One of the biggest frustrations for anyone learning to fingerpick is this…
The annoying thud that you hear when you go to pick a string, only to accidentally pluck the wrong string.
One moment you are gliding high, playing the song, and feeling the rush of having the music flow through you.
Then, thud, you hit the wrong string and it ruins the flow like smashing into a brick wall, bringing you back down to earth with a bang.
It’s such as hell-raising, frustrating experience. I know, I was there many times!
To prevent this, guitarists often jolt their head left and right, trying to check that both hands are doing things correctly. i.e. they check the fretting hand is on the correct strings and frets, and they check the picking hand’s fingers are ready to pluck the correct strings.
This looking back and forth causes awkward pauses in the music, and to be blunt, it is just a tiring and uncomfortable way to play.
Worst of all, is that nearly all guitarists who do it, don’t even realise they are doing it!
They just know deep down something is not quite right with their playing.
A simple way to catch yourself here is to either play in front of a mirror or set up your smartphone so it records you playing (or you can get someone to film you playing – as daunting as that can be).
If you ever feel you lack fluency when you play, this bad habit could be the reason why.
At the very least, it is worth checking whether you do it or not.
Either way, what if I said there is a way you can, rather quickly (but with practice of course) improve so you can fingerpick the correct strings using the correct finger every time and do so without constantly having to look back and forth at each hand?
Well, there is and although NOT a miracle cure, it will help make your playing much more enjoyable, relaxing, and professional sounding.
I never see anyone teaching it, apart from a few classical teachers doing it in their own way. Even then they don’t get students to practise it enough.
It is called the “Cup”, and if you practise it in a certain way, you will make big improvements here. …And if you use it with the dozens of other tips I give you in the book, you can get rid of this hidden killer in your playing for good – as long as you practise them of course!
Check out the book below and remember, until tomorrow night, it comes with two very cool bonuses – 100% free.
Get your copy of Fingerstyle 101 (Second Edition)
Dan Thorpe
Guitar Domination
P.S. This post was originally taken from Dan Thorpe’s private email list. To get blog posts like this sent to you which are full of great tips to make fingerpicking, strumming, and learning guitar more enjoyable (especially if you are over 40) then join Dan’s list. It’s 100% free, HERE.
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