When I was growing up in the 1970s and 1980s… mainstream guitar players were really good.
On the blues end we had guys like Stevie Ray Vaughan and Gary Moore, while even on mainstream radio you would hear amazing guitar work by Eddie Van Halen, Jimmy Page, Tony Iommi, Randy Rhoads, and tons more.
It just happened to be a time when technical guitar was more “in style.” And, as often happens, it was followed by the pendulum swinging hard back the other way in the early 1990’s with the sounds of grunge and bands like Nirvana and Soundgarden who pretty much threw technically demanding guitar right out the window within a couple of years.
Now I’m not here to pass judgement… music has been going through cycles like this for hundreds of years and I don’t see that changing in our lifetime. It is what it is and as an armchair historian I’m enjoying watching the current resurgence of more technically proficient guitarists in the mainstream right now. I’m old enough and involved enough now to be aware of it and to enjoy watching it happen.
But all that has little to do with my article today… except to give you some background on where my head was at as a teenager struggling to play like my heroes who, at that time, played some really difficult stuff (and this was the age before transcriptions were so readily available so not only was it hard but we had to figure it out by ear!)
So, like many people then and now, I relied on material I could mail order, or later get from VHS tapes of “Hot Licks” or REH Video lessons from guitarists of the day.
And the more I studied with a variety of private teachers, and learned from various correspondence methods, the more I realized that we all have a certain “guitar DNA.”
In other words, there are certain things that are just easier, or more difficult, for some people. Teaching really brought this into focus, but the internet has shown it to be true even more for me.
Let’s take a BIG example first: picking.
The “right” method was always what we now call strict alternate picking. No one taught me this so for a long time I just picked in the way that felt natural.
Problem was… I saw Paul Gilbert play lightning fast with strict alternate picking so I thought I had to do it the same way. I spent about a year beating my head against that wall until I saw another video where Frank Gambale told me it was permissible to “sweep” my pick across the strings the way I always did naturally anyway.
Within a few weeks of back to my old ways I made more progress than the previous 12 months!
Or how about this one: never hold the pick with your middle finger of your right hand, only your index finger and thumb.
Well… even I preach this one. Why? Simple, because in my own students I’ve never seen anyone benefit from doing it with the middle finger and I’ve seen it be detrimental to many.
So imagine how shocked I was to watch Eddie Van Halen on youtube flying across the strings holding the pick between his thumb and middle fingers!
In college, I used to play a lot of flamenco guitar – I even played for a flamenco dance group on occasion. And in flamenco there is a thing called the continuous roll where you go between each of the 4 fingers on your right hand and then you start over.
So each finger goes down across the strings and you use the back of your fingernail – index, middle, ring, pinky, index, middle, ring, pinky, etc.
I couldn’t do it… and still can’t. But guess what? I figured out that I could use just my middle and ring fingers and go both directions and get an identical sound.
And no one I’ve ever taught has been able to do it my way… it’s a fluke thing. But it’s part of my “guitar DNA” so I can do it easily.
So here’s the point to all this…
There are a lot of accepted and “standard” techniques when it comes to guitar playing. And they are there for a reason… because for most people those accepted and standard techniques are the best options starting from the beginning.
But you’ll rarely see me insist on any particular technique unless I’m watching the student in person and can see a compelling reason to change what they are doing. If they are getting the right sound and doing it in a way that feels comfortable, I figure it’s part of their “guitar DNA” and works for them. And who am I to judge that?
The trick, of course, is knowing the difference. You might think you’re doing something in a way that gets the right sound, when in reality your ear is playing tricks on you and really something needs to change. So always do your best to know what the rules are, or what is considered standard and “correct,” before you go off doing your own thing.
If you’ve tried the “right” way without success but there is an alternative that just works for you then I say go for it. Technique is a means to an end, not an end unto itself.
125 replies to "Your Guitar DNA…"
You’re an awesome teacher Griff, you’ve taught me so much and a lot about the blues, and for that I’m grateful. Now I’m having more fun than I’ve ever had on the guitar. Thank you.
My challenge is playing power chords with a pick, especially when playing the 6th and beyond. So I often play them with my fingers and use a pinch technique.
Great perspective Griff!!! IMHO, I believe that each guitarist’s hand structure allows them to be able to do certain movements &positions as well as restricting them from other movements & positions. I believe this is part of the DNA you’re talking about!!! You’re a Great teacher Griff & I Love your approach to teaching!!! 👏
our DNA is different for each of us (this is why “singing our song” is so great and brings us so close together so much joy and satisfaction) but I’ve found if we learn or know the so – called “right way ” it makes things easier
to find the right way for me to play parts, whole songs etc, to make something feel part of me and feel more at
home playing music theory and music the right way for me with easiest patterns and dynamics.
I have been playing for about 45 years now…used to think I was pretty good, others said so-but at 73, my voice no longer works well & my fingers are so messed up w/arthritis that some simple chords are simply impossible! Thanx to Griff & such insightful comments, and thanks to the Dobro & cigar box guitar makers out there who’ve shown me new leases on playing for just a bit longer. Alternate tunings & 3 or 4 string guitars are my newest favorites. Steve
Enjoy your playing Stephen !
Great thought starter! Learning is Ugly. Doing something new or differently takes time and patience. And it may or may not be worth the investment. So, when is it worth taking one step back to get two steps forward? We get to pick our battles.
Wow this may be one of the most important articles from you I’ve ever come across Griff and I sure do appreciate you putting it together and posting it. And then in addition all the replies and comments underneath it sure gave me quite a bit of encouragement not to mention inspiration as now I realize that I’m not alone in that some of what I’ve been doing on guitar that seems to work for me but to others might seem kinda quirky just might be ok. Problem with me is I swear on some days picking with the pick between my thumb and first finger is the ultimate while on other days I could swear it’s the thumb along with the first and middle fingers together and there were even a few occasions where I started to believe it was thumb/middle like you said was the case with EVH. Still a work in progress to lock in on one perfectly but mostly staying with thumb/first finger lately it seems. Anyway thanks for this important article and thanks to all the other players who chimed in with their own experiences I really appreciate it.
