Video Question: Finger Positioning

Return to Video Question and Answer Listings
Date: March 21st, 2008 | Length: 2.18 | Instructor: Mark Lincoln

Fairchildj asks, "I have just recently began with Phase I of training. One issue that I am having is that I find placing my fingers in the right frets extremely difficult for my middle two fingers. My fingers curl on each other a bit 3rd finger overlapping the 4th finger...so when I place them on the frets, the 3rd finger wants to poing back towards the 2nd fret instead of where it should be on the 3rd fret. By sliding my hand a bit, I can overcome this but I don't want to pick up a bad habit that will limit my advancement in the future...any recommendations?" Another benefit of being a member of JamPlay is the video response section. Our expert staff fields questions from our members and provides video responses each week.

Other Video Responses:

Guitar Picks - January 8th, 2008 (1 minutes, 51 seconds)

Hakkabuff says ,"Hi, my name is Guomundur and I'm from Iceland. My friends call me Gummi (but I know it's hard for non Icelanders to pronounce so I've been called Gummie in non Icelandic communities). Anyway my question is about guitar picks. I have a problem with my fingernails, they tend to be very brittle and break very easily and I remember seeing a guitarist use metal picks that strap onto the fingers. My question is this: Are those kind of picks custom made or can I buy them from a store, and if they're not custom made are there multiple brands out there? My local shops don't have any and they don't have any info on them. My fingernails can break even if I apply pressure on the pads of my fingers. (this condition affects me only in the winter time, genetics what a bore, eh?)" View Response

Classical Guitar Strap - June 9th, 2008 (2 minutes, 19 seconds)

admira asks, "Hi. I watched Steve Eulberg say it's easy to drill holes in an acoustic guitar and screw strap buttons in it. I have a classical (nylon string) guitar, and I want to know if there's absolutely no problem doing so. Can't it damage the sound of the guitar or something like that? In addition, I noticed Willie Nelson uses a somewhat strange guitar strap, on his classical guitar, which attaches to the bottom of the guitar's sound hole. Is this considered to be a better solution for a classical guitar? Could it too damage my guitar somehow? Thank you very much, Eran." View Response

Right Hand Injury - March 17th, 2008 (5 minutes, 22 seconds)

Prana32 asked, "Hi there, I am right handed, and do not use a finger pick, and I have been experiencing pretty bad pain in the right thumb and also on the pinky finger and below it where it becomes the outer part of the palm. I am quite convinced that this injury is linked to my incorrect technique of fingerpicking...perhaps tensing the wrist too much, or something of this sort. My question is, what are some good tips on keeping the right hand safe from injury while still having accurate fingerpicking technique? Thanks a bunch, Alex." View Response

Strumming with a Flat Pick - September 10th, 2007 (4 minutes, 14 seconds)

JeFrank asks "I'm finding strumming with a flat pick more difficult than meets the eye. I can strum down fine, but I find that when I strum up, I catch the strings in a very jagged way. Any tips about that? Also, how much of the pick should emerge from your fingers? Does your hand angle at all as it goes up and down? Thanks!" View Response

Lynyrd Skynyrd Tone - August 28th, 2008 (5 minutes, 17 seconds)

Dalydennis7 asked "Brad and Dave, I am a beginning guitar player and have progressed quite a bit in the short time I have subscribed to JamPlay. My favorite genre of music is classic rock, especially AC/DC and Lynyrd Skynyrd. My question is that I know LS has a very distinctive tone and I am interested in knowing how to achieve that tone, especially in songs like Tuesdays Gone's distinctive lead played throughout the song. I have read TAB on it and know it is essentialy bending and single notes, but I cant get the tone right. it seems like it may be fingerpicked, but not sure. If you could give me a hint I would appreciate it. thanks dalydennis7." View Response