Guitar Lessons | Guitar Hand Positions

The basics of music theory do not change with the instrument. However, when it comes to the guitarist, unique situations arise regarding what hand positions to use while playing scales any instrument can produce. And why do we care about scales? Because music is solely a combination of scales, chords and 2-note intervals. That’s all. Master scales and you have hit a milestone in your musical development.

One of the biggest mental hurdles for any guitarist must be the improvised solo. Whether rock, jazz, pop, country or whatever else there is, scales really can be exciting and imaginative. The key is knowledge of when to play what scale in each musical setting.

Anyone can improvise. And that includes you. But first let’s learn about the right hand position – otherwise referred to as the “picking hand”.

Test different pick gauges (pick thickness).
Generally choose a thicker pick for a mellow sound and thinner pick for a higher, treble sound.
Most players prefer a medium pick.
Avoid too much wrist arching.
Be flexible and do not use props for restriction of movement in most cases.

Knuckles should be bent and fingers arched.
The fingers should mimic little hammers, moving straight up and down on the strings with a right angle to the fretboard.
Lift the fingers just high enough to clear the strings.
The thumb should ride approximately at the center of the back of the guitar neck with a consistent distance with the second finger.

The left and right hand must work in perfect synchronization.
To avoid playing two uncoordinated sounds, the pick should attack first and the finger should follow.
The same effects occur with the finger attacking the strings before the pick.
They MUST be played on the same note at the same time.

To reach that goal, play very slowly when you start to practice scales or pretty much anything else. Concentrate on development of technique with picking and fingering of notes simultaneously. Speed is not important at this stage of your development.