Reading your comment about holding the pick with your thumb and middle finger made me think of an advantage. It leaves your index finger free to do artificial/forced harmonics. I just a) tried it and b) watched Andy Summers of The Police play the harmonics break in “I Can’t Stand Losing You”. It worked with the pick between middle finger and thumb although Andy played it fingerstyle and I found that easier. But with practice…
Incidentally, in my university days, I saw The Police – who were unknown – supporting Alberto y Lost Trios Paranoias. How they came along!
Ya, you nailed it Griff! I started playing guitar during the pandemic, at the age of 55. I have small hands, lack flexibility, have arthritis, and am missing about a half inch of my middle finger on my fretting hand due to an injury. There are ALOT of things I can’t do the “right” way, yet I am still learning to play. In my mind, I have decided to play guitar with feeling… to express musical ideas with emotion and passion, instead of technical playing, and I find i can do that if I just go with what works for me. 😇
good for you! that is such a great attitude.
Right on Alan I totally second what Johnnie Wood said your comment in addition to the article totally inspired me in my ever unfolding guitar journey rock on brother!
Here’s a thought, for those who started learning guitar late in life.
I took up guitar at 70 and at 79, the handful who listen say I play lead well enough for them to stop what they are doing and listen. This included, on one treasured occasion, switching off their own party music to listen. This ain’t the screaming crowd of 26 thousand I dream of, but what the hell. But I have acknowledged what athletes know, that muscles have memories, and how we have used our hands in life dictates how we use a pick, regardless of convention.
Noting comments below, I also found that three fingers works better than two for some songs where your fingers fly, and pointy is great for fast exposed notes but rounded is better for pinch harmonics and hard-driven notes.
But for teenage learners, I recommend the more conventional styles because they suit natural human anatomy better. Thanks for the thoughtful contribution, Griff.
Good for you Tony. This is wonderful That you started playing at 70. Keep up the good work and have fun !!!
David 😎🎸
That somehow rings a bell… if I try counting loud, I don’t feel the music any more. But, if I just blend in with the rhythm, it flows, it feels right and the listeners are not complaining. Thus, no counting for me 😉
I use my middle finger on my pick. And if I don’t, I need a whole bag of picks because it goes flying every 5 minutes. And no amount of trying has cured that. Also, BECAUSE I use both my index and middle fingers on my pick, I have developed a style where I am constantly ROTATING the pick from using the pointy end to the rounded shoulder … the two produce different tonality. If I try to use only my index that has to go out the window because it is IMPOSSIBLE to do that with just your index.
I used to use the pointy end of the pick too. I realized that I got a better tone when I use the round end.
People see me play and tell me I’m” holding the pick wrong. ” There is no wrong or right way to hold a pick either.
I will have to try to use thumb and middle finger now. Thanks for the tip.
I never noticed that before with Eddie Van Halen.
Everything you said makes perfect sense. Technique is important but what counts is the outcome. I am a natural lefty but as a kid didn’t have a lefty guitar or knew about them so I learned to play as a righty . Nobody thought to tell me to swap strings. Would probably be a better player today if I did! Anyway, as far as technique over outcome watch a video of the late Jeff Healy and then just go what comes naturally !
So true! I remember struggling with Night Watchman from Tom Petty. Then when my instructor said Black Bird from the Beatles was extremely difficult and I picked it up almost instantly – I had the same epiphany.
lightninglayne@hotmail.com… very thorough and though provoking and I dig it because I’ve experienced too. Thanks Griff!
Thanks Griff. I’m really reassured by this article. Thanks for all you do.
The only right way is what’s right for you.
I hold my pick between thumb and 1st and 2nd finger,for two reasons.
1. I used to have a real issue with picks spinning round in my fingers.
Initially I fixed that by using a round pick..well a plastic button actually.
Still use buttons now sometimes.
Later I stuck a small piece of velcro each side of the pick for extra grip.
2. I now have, and have had for a few years now,a bone growth on the knuckle of my picking hand 1st finger. So I cannot fold that finger into my hand fully and as I like little pick showing when I’m playing solos for instance,the finger gets in the way and hits strings. Especially now I have nails…
So I now hold the pick between thumb and two fingers and hold my 2nd finger alongside the 1st so it doesn’t protrude like it did.
Took a bit of getting used to.
Thing is I now have the beginning of same on the 1st finger of my fretting hand, if that gets like the other one I’m gonna have some real issues…
I’ve struggled for years with fretting fingers that won’t curl properly or just plain hurt. Some chords need less common voicings (eg C), some fingerings rely on a short bar using the base of the index finger on the top 2 strings, rather than the fingertip, and some things just don’t get played, or get moved to another box, or something else is used as a tonally appropriate substitute. Silences can be very effective, sometimes.
Doesn’t stop me playing. In fact, it’s all part of the fun!
I am grateful for Griff Hamlin
So true
Griff,
Thank YOU for this!
I played completely by ear in the late 60s and early 70s and held my pick with my middle finger and thumb because my lead guitar player did it so I thought it must be better. Thanks to your courses though, I now use my index and can’t even play with the middle finger anymore.
That being said, thanks for giving validity to doing what WORKS for each of us, even though it might not look technically correct. For instance, I absolutely cannot roll my thumb over the 6th string because I don’t have long fingers, so I eventually learned to scoot my index finger up just a smidge to accomplish the same thing. There are other fingerings I had to modify but it works for me and thanks to you, I don’t feel guilty about it anymore.
Interesting. If anything ever came easy to me it was alternate picking. Seemed the best way to do it, felt efficient. But sweep picking feels really difficult….possibly because of years of alternate. One good habit inhibits flexibility?
very interesting as always…..
