Every time that you play the guitar is an exercise in synchronization and coordination.
Scientific literature in Focus of Attention (FOA) / Attentional Focus will further inform that the amount of benefit one derives from any particular exercise is mostly based on where they place their focus, not the exercise itself.
This is why I chose to specifically break things down as "accuracy" and "perception".
Accuracy referring to the misplacement or incomplete pressing down of a string.
Perception deals with the cognitive feedback loop that arises when playing an instrument. Action and reaction. We play a note, then we hear a sound, then we judge whether it's right or wrong. Like I said, issues arise in beginner players when their put their attentional focus in the wrong place (not on the SOUND, which is the final RESULT of applied TECHNIQUE).
The exercise posed in this video challenges all of these domains simultaneously.
Hope this helps. 🙂
Sources:
The Physiology of Speed
www.jstor.org/stable/43534131?read-now=1&seq=1#page_scan_tab_contents
The Art of Piano Playing: A Scientific Approach by Kochevitsky
Focus of Attention
pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC11033434/
@mattwright466 Thanks for the feedback! I will definitely check that out.
Where is the part 2 brother?
Haven't made it yet because I have not mastered legato to the extent that I want to.
Once I feel I have something new to bring to the table BEYOND just telling you what my teachers told me, I'll make it. 🙂
Glad you enjoyed!!
Was there a specific q you had?
What's with the sound?
There were a few recording issues but 1) it's not in any of the important teaching sections 2) they're only in the first few minutes of the video.
The other option was to re-record the entire video, which, maybe I'll do, but not soon.
19:30 this one fucks me dead... After i switch my middle fingers they instamute both lower strings even though they are as perpendicular to the fretboard as possible.. Any tips or advice on how to fix that issue?
Try playing more on the tips?
If you have larger fingers, experiment with playing a little lower down.
@@mattwright466 tried 45 degree and tips, but still have the same issue. Would say fingers are rather short, than large. Gonna try some more options tomorrow :)
Thanks for advice anyway, appreciate it🙏
@@Horizzzz
Try:
- Guitar on left leg
- Higher neck angle
- Use more the tip or pad of the thumb
- This will bring the left hand wrist AROUND more
- Watch for wrist pain and adjust position
Good luck! You will surely get there!
Note: Not recommending that as a 100% of the time, default playing position, just recommending so you can find what the right position and execution FEELS like, practice there for a few weeks, then get back to playing in a less nerdy position. 🙂
But yeah, for some stuff, left leg and high guitar angle and being very on top of the strings will be necessary.
So it was my left thumb that keeps dragging my left hand speed all along. Geez 😂. I feel bad watching this for free, lol
So happy to hear you had a breakthrough!!! :D
Lol I loved when you did the no thumb shred. 😂 SUCK IT🎉
You have something weird going on with your mic. Sounds like its switching between 2 mics or something. But very useful tips regardless 👍
Yeah I had some audio issues on this one, but it's not during the important parts which is why I decided to go ahead and release the video. Glad you got some use out of it 🙂
i thought this dude was berth for like 2 months until I looked at the channel name xd
why are there people who says you dont have to bend the wrist at all when playing?
I would make a bet that they're talking about a very limited aspect of guitar playing.
After some additional study, I found Anton Oparin's video helpful on the bent/straight wrist thing.
According to him, it make the finger movement come from muscles in the forearm versus the hand. The forearm muscles are stronger.
He doesn't go super in depth to practical application in his video though, such as playing the "stretchy prog chords" like I address in this video.
So like I said in the beginning of this video, we really need two hand positions to play all of the kinds of music for guitar.
@@mattwright466 yes probably , i just found his channel ,thanks to you
Watched the video
Instructions too specific
Guitar only plays Freebird now...
🤣
Mic
I know. The options were reshooting the ENTIRE video, or rolling with it. I decided to roll with it because it doesn't interrupt any of the crucial teaching parts, and it's only in the beginning. :-)
Ok, after watching most of the video, I can see this is not for me.
I've spent years studying neuroscience (as a scientist, in a medical school), so I didn't need all the "explanations."
And, since I started out playing Classical guitar (I'm self-taught, but I studied Segovia's technique), so I know about the 2 positions. I've noticed how I have to shift back & forth, so I've already worked out the speed of switching.
And, as far as synchronizing my hands, that has never been a problem.
I start out practicing slow 24:01 because, as they say in the military,
"Slow is smooth and smooth is fast "
Any time when I'm playing, if I make mistakes, I'll slow down and practice very deliberately until I've got it. Then I'll speed up.
