- Position of the Left hand :
- Put your palm of left hand parallel to the fretboard, then curve your fingers over the strings and touching them by fingertips.
- The motion of placing the left hand on the strings starts from the arm and the thumb, then ends by pressing on the strings with the fingertips.The pressure on the string starts in placing the finger on the string and ends by lifting the finger (raising it from the string) after the end of plucking or, more precisely, after the end of the time value of the note. BE CAREFUL: don't relax the finger when lifting it from the string. This will cause a squeak .
Notice: The nails of the left hand must be very short in order not to hinder the placing and the pressure on the strings.
-Important Principles & guidelines :
1- in the beginning, you will suffer from the strength of the pressure on the string, so try to increase
the endurance to reach to the flexibelty status.
2-The inner palm of the left hand should be in suitable distance to the fretboard and the inner fingers too.
In order not to hinder the ring of string.
3- The placing of the left hand should be flexibility without any tension.
4- the finger must keep unbroken arch
5- try to increase the lateral distance between the fingers ( at knuckle ).
- The motion of the fingers and thumb :
The four fingers and the thumb control the motion of the left hand on the
strings.The thumb contacts the neck lightly and moves opposite along the
distance between the first and third fingers. The thumb also sometimes
moves freely without any contact with the neck.
- If we place the fingers on the treble strings and move them towards
to the bass strings, the thumb will go down behind the neck and vice
versa in the opposite direction. The wrist shares in this movement.
- When you first start playing, you'll find yourself wanting to stretch your fingers to the fret together. However, the correct way is to stretch each finger independently. Make sure that your fingers are completely relaxed and that there is no tension in your muscles. This skill is very important and will improve with practice.
- The movement of left hand:
- On the same position or nearby position:
In this case the thumb doesn't move from fret to fret,it stay on the same position and
we depend on the stretching, to change the position of the fingers on the freatboard
with ittle move of the thumb.
- The Shifting ( change the position on the fretboard ) :
The arm is responsible for shifting, and the fingers aren't involved
at all,only the arm. To start shifting, remove the pressure on
the strings, but without relaxing. Otherwise, this will cause
squeaking. Then move your arm to the new position, and make
sure that your fingers are in readiness
for the new position.
- There are two kinds of shifting :
Ascending: the upper arm moves forward to the body
descending: the upper arm moves forward to the nut.
- Notice : the position of the left hand above the
strings (when theres no any active or when make shifting )
should be between 1.25 to 2.5 Cm
- Some forms of the position :
1- Stretching the fingers happen only when we play on the same position or nearby psoition.
If we take a look at this part of the famous score, Asturias - Albenize.The 4th finger on the B note
is work like a lever/fixing, and other fingers stretch on the strings and frets.
2 - Sometimes the finger will be a parallel to the frets or make an angle with them.
