For the last couple of lessons we’ve been focusing on the right hand, and how to produce sound out of the Guitar. We want to make sure you know how important this stuff is. After all, it is the right hand that makes instrument make sound. Your left hand can do all the gymnastic, hard-to-play Chords and Scales in the world, but it is your right hand that makes the sound audible. Let’s consider a couple of things here, because when you start out, this right hand stuff is kind of difficult. For example, you might feel like you are missing some strings, that it’s difficult to be accurate, if you are using a pick. Or with your fingers. One thing that you can do to address that, is to think about the other three fingers. We mentioned that the pick is held between index and the thumb, but you’ve got this other fingers. Some people do bring it up in hand, and keep it right there. What a lot of people do, I certainly do this at times, is I drop my fingers on to the face of the Guitar, and it stabilizes the hand. You don’t want to push really hard, and lock them in the place, because that is going to restrict motion. You won’t be able to do that wrist motion, like turning the door knob. But, if I let them kind of slide on the instrument, like this [Slides over the strings], I can still do my motion, my wrist motion, and I can strum [Strums the riff], or I can pluck notes [Plucks the riff], or whatever. Another thing that can work, but has some down sides, is taking this part of your palm, and placing it on the bridge. The biggest thing that it does, it restricts your motion. I can’t get up here [Points to the beginning of the Neck of the guitar], I can only pluck down here [Points to the area closer to the bridge]. Listen to the difference in tone. [Plucks at two different areas of the guitar]. It is a world of difference between playing here and there. So, locking yourself down here, only gives you access to one tone of the instrument, and then the other problem is - it might also restrict some motion. What I recommend, is to just let those fingers gently touch the Guitar, or just very slowly practice in a relaxed way, keeping them tucked up to the hand. Never making a tight fist, and also practice trying to hold the pick loosely. That is going to be difficult at first, but you’ll get used to it. With the right hand fingers, it is very difficult to learn  how to play in a relaxed manner. The thing to think about is moving from the large knuckles. The thumb, you don’t want to use this one knuckle, you want to use the whole thumb. With the fingers, you don’t want to drop your wrist down, and just pluck with one part of your finger. You want to raise the wrist a little bit, and swing like this. It is kind of like kicking a ball, you want to use your whole leg, moving from the hip. You don’t want to use just your shin and your foot. You can’t make much of a motion there. So, doing slow, patient movements, where you’re just learning to move the whole finger, gently plucking the strings, and producing sound. That kind of patient work totally pays off. Because, you got to remember that your right hand, not only does it produce your sound, it’s responsible for the rhythm. And rhythm is a huge part of music. All the songs that you want to play, they are not going to sound quite right if the rhythm is off. Learning to use the pick or using your fingers in a way that becomes second nature is  totally essential, but it does takes time. Just be really patient, and it will come.

How do I shred? Shredding is a method of strumming that is all about efficiency. Great shredders have work for years to figure out how to make their picking movements as small and efficient as possible. But the operative word here is “years” - shredding takes a lot of practice. While we know that you want to start shredding right of the bat, the best way to learn is to focus on proper strumming techniques first and through practice make your motions more efficient. While you can probably play relatively quickly right now, you have to be careful that not to develop a habit of playing with too much much tension in your arm. Shredding is a popular guitar technique and there is no reason you can’t start the journey today! What is tapping and how do I do it? Most people credit Eddie as the tapping pioneer. While this technique existed before Van Halen, he is the most recognizable figure who popularized this technique. Tapping is done by using a finger on the right hand to tap a string against the fret, which audibly frets a note. Usually, you then pull that finger downward off the string, it creates a second tone with your left hand. Through tapping, you can create combinations of right hand taps and left hand notes to create a flow of notes that sounds very unique. What’s that fast fingerstyle strumming thing that I hear in Spanish guitar music? The style you hear in Spanish guitar music is called rasgueado. It is a technique of using multiple fingers on your right hand to strum the strings quickly which creates a blur of sound. When done correctly, you can hear each finger distinctly and it sounds very rhythmic and dynamic at the same time.