Guitar Essentials - Left Hand Fingering

Difficulty: Beginner

Lesson Length: 4:55

Instructor: George Goodman

Concepts: Beginner

* Introduce the eighth note
* Alternate picking
* Ear Training
* String name review

George Goodman's Guitar and Harmonica Method

Takamine EG541SC
I am playing my black tak in this one.

This is a Takamine G Series EG541SC bought in North Carolina when I was playing in a band called Double Take.
Specs:
Top - Solid Spruce
Back - Nato
Sides - Nato
Finger Board - Rosewood
Electronics - TK40
Finish - Gloss Black
Check out more Takamine G Series Guitars

Place your left hand on the neck with your thumb in behind for support. Curve your fingers creating a good arch so that you can press down with the tips of your fingers.
Assign each finger to its own fret so your first finger will play in the first fret, second finger, second fret, third finger, third fret and fourth finger, fourth fret.

Playing quarter notes, start with the sixth string open and then first fret, second fret, third fret, fourth fret and back again. Once back on the open 6th string, hold for four beats. This note type is known as a whole note and will receive four beats in common time. Then move to the 5th string and do it all again. Continue moving up the strings from sixth to first.

Guitar Tabs

E|-----------------------------
B|-----------------------------
G|-----------------------------
D|-----------------------------
A|-----------------------------
E|--0--1--2--3--4--3--2--1--0--

E|-----------------------------
B|-----------------------------
G|-----------------------------
D|-----------------------------
A|--0--1--2--3--4--3--2--1--0--
E|-----------------------------

E|-----------------------------
B|-----------------------------
G|-----------------------------
D|--0--1--2--3--4--3--2--1--0--
A|-----------------------------
E|-----------------------------

E|-----------------------------
B|-----------------------------
G|--0--1--2--3--4--3--2--1--0--
D|-----------------------------
A|-----------------------------
E|-----------------------------

E|-----------------------------
B|--0--1--2--3--4--3--2--1--0--
G|-----------------------------
D|-----------------------------
A|-----------------------------
E|-----------------------------

E|--0--1--2--3--4--3--2--1--0--
B|-----------------------------
G|-----------------------------
D|-----------------------------
A|-----------------------------
E|-----------------------------

The second part of the exercise mimics the first part but instead of playing quarter notes, we play eighth notes. That makes the exercise go twice as fast.
Unlike playing quarter notes where every note was picked with a downstroke, with eighth notes we alternate between playing downstrokes and upstrokes. The downstroke occurs on the beat - 1, 2, 3, 4 - while the upstroke occurs on the off beat - &. If this is too fast for now, practice slower and work on increasing your speed but keep the notes clean sounding.