Very thoughtful
Very thoughtful
Good post Griff, I’ve tried for years to pick up speed but being a down-picker, for the most part, I still cannot play very fast; however, I have noticed that I get smoother and smoother which tickles me because I love artists like Peter Green. Out of the blues world, I’m a Steely Dan and Fagen fan (speaking of smooth). Some even think of it as elevator music. I do not know enough of their wild chords on guitar but I can figure them out on a keyboard so I’m a smooth guitarist but slow and can comp chords to Steely Dan on a keyboard. Both instruments bring me delight just playing for my own pleasure. At 68, I think I’m a little old to be striving for pro class but I love music. I’ve never heard you mention Savoy Brown? I’d love to see some lessons on that. Savoy Brown’s latest, “Witchy Feeling” has been on the blues charts for over a year. I first heard “The Savoy Brown Blues Band” in the mid-sixties on a collection of British Blues (double album). Kim Simmonds, the head man in Savoy Brown, moved to New York many years ago after blues had run its course in the UK and he still puts out top quality blues.
Have to agree with you Louis. Kim Simmonds (Savoy Brown) has been playing the blues for over 50 years and has to be one of the most under rated blues guitarists out there……..and yes a Griff video or two of a Simmonds/S.B. tune would be great! Simmonds is up there with the best of the British blues scene!
Great advice. While making the transition from bass to guitar, I struggled for years. Then I found a piece of advice from KK Downing where he said that he struggled in much the same way until he stopped trying to copy other guitarists and let his own “guitar DNA” take the wheel. Though he is not one of the best “technical guitarists”, his style is one of the most defining characteristics of Judas Priest. Once I gave up on copying others,I found many things that came so naturally to me, and now playing has become way more enjoyable. Practice is more fun. People are actually more impressed when they hear me, and life itself is generally better. The best advice you can give is create your own style. It may not be even close to the stuff you listen to. You don’t have to play like SRV,or Gary Moore, life is a breeze when you just play like you.
Griff, Great article. I always thought it was easier to strum with just my index finger, but thought it was wrong but sounded good.(former piano player) Then I saw J.J. Cale play the same way, so when playing with fingers, that’s how I strum.
As a former (ok, they still talk me into it from time to time) bassist, my right hand is usually in a state of perpetual confusion. I’d rather use my fingers, but sometimes I prefer a pick and I’m getting used to them. My friend says I “dig” when I’m picking with a flat pick….guess I’m over-targeting the target a bit much(?). Anyhow, I see what you’re talking about and enjoy your comments.
Great lesson, Griff! I rarely use a pick, but have developed my own “unique” finger picking style. No one I jam with seems to be able to duplicate it, and I can’t really describe it, but for me it works. Been playing like this for going on twenty years now, so it’s unlikely I’ll now learn the “proper” way to pick, but it makes for a recognizable type sound.
Yes I agree We all need to accept our own ways to play this thing called a guitar I too appreciate history very much. And when I am improvising I just like to wing it and sound funky
I’ve always been one to hear a tune then get the Music & take it from there.Sometimes Im left with part of the song in the to hard basket.Atleast with your DVD’s I have the teacher with me.He can’t fix my mistakes,But I just may hear a voice saying you can do this.My whole life is if it gets to hard then forget it.I know I won’t be a great player But I do want to be able To play the Guitar to a point that I’m happy & to be Truthful to myself with my judgment.I have quite a while to go But nothing else gives me this much enjoyement.
Right on to so many of my fellow BGUERS and to Griff of course!
Many many have spoken to the awkwardNess of the pick.
I agree. Also keep in mind that classical guitarists use their fingers!
I have calloused left and right fingertips so you know where I stand.
Griff, you are so right. I go with my DNA because in truth this is what gives us all our own style!
I am glad to know I’m not alone. My DNA is that I’m a drummer. Just a “wannabe” guitar player in the older 70’ish group. Been tryin’ since the 60’s (the 60’s) to play “up front”. Hard to learn new tricks but encouraged to know others like me keep trying. Thanks Griff.
Griff, This is such a great observation… I was watching Lindsay Buckingham play on a Fleetwood Mac concert and his right hand fingers were flying all over the place. Very Jeff Beck like. I think all great guitarists find a physiological comfort spot that allows them to get to the chords and notes and sound they want. In fact, I’d say that “how I got there” is the sauce that distinguishes the unique sound of a guitarist. Leo Kottke, Jeff Beck, Robin Trower, John Martin, Lindsay Buckingham, SRV, BB, John McLaughlin, Carlos, Jimmie Page, Kieth Richards, James Taylor, Neil Young, Steven Stills, and on and on.
Hi George. Have you listened to or seen Joe Bonamassa live? I saw him a few weeks ago in Florida. He may be the most incredible player I’ve seen, and at my age (64) I’ve seen a few. I love Leo Kottke, first saw him back in college in 1974ish when he was a colt. The next time I saw him was 2011 and 2012 at City Winery in Chicago. He is still amazing and tells the same fun stories about musicians he has known and worked with. He is very funny on stage and his style is not matched by anyone I know. Check out Chet Atkins and a few of his proteges, Vince Gill, Tommy Emanuel, and Jerry Reed. Chet is unsurpassed!
Finally, have you seen Eddie Perez, the main guitarist with the Mavericks? If not, I strongly suggest you go see them live. He is an amazing, frenetic player who strums like a wild man, picks like a wild man, and uses lots of double stops in a melodic fashion. Fun show to see!
I just want to add that (imo) you left out a pretty notable “protege” of Chets in your list, Mark Knopfler. Pretty sure he followed his own “guitar DNA”. I’ve seen a buttload of great players in my lifetime and recognized something different the first time I heard a Dire Straights song and realized it sounded like a rocked up Chet sound. When I actually saw him play I knew the influence was real.
Lest we forget about Lenny Breau, who taught Chet how to use advanced harmonics!! At one point Chet said Lenny was the best guitarist he had ever known.
