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Session 6 - Minor Seventh & Suspended Chords


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That's a great idea with the pinky, I'll give it a shot tomorrow during practice.  Thank you!

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Hi guys,

Would any of you kind people have a look at my fretting hand position and let me know if it's ok please? I'm working on the two open chord chapters at the moment and am progressing slowly and just want make sure my thumb position etc.. is okay.? My thumb is behind the neck near the top, not the middle. My wrist is pretty straight, but i'm not to  perpendicular  to the neck, is that right?? I couldn't really tell from Steve's hand position exactly on the course, as he doesn't show you from behind. I have quite small hands. I'm holding an Em7 chord. I'm so scared of developing bad habits at this stage and not growing the right muscles. 

To be honest i'm struggling a little with chords after the hiatus of finishing the single notes and being able to read music. 

 

Many thanks guys :)

Steve

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IMG_20200506_183421.jpg

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@SteveT Good idea to check. I suggest you lower your thumb position towards the centre a bit and relax your wrist with a slight natural bend. Your can also raise the heatstock/ neck angle too. You'll feel more relaxed and be able to playy chords and single notes more easily.  While playing seated, whether restiing the guitar on either thigh, try raising that leg with a footstool. (I use an adjustable one like classical players use. And also, use a good confortable shoulder strap too, even while seated. This adds stability and. allows the player to move their hands freely without supporting the instrument. 

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@NeilES335 Thanks for the tips.  I notice Steve K's thumb pokes out the top of the neck a bit, but i guess his fingers must be very flexible. I'll try lowering my thumb a bit. and bending my wrist. How's this?? I've been sitting on a stool with my legs crossed and the guitar resting on my right leg to elevate the neck a bit. I also always wear a strap with it set reasonably high like Steve K, to get used to having the guitar at the same level when i eventually stand up :)

I did try the classical position before on the other leg, but It felt a bit weird. I have see a few vids online suggesting resting the guitar on the left left to help with neck access and back posture. But I can't seem to get the position right. I have one of those classical foot stands. So I'll give that a whirl.

Many thanks Neil for your advice.

Cheers

Steve

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@SteveT, turn your thumb to face the tuners.

You'll find over time the thumb moves around quite a bit,

Steve K does not wrap his thumb over the top and play 6th string like many players  

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@SteveT  Thumb and wrist position is better in photo 2, but as @Eracer_Team-DougH says you could turn your thumb a bit more towards the headstock. Try for something that feels natural and not strained, yet allows you to reach the low E easily. This will become even more important with barre chords.  An improper position can cause undue strain and injury over time (even Steve K has had wrist issues occasionally)  As Doug says, there are those players that us a "wrap around " or baseball grip, but in the end I think they hamper themselves trying to reach strings.

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@NeilES335 @Eracer_Team-DougH Thanks guys for the advice. I shall try twisting my thumb a bit towards the headstock and see how i get on. Currently I know something doesn't feel quite right.

Cheers

Steve

 

 

Hi guys,

Would any of you kind people have a look at my fretting hand position and let me know if it's ok please? I'm working on the two open chord chapters at the moment and am progressing slowly and just want make sure my thumb position etc.. is okay.? My thumb is behind the neck near the top, not the middle. My wrist is pretty straight, but i'm not to  perpendicular  to the neck, is that right?? I couldn't really tell from Steve's hand position exactly on the course, as he doesn't show you from behind. I have quite small hands. I'm holding an Em7 chord. I'm so scared of developing bad habits at this stage and not growing the right muscles. 

To be honest i'm struggling a little with chords after the hiatus of finishing the single notes and being able to read music. 

 

Many thanks guys :)

Steve

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@SteveT hold your palm open facing you.. what's the natural direction of you thumb?

my thumb is pretty much 90deg to the direction of my fingers, 

now curl your fingers over.. notice the direction of the thumb. probably still 90deg to the fingers. now look at how you're holding the guitar, "is it natural to your body to hold it that way?"

we're each a bit different in bodies but not so much  that anything is insurmountable. 

it's the squeezing action you really want to avoid as the thumb tendon takes a beating and when you get into S7&S8 it really takes a beating if you're squeezing.

many of us are still working out our tendon issues there cause we "squeezed the varnish off the fret board" as SteveK likes to call it.

but remember it's not fixed in the middle of the neck (the area to give you most leverage) but can come up.. peak over. and in times wrap around depending on what needs to be done

Edited by Eracer_Team-DougH
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I have been working on Session 6 for a couple weeks and am taking my time.  My memory in general is pretty good, but the addition of the Major Sevenths and Suspended Chords to all the others seems to have slowed me down a bit. 

I've kept the respective chord charts in front of me whenever I play and slowly a couple of them are sticking a little better. I'm not loving Dm7, but once in a while it sounds good. <LOL> Hopefully I will feel ready for the workshop soon. I realize Session 7's barre chords are going to be even more challenging, so it's probably best to solidify Session 6 first. 

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18 hours ago, Linders said:

I have been working on Session 6 for a couple weeks and am taking my time.  My memory in general is pretty good, but the addition of the Major Sevenths and Suspended Chords to all the others seems to have slowed me down a bit. 

I've kept the respective chord charts in front of me whenever I play and slowly a couple of them are sticking a little better. I'm not loving Dm7, but once in a while it sounds good. <LOL> Hopefully I will feel ready for the workshop soon. I realize Session 7's barre chords are going to be even more challenging, so it's probably best to solidify Session 6 first. 

Thats a good idea. Stay with the barre chords until they sound clear and you're able to play them easily without too much effort. Most learners having trouble with barre chords are using the wrong muscles. The power for a barre chord comes from the index finger muscles, not the thumb and wrist. Trying to squeeze the neck to death to get a clear sound only causes fatique. So check how you're doing this an review the lesson video again if this applies to you.

The neat thing about barre chords is that they are movable all over the neck. So say a 5th string root Minor 7th chord shape is the same for a Dm7, Em7, Fm7 and so on. So there really aren't a lot of shapes to learn to play many different chords. 

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