Frequently Asked Questions about "The Whole Guitarist"

Frequently Asked Questions about "Scales and Arpeggios and How to Play Them "

QUESTION :
"One thing I need help with, when looking at my left hand to be sure I am fretting correctly, etc it is hard to keep the neck and spine straight out as you say. You have to bend the neck down in order to see the frets. "

ANSWER :
As an Alexander teacher will show you... the important thing is to maintain the lengthening spine regardless of where your head is... you are not expected to sit like a statue !

QUESTION :
"How else can we watch our hands ?"

ANSWER :
The scale and arpeggio fingerings in "Scales and Arpeggios and How to Play Them - 1998" are designed specifically to help you find your way around the neck by feel... pay particular attention to the fingerings. Often a change of position will involve maintaining contact with the string and listening for the destination tone.

QUESTION :
"What about pre-placing the fingers?"

ANSWER :
I think pre-placement of the fingers is OK if done in practice and for the right reasons. By itself, being careful gives us no guarantee of accuracy. So don't do it to avoid mistakes, but rather to explore concepts such as :

This book was superceded in August 2003 by the publication of "Guitar Playing and how it works".

I will leave these pages on-line as they still contain useful information.

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