Hi Griff. This is very encouraging. I always found the pick altogether awkward. It always felt like a foreign body in my hand no matter which way I tried to hold it. I sort of put up with it for years and got proficient enough. But after a few years of hiatus from electric guitar and using finger picking, when I took up electric again, I found it much easier and made quicker strides just using my fingers. I’m always encouraged when I see guys like Mark Knopfler using his fingers. It seems like Jeff Beck has thrown away the pick too. As far as I am concerned, I’ve made way quicker improvement adapting your lessons and playing in general using just fingers. Just my guitar DNA I guess.:)
Blessings and thanks, Ian
Hey Griff, Manuel here, I know what you mean about your own DNA, I used to play Trumpet,I tried to play like Louie Armstrong back in the day and like Herb Alpert etc,I didn’t wanted to sound like them, but it gave me an idea on how to make my own sound,but I kept going back to their sound I just could’nt shaked off, So anyway one day I had accident riding my bike I flip and busted my lip and couldn’t play anymore and their when I started playing guitar and guess what I’m in the saddle again. I hear the sound of the chord’s or music and say to myself I can do that but I keep fallen in that same routine dont want to play like other guitar fellow,So I know you have a video out there about this issue what lession is that so please let me know,Thank’s Manuel
Hi Griff you souund just like me back in the 60′ and 70’s. I grew up playing music with people in the music business. I was part of the Laurel canyon crowed. Joni Mithchel and Mama Cass. Went to Mamas party’s and met, Grayum Nash, Neil Young, and my hero Eric Clapton. In my band i played lead guitar and was lead singer. I did get a lot of tips from Nash and Eric. I would get to sit on side of the stage and watch many famous bands. Saw Eddie Van Helen play. your right I remmber him playing with His middle finger, but also watched him use that index finger to pluck and do pull offs.Now after 40 + years of playing i’m a beginner again. I saw Hendrix play at the Atlanta pop festival on July 4th. He did his famous star spangled banner . He was a bit high, but watching his fingers helped me a lot in my playing,Yet he would go off beat, or off key. sill it was a great time and i learned a lot watching my friends play. Watching you play, is the best.
Good advice especially for those who play mostly for fun and mostly alone. Following the “rules” will often be necessary to get the correct sound from a lick or beat. The best example of following the rules is Counting…which many including me find very difficult. I find almost always if timing isn’t right the lick never sounds right. Not as often with picking ..but sometimes ,,..Most important is to enjoy playing and not get stressed out ..It’s all about having fun no?
Yo Griff, You might be interested in the application of Harvard Professor Howard Gardner’s theory of “Seven Intelligences” in relation to one’s “guitar DNA” i.e. some of us are more analytical and some more intuitive.
Thanks Griff. As a player who started learning late in life just for my own pleasure, I find many of the technical things being taught impossible with my hand size, carpel tunnel, and arthritic hands. But I will not give in and find alternate ways to play and sounds pleasing to my ears and my dogs have not howled yet lol. I just started your course recently and I am enjoying your teaching style very much. Thanks for your encouraging blog.
Great advice. Thanks Griff.
More bits of wisdom from the master! Thanks Griff look forward to maybe someday meeting you to thank you in person! At 61 I’m playing better than ever because of bgu! B-)
Griff, you are a gem teacher, that being one who gives little “pearls of wisdom”. And I appreciate all the comments from the commentators. It let’s me know there is no end to a skill, only the continuous journey.
After I read previously about holding the pick between the thumb and the middle finger (which I don’t do) I realised that this would leave your index finger free for creating forced harmonics. I know The Police’s “Can’t Stand losing You” has chords played with harmonics in the short instrumental break, this was something I couldn’t do (well, on classical pieces I can do it with my thumb and index finger, but not with a pick) until I tried holding the pick between thumb and middle finger. Mind you, everything else I do is still thumb and index.
Thanks Griff, good article and very true. Have seen so many guitarists over the years doing things that go against the “accepted” techniques, I completely agree with you. I’m a classically trained pianist, so spent many years learning to play “properly” and when I’m doing keyboards in a rock band, some of those techniques go by the board, because they stop you making a sound you want to make. The key to this philosophy is “does it work for me?” Just need to be careful that your guitar DNA applied to one problem (eg the flamenco strumming) doesn’t stop you doing something else!
band. Thanks So happy I touched base w/u Ron Money
Hey Griff,
My Guitar DNA is simple, I’m still learning mostly all BGU courses. I have a natural DNA for Rhythm & Timing being an ex-semi Pro Drummer in the 60’s. I am also able to create sounds from just the guitar and AMP without using pedals.
All good.
Michael-St Andrews Australia- May 2016
Hey Griff,
My Guitar DNA is still simple. I like to learn songs on my Acoustic Electric which I am doing now and learning the chords and strumming methods is helping me to understand how to get the sounds.. So I am building my guitar DNA by learning the Blues Guitar with the BGU Courses as well. I have bent the rules due to experimenting with sounds both Acoustic & Electric with some amazing results..just hope I can remember them.
All good..
Michael -St Andrews -Australia 29 May 2017.
Thanks Griff for all your lessons I wouldn’t be playing guitar if it wasn’t for you thanks so much I’m enjoying it
thanks Griff … been getting the hang of the blues boxes and STILL have problems with holding the pick but I don’t get disheartened … I just play slow and use my thumb. 🙂
Your lessons are a joy and I wouldn’t have started at all but for your 4 note blues which astounded me five years ago and brought about the realisation that I have 4 fingers …. 4 notes, 4 fingers … only took 5 decades to ‘get’ that there’s a connection.
cheers
Thanks, Griff. Hardly a day goes by when I don’t see some guitarist playing in a way that is not technically correct. Youtube is full of video examples. It’s good to know that I can follow my DNA!
