Session 4 - Eight Notes

[Eracer_Team-DougH]

I am also an advocate for down/up/down/up in this session.. not just a speed thing..

anchor your pinky on the top of the guitar when on the lower strings high-E to D.. when  playing A and low-E strings your pinky grabs the low-E string as the anchor.

that way you reach the top strings.

all up or all down will not give you the necessary rhythm for the exercises

[kenneth]

Oh, okay, I was getting pretty fast at singling out individual notes and strings with the all-upstrokes picking pattern but have followed the advise from @NeilES335 and have now adopted a downwards picking pattern for the exercises, to turn this into a new and hopefully better habit over time. 

The key seems to be hidden in finding a comfortable spot for the right hand to rest. I wish Steve would have elaborated a bit more on this from the get go since the different opinions are having me somewhat confused right now. From what I understand, alternate picking isn't only to be exercised in the case of eighth notes? 

The lesson book mentions bracing the pinky on the pickguard, however, this means the rest of the hand is somewhat floating over the strings on downstrokes and this isn't exactly comfortable (to me at least). 

I've found a somewhat comfortable right hand position to pick with downstrokes, I will now brace my right hand's side over the bridge pins, but in both instances I will often (mistakenly) hit the D-string when I should be playing a C note on the A-string (e.g.), which, needless to say, is sometimes tempting me to return to the all-upwards picking pattern, in which I will brace my right hand in the upper bridge area, rolling it back and forth to be able to reach all of them notes. So it kind of makes sense to have at least 2 different right hand 'anchor points' to be able to reach all of the strings using downstrokes too, but this involves different movements requiring different techniques which I haven't figured out yet. I absolutely refuse to look at the strings since I want to develop an extra sense for where they are at with muscle memory. 

I could probably manage to turn the all-downwards picking pattern into a new habit with more time and practice, and an extra anchor point indeed, as I believe tone is important, but the different answers are having me confused, I am literally playing all of the exercises (the star spangled banner, simple gifts, Minuet in C (haven't played minuet in G yet) using downstrokes only now... (???)

If possible, I'd really appreciate an elaboration on which technique is considered correct, solid and most comfortable. 

I'm really sorry if these questions sound awfully green but I just want to make sure that I develop a correct right hand technique. 

@Eracer_Team-DougH I am assuming you go down on the bass strings and up on the treble strings? Interesting... 

Thank you! 

 

 

 

 

[Eracer_Team-DougH]

@kenneth answer no, not down on bass notes up only on treble notes. Never

your hand is going down and up all the time, 

When you get into strumming lesson 5 and up - Steve tells you your hand never stops going down/up down/up

As Steve says like a pump.

So on picking, down/up (wax on wax off)

If you pick say G on low-E 3rd fret and you want to pick 3rd string G, it's still a down stroke cause that's the way your hand is traveling. 

Now you need to grab the B on 2nd fret A-string.

You're coming back up and the B will now be an up stroke as that's the way your hand is traveling. 

Do this as an exercise 

Down on low E  jump to D sting down on D. (Remember hand travel)

The up to low A, down to B Sting  up to D string, Down to high E, up to G string, etc

And the go back up

 

Notice I'm not getting you to fret any string yet.

 

 

[kenneth]

@Eracer_Team-DougH Thanks for the elaboration! I get it now... Direction dictates picking pattern. 

To summarize; My pinky finger should be resting on the pickguard when playing strings 1 to 4 (EBGD), and on the high (thin) E-string to be able to reach strings 5 and 6 (AE). In doing so the palm of my hand isn't resting on the guitar's body but is rather floating over the strings. 

I think I get why eighth notes require alternate picking now. Thanks!!

[Eracer_Team-DougH]

It's the down up to work on here.