But, I'm glad you're teaching these things to others. Good luck!
Take my money
Sure! 😛
I offer lessons and a Patron's portal. 🙂
LMK if you want the link
@@mattwright466 what’s the link?
@@zacharysawicki4111
Patron's portal (w/ bonus lessons)
go.mattwrightmusic.com/patron
Lessons:
go.mattwrightmusic.com/lessons
If you’re trying to teach the average person,? Maybe consider using a standard 6 string guitar.
7 string serves to emphasize the very points in this video. I also specifically address this at 14:40 ;-)
It's so depressing to see how UA-cam guitar experts are so wildly contradicting each other on everything. I wish there were some authority that tells you who's telling the truth. Honestly from holding the pick to positioning the left hand thumb and anything in between. Even among guitarists of the same genre. And since they all seem to be amazingly good players, I ask myself does it all matter?
The difference between myself and other guitar content creators is the fact that I was raised in the classical tradition. I've had teachers basically my entire life... And very very excellent teachers at that.
The second difference is that I have an entirely separate video teaching how to do bends and I show how to merge both the classical and the blues style technique -- Something I've seen zero others do here on UA-cam.
Every video on my channel is built to form a single, COHESIVE, technical approach to guitar. None of the movements contradict or overlap because it's formed that way from the ground up.
My videos are so long because I watch everybody else's videos, find all of the flaws, and then put all of the answers in one place so you, the viewer, don't need to go watch 6 videos from 5 different instructors to get something that will work.
Hope this helps and all the best on your guitar journey.
Loose the music at the beginning please.
Was it too loud?
John Petrucci plays a style that borders on nonmusical. He and his drummer both suffer from the more notes or beats you play per second equals better music. Yea it is impressive as an athletic precision perspective but it is IMO not very musical. People love Neil Pert but his solos bore me in about 10 seconds as does Petrucci's solos. Give me Ringo Starr and Eric Clapton over either of these guys any day. What Petrucci says in his 500 note 15 second solo Clapton says in a 15 note 15 second solo. I have played professionally for 0ver 30 years and most all of my peers look down and shake their heads at this kind of stuff. They can't play creatively so they work on playing fast. That doesn't impress me much.
3:55 was included in the script just for you. LOL
Sorry I can’t watch & listen to that audio it’s dreadful 🫨
I'm aware. It's only in the beginning though. Skip over it. It doesn't happen during any of the crucial teaching parts.
Definitely not for beginners
10 minutes in and I haven't seen you break down a hand position. Mention it - yes, but not explain it. Anyway I'm getting older so - bye.
12:22 :-)
All of my videos are time stamped.
You'll learn best by watching all. Too many teachers or students make assumptions about what each other know. This miscommunication leads to flaws in technique that can last literal years.
All the best,
- Matt
Talking way too much. Good bye
why is getting to the point such a hassle!!!!
Because 1) context is important and 2) watch time on UA-cam matters.
There are time stamps if you want to skip around, but the fact is to get all of your answers, you’ll likely end up watching 100% anyways. 😉
Talks way too much in the beginning dude. You lost me because it took you too long to get to the good part geez!
I know my intros are long. I wish they didn’t have to be that way! But there’s so many little things I need to stress the importance of so the viewer has full context for the video.
Skip through the time stamps about 4:00 in to get past the intro. 🙏
With all due respect, the actual lesson doesn't start until 5:45. Whatever your rationale for such an incredibly long preamble does not justify it. Many other teachers have figured out how to self-edit to keep the viewers interest... I think you can too.
I say this only because you are a fine teacher and it would be a shame if you lost potential subscribers for such an easily-remedied issue.
Matt: Both your critics and you are right. May I suggest a great compromise? Start your videos as if the viewer has already seen it and provide the sequences of exercises as they should be practiced with no talking. Then do your video as usual for those that want to know the motivation for your lesson. It is far easier to criticize than toshow gratitude for those able to create content. Thank you Matt.
@@claudiafrers8923 The problem with doing that:
1. It will destroy watch time, which is how I get paid by UA-cam.
2. People will take the exercises out of context and then complain that they don't work. It is not the notes we play, but HOW we play them that makes the difference. ;-)
For those of you who don't like the intro. You can skip it at will. To help further, there are chapters. 👍
Too much talking and less playing.
Not about the notes - it's about how you play them. :-)
There are ~18 examples in this video.
Is there something you don't understand or that I wasn't clear about?