This was an interesting take on an age old problem for some of us. What is right and what is wrong in doing something in a particular way. I was sitting on the edge of my seat waiting for your to say you are going to bring out a Flamenco Guitar Course – and why not. I recently purchased two such courses from Claude Johnson and two on Classical Guitar. Will I ever make much of the material, time will tell – I have it all the same. I collect and, unfortunately, dip in and out of much of the material I have purchased over the past six or so years since retiring. Does that make me a bad person, I do not think so, what it does is mean I CAN dip in and out of various styles / forms without feeling pressure to do so. I certainly would be interested to hear more of your take on Flamenco guitar. Keep up the great work Griff.
Hi Griff, I’m dying for you to give us a lesson on speed picking…I’m slow as a turtle. I don’t want to be Guthrie Govan but it sure would be nice to be able to throw in a fast little flurry of notes during a lead. I will check out the two artists you mentioned too. Thanks!
Griff,
I believe that there are a lot of players out there today that are finding their DNA locked into “BGU” and I’m proud to admit that I’m one of them…even if my DNA keeps morphing into something else…later.
cowboy
Griff…I enjoy everyone of your posts,you are honest with your statements and you make sense.In this short lifetime it is nice to meet people like you.Gene
I was just struggling with an alternate and sweep picking exercise when your email came in.
My arthritic fingers just don’t work like I wish they would. So through a series of picking and hammer on pull offs I was able to get a pretty close sound. I will still try different techniques and just because I can’t get them at first doesn’t mean something won’t click.
Kind of like building a house. There are some things that have to be done a particular way but if things aren’t done differently then all houses would look alike.
I have come a long way thanks to your instruction. Thanks
Hi grif you never said a truer word
It never did Glen Campbell any har
Very interesting article Griff. Do you still play flamenco? Great stuff.
Cheers Griff
For the advice I’m trying to get to grips with a pick I’ve always used my fingers
You take Django Reinhard he had it in his DNA learnt the guitar twice over
The best lesson in life is to be yourself and not somebody else(mainly because that somebody has already been taken).
There are many examples of what a person can do if they just take the time to learn who they are, it does not hurt to try proper technic but if it does not work for you then that is not proper technic for you. Proper technic is what works for you, and not somebody else. Keep on rocking.
Jeez now that you say it out loud it’s like I came to be enlightened. My cousin plays anything by ear. But when we play together it’s always bothered me he does things that I would consider , not the way it was done by the artist. However this always bothered me. He can play with the best since the eighties he could play Randy or Eddie stuff and sound amazing. While I’m trying to do it note by note perfect like the original artist, and of course every artist is different. also I’m six foot six and having large hands I’ve always played the e and a min bar cord the ” right way” but naturally it always felt better to switch my pinky and ring finger, I have less chance of deadening other strings that way. But, I forced myself to do it the”right way” just because I figured there’s a reason is done that way for instance, switching to another chord. Lately I’ve tried it my DNA way and find I can switch faster that way. But still until someone said it out loud. I keep struggling to do it “right” . Thanks for making the statement I needed to hear. …D
when I had my first lesson on guitar I was asked by the teacher why I positioned my fingers playing a minor or e minor. I play them with my middle finger and pinky switched . why ? he said does not matter much if its comfortable then its ok . recently I did not see it right away but I have switched that and play the correct way . D N A I think its more like brain circuts . Now if you think about and have been here a long time to play a cord and go to a lic riff solo whatever in a blues format Sliding into a lead with the pinky first works. the ring finger does not work for me .using the ring finger to help a bend is what caused change so thats my D N A OH yeah I had to show teacher how to play stairway to heaven note for note to arpeggio. my brother showed me how using bar cords or as u say small cords . I learned to read music using the cords shown in a book could play it yet in a diffrent key at 12 years old its when i started well goin on 56 thats a long time 44 years of guitar and not a master, yet, closer and closer every day . so thats my story . being in a band really helps, thoes natural players kill me . the guys that are not, well, study more ! i THINK ITS GREAT THAT SOME NOODLE ALL OVER ,BUT ,LISTEN TO THEM ARE THEY SAYIN ANYTHIG WITH THE NOTES LIKE THE SKY IS CRYING .
WRONG FINGERS DA YOU GET IT
I’ve always been a bit of “renegade” when people try to tell me things like how to hold my pick. I’ll try it their way for a little while, but if their way hampers me more than helps, I’ll go right back to how I’ve always done it. I hold my pick primarily between my thumb and index finger, but 90% of the time my middle finger is also grasping that pick. I hold it so the pressure point from my thumb is midway between the pressure points of my index and ring finger. I use Fender heavy picks, but I can still easily bend that pick just by applying more pressure to my grip … and we all know something with a bend in it is far more rigid than something without a bend in it. So … that essentially gives me two picks at all times … a flexible one and a rigid one … and two distinctly different sounds. I’m also constantly rotating that pick in my fingers … sometimes playing with the pointy end and sometimes with the rounded shoulder of the pick … again two different sounds … doing that has become 2nd nature that I don’t even think about any more. Ever try to rotate a pick like that using only your thumb and one finger? I don’t think it’s possible. Anyway, this is my personal “pick-holding DNA”. My way may not work for everybody, but it sure works for me.
I fully understand that teachers teach and preach things that work for MOST people. But MOST people isn’t ALL people. I admire your flexibility on this subject, Griff, and I am glad to see you stating it here. What bugs me is people on the forum who read something you’ve said that applies to MOST people and who insist that anyone doing it any other way is DEAD WRONG.
As usual Griff, you are spot on. This article really resonates with me because I have smaller hands and used to think it was an impediment to learning, but I realized it’s more about persistence and finding ways that work for your DNA. For instance, I thought I was cheating by using my pinkie to fret an A shape barre chord when most everyone else uses the third finger to barre across the 4th, 3rd, and 2nd strings until I saw a video of Jerry Garcia doing it with his pinkie, also the guitarist in Matchbox 20. I will never be able to do wide sonic “stretched” out chords done with jumbo hands like Alan Holdsworth, but there are plenty of other chords to make music with. Your wisdom and expertise on the guitar is a source of constant inspiration!