In session 5 and beyond you're strumming,  then comes barre chords  and palm muting (which you seem to do now)

[kenneth]

@Eracer_Team-DougH Thanks again for the help. I've been working on the alternate picking but am still somewhat struggling with it. I know some next notes require an alternate pick, and it seems that if I use the same picking pattern on those, that's when I will hit the wrong string most of the time. So I get why I should be practicing this technique, I am still wondering however why the course hasn't yet brought this forward, except for the alternate picking on the same string eighth notes. Don't get me wrong I absolutely love the course but am just wondering if this is something that will be taught in other sessions, or am I expected to figure this out by myself over the length of the course itself? I am really hoping more time will be spent learning right hand picking techniques. 

Is it okay if for now if I just use an alternate pick at times when I hit the wrong strings, to correct it, or should I really be doing it every time the direction of the next note(s) and hand movement changes? 

I am currently at Minuet in G, it more or less sounds okay except for some wrong string errors sometimes, I really do hear a difference in tonal quality on the upstroke compared to the downstroke, the downstrokes are definitely richer when it comes to tone. 

Should I be studying the dvd workshops? I have figured out how to play the songs at the end of each session on my own, I am hoping I am not missing anything important when it comes to technique in doing so. 

Thanks 

Edited March 3, 2020 by kenneth
typo

[Eracer_Team-DougH]

wrong string hits are expected esp at this stage.

somethings Steve doesn't teach outright or mentions in passing you need to pick up little hints. (there is so much Steve packed into this course, somethings didn't make it)

Steve starts Music Theory right away but you don't realize it until he hits you with a major music theory lesson in Session 7.

something he glazes over on in Session 9 is you're to mix up your chord playing open chords, barre chords.. most people miss little items like that and stick to one or the other.

after Session 9 it's 'tools' for you guitar bag.. the instruction after fingerstyle S10 sort of gets less and less and more up to you as he introduces but doesn't spoon feed in the upper levels of the course.

[grzyman12]

I couple of weeks into session 4.

I'm doing it in chunks like it was recommended by others. It's easier that way imo. I went into using metronomy for exercises couple of days ago and it's going smoothly. I have a  feeling I will start doing sharps and flats in cuple of days and that it will be smooth sailing to session 5 from here.

Another update will be posted before finishing .

Peace

[3PowerChordsAndAnAttitude]

On 4/30/2021 at 5:08 PM, grzyman12 said:

I couple of weeks into session 4.

I'm doing it in chunks like it was recommended by others. It's easier that way imo. I went into using metronomy for exercises couple of days ago and it's going smoothly. I have a  feeling I will start doing sharps and flats in cuple of days and that it will be smooth sailing to session 5 from here.

Another update will be posted before finishing .

Peace

It's nice to see you're making steady progress, keep it up and let us know!

[Marshall]

Hello guys,

Unfortunately, my old acoustic guitar is unplayable anymore. I am planning to purchase a new one, and I was thinking to buy a electric guitar. Question: Is it okay to continue the course with a electric guitar?

 

Any thoughts? Thank you! 

[Eracer_Team-DougH]

@Marshall many of us have both acoustic and electric 

I alternate on both through the lessons 

[matonanjin]

1 hour ago, Marshall said:

 Question: Is it okay to continue the course with a electric guitar?

 

Of course!!!  Which type of guitar you use should be dictated purely by which you enjoy most.  Nothing else.  Some use an acoustic for the course; some an electric.  Some, like Doug ( @Eracer_Team-DougH) and myself, use both. 

[Marshall]

Thank you so much!!!!! 😀

[Giovanni]

Hi everyone, thanks for all your encouragement.

I've finally gotten to session 4. But I wrote down the note names in the book to help me work through the exercises. Are we supposed to learn note reading at this point? I mean without the aid of writing the note names? Please help.

[Strings]

I would say yes.  Learning the notes and where they appear and what it looks like would be necessary going forward. Congrats on getting to this point. Your hard work is paying off.

[Eracer_Team-DougH]

@Giovanni use pencil 

as you get better at memorizing the notes erase the note names you remember