I follow what you are saying,I was a reasonable singer and in 1980 I was given twelve months to live,with Cancer in my throat,and after treatment Four Opps and 30 doses of radiation all I could do was croak,so I decided to do croaky songs,and improve my guitar skills,and was getting really good and one day I cut off two fingers and half my thumb on my left hand, and got them stuck on again,so more adjustments had to be made,some of my chords look funny,due to the way I play them but they work and sound good,so adjustments have to be made if you wont to succeed ,I am 77 years old now and still gigging and croaking away,so it’s all worth it,look at Chango Rhynhart( BAD SPELLER) One of the best guitar players ever and his hands were a mess,that accident sure taught me how to use my pinky.
Interesting! I’ve always thought that my large hands have been an impediment to my playing! Oh well!
Hi Griff, Brilliant blog as usual. Such a lot of sense, so thank you! Thank you also to all the contributors for their input, so encouraging!
Keep up the good work as a lot of would be’s if they could be’s like me get the inspiration to keep on keeping on.
Regards to you all.
Einar
Thanks Teach !! I have been trying to follow all the tech. rules to a tee, but find that when I just play my guitar instead of banging my head on the wall. I learn faster and play better. I still always strive to do things the technical way, but if I’m not playing anything then what is the point.
I’m just another of your senior admirers. I loved playing guitar as a kid, then dropped it for 30 years. Have had a tough time getting started again, but seem to finally be getting committed to daily playing. Honestly, I really appreciate your lessons. Some are advanced beyond my ability, some don’t fit my DNA, but all pose food for thought, and many are exactly what I need at the time. Thanks for so persistently and consistently giving to your students, and sharing your passion with us.
I like this guy.
https://www.google.co.uk/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=1&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=0CCEQFjAA&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.youtube.com%2Fuser%2FLickNRiff&ei=ZJdSVeKkHsT3UvrrgfgN&usg=AFQjCNF23U9AtQpELQkCHp17uQVJn1zSFw&sig2=KHKO6ytBO9R20gNkiufspA
Hey Griff,
thanks for this. I guess i have a similar experience with regard to picking. I started out using a pick with electric guitar years ago and got proficient, but it always seemed slightly awkward and there was always that chance that the pick would fly off somewhere into the ether! Then, due to life intervening, I took a long hiatus from electric guitar but always kept an acoustic close by and for years picked with my fingers. A pick always seemed too loud in that context and, well,less intimate somehow.
So, for the past three years, since coming back to electric with a vengeance [thanks to BGU!], I have been learning all the chops I missed when I was younger. However,no matter how hard I try, the pick always feels awkward, like an unwanted foreign object. So I usually end up throwing it after five minutes or so. I think this is in my guitar DNA. I’m never going to be the fastest guitar in the west, but I’m striving to be one of the tastiest. I have adapted my finger picking to get pretty funky and fast enough. And I always think, well, if Mark Knopfler, Jeff Beck and Freddy King can do it, so can I.
And in the words of Forest Gump, that’s all I have to say about that. Thanks for the great teaching – it’s really inspiring.
Blessings, Ian.
DURING THE 70’S I WAS DUEING CLUBS WITH A BASS PLAYER AND ME ON ACOUSTIC GUITAR. I JUST REALIZED I HAVE BEEN PLAYING FOR 50 YEARS. I’M 63 AND LIKE YOU SAID SOME PEOPLE DUE THINGS DIFFERANT WHEN IT COMES TO HOLDING A PICK. THE ONLY TIME I USE A PICK IS ON AN ELECTRIC GUITAR. AND THE COUNTING OUT LOUD YO SAY YOU HAVE DO IT, OR YOU’LL NEVER GET IT. WELL FOR 50 YEARS I NEVER COUNTED OUT LOUD AND NEVER WENT OFF BEAT. JUST TAP THE FOOT AND ZEN INTO THE MUSIC. BACK THEN YOU MUST HAVE BEEN A VERY YOUNG KID YOU DON’T LOOK OVER 45.I ADMIT I BLEW IT BY STOPPING GUITAR FOR 3 YRAS. TO BUSY WITH FYING COMMRCIAL AIRLINES. NOW I WOULD GIVE MY BEST GUITAR TO PLAY LIKE I USE TOO. BUT THE HANDS LOCK UP AND MY KNUCELS LOOK LIKE LARGE MARBLES. SUCKS GETTING OLD.
This is great Griff!
You dare to tell that there are more ways to play the guitar, and there are more ways to finger a chord!
That is so true, I picked up the guitar when I retired at 61 and now at 67 it isnt always easy to physically to do some of the impossible chords as I have arthritis in my fingers but having said that playing guitar does help to unstiffen fingers so I don’t give in too easilly, just wish i could understand all this theory stuff with trying to play what we in the UK call lead.
Griff,
Do you have a compilation of all of your daily email mini-lessons available on the members hub or forum?
Having been a singer (who accompanies himself on the guitar, and self taught) for the past 50 years, I’ve played all styles of music (not flamenco though). I found that I adapt my playing to the song and have been called a pick picker. Now with the BGU course I’m finding a lot really neat things I can incorporate into my songs. Never having played barre chords before I can appreciate the “Little chords” that Griff has shared with us. I’ve had people come to me and ask how I learned to “play like that” but I have to tell them that I’m not really a guitar player but I’m learning!! Thanks Griff!!
Hey Griff,
One thing I have noticed is that a lick when played slowly, can be plsyed with all down strokes, but when played up to speed, must be played with alternate picking. This has led to “re-learning” a lick (in my right hand) when played at full tempo.
Mark
Great subject Griff that’s right guys Tony Iommi is missing the tips of
the two inner fingers on his freting hand he uses leather thimble like tips he makes himself and is master player djangos freting hand was badly burned for my DNA I tried to sound like EVH and failed badly but as time went on I sound like me which is what he says he went through as well now it’s kool to just be in key and soloing well or playing a nice cord progression or a bit of both !!!
Geez guitar DNA what an interesting topic and very honestly I have no idea what mine is. I am able to do most things on a guitar, some easily, some with hours and hours of practice to get it down. I have no one gender of music that I like over any other, so if I hear a song in country that I really like, or in heavy metal, I am going to want to learn the song, for example I play “Hell’s Bells” by AC/DC and I play “Hopelessly Devoted To You” by Olivia Newton John which are on the opposite ends of the spectrum. I have heard a guitar player recently “George Marios” from the UK who is beyond good in my opinion, who plays funk like you wouldn’t believe, and so far I have had a hard time learning how to play funk in the manner that he does, and his stuff is addictive. I only practice his music once a week because I think if I get it down I will incorporate a lot of it in what I am already playing. This guy is good. Anyway this was excellent subject matter that you talked about. Paul
My DNA’s been GMO’d !!! ..,and my licks aren’t as tasty!
Hi Griff,
I’ve started guitar lessons again and have your blues unleashed dvd’s. I bought myself for my 58th birthday a beautiful Epiphone Les Paul custom in the stunning Alpine white. My problem is the open chords are proceeding fine. the barre chords are a problem. I was in a motorcycle accident 12 years ago and had multiple fractures of my left wrist. I do not have nearly the flex in the left wrist as my right to bend it and easily form or comfortably get enough pressure for the barre chord formation. There is arthritis in the wrist and just practicing for 30 minutes left it extremely painful and unable to play. with this limitation is their a method or way to transform songs to open chords to enjoy playing them without barre chords.
Hey Brian,
My hands have been injured over the years and age is mean streets as well so barre chords are tough for me too. Griff has taught about using partial chords that are much easier as far as hand and wrist mechanics. There was an email about it not long ago too. If you get that down it is in my experience almost 100% of the time more than enough, more creative and more tasty too. Good Luck.
Hey Brian,
It won’t fix the damage but it might help to loosen things up a bit if you try using Antarctic Krill Oil. I had lots of trouble with tendonitis when i came back to playing after a long hiatus. The Krill oil took care of it. Hope this helps!
Blessings, Ian.
I have barre chords issues on my 12 string. I use online transposing software to alter the song key until I find a good combination of open chords. If I have to play a barre chord, I usually just fret the bottom or top half depending on the song.
Hi Griff,Thanks again.I enjoy your great teaching,I wish I could play like Chet Atkins used to,with the lovely echo,reverb,the runs he put in was great,can you teach some of this? I am just one of millions who want to do the same thing.
A couple of other things:
1- Jack Nicklaus not Nicholas (Sorry Jack!)
2- Re. Picking fast, it’s more important to learn to pick accurately at first then you can pick up speed over time. Also lots of guitarist increase their speed and accuracy by learning “Hybrid” picking. This is where a player or “Playah” (Only kidding!) learns to use both a pick and his fingers together or in an alternating style. And of course there are various other methods of picking as well like finger style picking or using picks on multiple fingers including the thumb.
Re. Flamenco I took to this style naturally and have used it since early childhood with no lessons at all. From my earliest memories of childhood I was able to perform that sweep with the back of the fingernails. I really do think that this is in my DNA as I heard that type of music while in the cradle and being raised in a Spanish Speaking family it just came naturally to me.
Weird right?
I started out innovating, and do so to this day. Rather than hitting the wall, I think about how I can climb over it and continue down the road. T.F.P.
Great truth in life. Travel the proven trail whenever possible but when you find yourself up against the wall with a technique try what feels natural and move on adopting your own style. It just may work better.
Remember that left handed guy that changed all the rules and we all still try to emulate him. Jimmy Hendrix,and Stevie Ray Vaughan wasn’t in tune with the rest of us but it changed the way guitar is played.
Thanks Griff for all the great lessons, logic and music theory. And just plain good advice.
Thanks Griff, yet another post of very helpful insight.
Been playing for 60 years but just can’ get hold of palm muting – maybe it’s just not in my Guitar DNA!?
How are you getting on with replacing the stolen van and gear?
Best to yo and keep up the good work.
Tony. UK.
If I were to wrap up your lesson today into a theme it would be “Don’t Give Up!” Or “There is more than one way to skin a cat!”
As someone who has been fooling around with guitars for over 55 years and has been very frustrated for most of that time I am living proof that both those themes are very very true!
I’m a lefty playing righty! It’s very difficult to overcome your natural wiring! I won’t bore you with the details of how this happened but will only say that at my age (64) I am only just now realizing that there is true hope for me improving my playing dramatically.
Step #1: stop sayng and thinking that you’re not a good guitar player! REALLY! Your mind is nature’s (God’s) computer which means garbage in, garbage out! Your mind will lead your body to do what ever you think and say! Positive thinking and feedback have been around for years and really work! No one is going to believe in you if you don’t believe in yourself.
When you’re alone, say positive things to yourself! Train yourself to think that you’ve already achieved your goal and visualize yourself succeeding before you attempt to play something. (Jack Nicholas: The greatest Golfer ever, practiced visualization throughout his fabulous career and won more major tournaments than any golfer in history!)
Step #2: when you are learning something new, slow your playing down to a crawl! This will build your muscle memory and dramatically improve your ability to really learn any piece of music.
And lastly: As I learned during my years as an Aikido practitioner, Try to have some fun and don’t worry about “frustration”! You must learn that we always come to a “plateau”.
“Plateaus” are reached every so often and it seems that we are not improving. The truth is that improvement and learning arrive in short bursts then we plateau again. We live most our lives on “plateaus”. They are resting places we stay on until our next new learning or improvement comes. Learn to love the plateaus in your life, that is when you are strengthening your skills until the next increase in those skills and knowledge happen.
Have fun! Practice writing songs, regardless of how amateurish they may be at first, you’ll be surprised at how often you’ll be able to improve your song writing and how quickly songs will come to you.
Best wishes, Walt
Your article is so much true. Perhaps you’re a wise man now…
yours videos and subjects are always interesting
Thanks for all and continue
Good article Griff.
Reminds me of my dismal attempts to learn ‘sweep picking’ demonstrated by Frank Gambale in the late 1980s.
Thank goodness you show us students there is much to learn on the guitar that sounds good when played slow.
I love the way you look at guitar playing and your approach to teaching technique
Hi Griff, I started learning the guitar at age 35. I always had the problem of not being able to pick fast. I use alternate picking, sweep picking, have tried different ways to hold the pick etc., but to no avail. I’ve tried various exercises to try to increase speed, and I practice every day, but nothing has ever worked for me to increase speed. I’m 80 years old now, and have come to the conclusion that it just is not in my dna to pick fast!
Very true, Griff and thank you.
My “Guitar DNA” certainly is a Barre DNA. Whilst I’m having almost no problem with Barre chords no matter how tricky they may be, I still find it hard to simply do open chords, even a simple one like the good old Emaj won’t sound right with me as long as I have to use my pointer finger with it instead of the middle one, the latter variation leading me into Barre E-type (and others) without any problem.
Regards, Bob
Hi Griff
Due to my age(72) and what comes with it (arthritic fingers) I am unable to
make the best out of the guitar tuition I receive each week.Luckily I have a teacher who understand my problems and allows me to do my own things.I love to noodle while he plays the accompaniment (better then backing tracks).I am now considering fingering” and he will, I know, see me through this process however long it takes.My only advice to other players who cannot do all the difficult things (like barre chords) is make music that pleases yourself and you will always be at peace with yourselves.Guitar playing is for your own enjoyment and if you enjoy your own playing then all is fine.I do however think that if you have an “ear” for music this goes a long way.
Hey Griff thanks for another great article I wish I could say I complete every lesson but I don’t………..however I get SOMETHING out of almost every article and I guess that is my guitar DNA. I have your course and have made a lot of progress with it as well but discipline has always been my stumbling block LOL so it is a slow process. Having said all that I would credit your Blues course and for sure your emails with the resurgence of my passion so thank you. ps I am 69 I wish I had had your course when I was much much younger……
My guitar instructor I sit with weekly can be very insistent when it comes to technique, especially when it comes to fingering. But, he is always right as he shows that when I end the riff, or ‘phrase’, my fingers must be in optimal placement to begin the next one. For a long while he drove me crazy with this but I have learned to appreciate his insistence. I also had a couple of ‘bad habits’ with chording.
Some ‘habits’ cannot be overlooked and must be changed in order to progress. To me,this is why a competent and skilled instructor is invaluable and very much necessary:To be able to tell the difference.
Thank you Barry. My instructor repeatedly says “think about where you’re playing next”. Correct technique often makes the transition easier. Surprise!
The old saying of “there is more than one way to skin a cat” applies in guitar playing.
On that caution to not use anything but your index finger and thumb to hold the pick, what would a person do if their index finger had been cut off or was missing.I don’t have this problem but assuming someone did have it?
Hi glenn47: One answer to your question was my grandfather (Born 1886). He played guitar in different “Swing Bands”
thru his twenties.. He unfortunately had an accident in a saw mill and cut the tops off his index and middle finger.. He
did not give up and became a pretty good steel guitar player
working in different bands thru his 40’s and 50’s..
Where there is a will!
I believe Tommy Iommi had several fingertips cut off in an accident and plays his guitar with some sort of of prosthetic fingertips no?
the rumor I heard was Tommi used thimbles on his finger tips!I have no clue if it is true or not given how rumors go.
Hmmm, very interesting. This outlines your commitment to the study of guitar.
And thinking about it, you are absolutly correct. Not only about the way music
is approached over the decades, but this explains why I have so much
difficulty learning (let alone mastering) certain techniques. Excellent and
enlightening article Mr. Hamlin. Thank you again, for ALL you do for us.
Hi Griff,like many others just to say thankyou. I had to hide my first guitar,couldn’t bring the devils machine into the house!! Can you believe it??!! 55 years on and it is still my passion. Best wishes from Australia. Chris.
Griff – great article, great point!! I guess Django was one of the best examples of unconventional technique – but hey, you can go from N.Y. to ‘Frisco in a Caddie or a Mini – getting there in the end is what is important, not how!
I am not the greatest blues fan, but am very impressed with your simple and relaxed style of teaching which is very easy to follow and learn from – keep up the good work!
Hey Griff. That makes sense, I started playing when I was 20 with no previous formal training on any other instrument. In other words, I don’t read music it’s all by ear. I am 64 now and have always considered myself to be a kitchen picker. Honestly,I haven’t started playing the video I ordered from you yet but I do watch all of the ones on my email. They are very helpful and I like your teaching technique. I will get started soon on the video lessons. Thanks,Bill S.
Thanks Griff,I’ve always took the easist way but since getting going on your teachings doing things the correct way seems easier,sounds better and the sound is what makes it more enjoyable! Thanks again
Griff, I have found what you are saying to very true from the student standpoint. Some things we just can’t learn the right way!!! All we want is the right sound. I love to play without a pick. I learned this as a teenager. It allowed my to quietly strum as to no disturb others. I have found that, at times, barehanded picking just feels the best. LOL! -Dan
I love that you share your insight. It helps me focus and fight my insecurities. I just wanted to say thanks. Greg Gonzales
Hi griff, blog is right on, i have two problems, one is my chords are correct, but i always hear the high E ringing when i play them. Second, i just cant seem to put together different riffs, always come back to same old riffs.
I’ve always felt that as long as you know how to tune you guitar properly the rest is just matter of achieving your own goal. Jerry’s was to have fun, that about seems to pretty much be mine too. That doesn’t mean I can’t “pick ass” (hahahaha) on the guitar, I just don’t let other peoples negatives color my world.
Hey Griff. Just wanted to send you a quick hey and tell you how much I enjoyed the article. I’ve put down my guitar for some time, but maybe it’s time to get back at it. Anyway, thanks for all that you do!