Five Tips for the
Christian Guitarist

1. PRAYER.
The first tip for this lesson is to start your practice
sessions with prayer. It's so simple, but so easy
to forget to do.

Prayer has two sides. Not only does God want
to help us through this life, He wants us to do
everything to His Glory.

Ask Him to help you learn the instrument. You
can ask Him for help with certain chord changes,
etc. Then play for him... even your practice.

2. RELAX
It takes a lot of weight to hold down the strings of a guitar,
especially for bar chords. But, not more than what's needed
to get a good sound.

Most students hold too much tension in their hands.
It's no wonder it's difficult for them to change quickly
or get a good sound.

A good way to release unnecessary tension is to start with
relaxing your face. Consciously relax your face and shoulders
while you play. That will help your fingers too.

3. LEFT HAND
The best position for your left hand is when your hand
is parallel to the neck. You want to have the pinky
side of your hand as close to the neck as your first
finger side.

Many beginning guitar players hold their hand with
the first finger side close to the neck, but the pinky
side is an inch or more away.

4. RIGHT HAND
Relax! Most people hold too much tension in both
hands. If you're playing an arpeggio pattern, only
use energy for the stroke. Your fingers should
fall back down with no tension.

For strumming patterns, you're hand should be
like a wet rag... relaxed.

5. FOCUS AHEAD
A simple way to flesh this out is by looking at where the fingers
will go next. For example, if you're playing chords in the first fret,
but are going to move to a chord higher up on the neck... look at
the trets you're moving to, not where you hand is now. You'll get
to the new chord with more accuracy. If you're learning a new
chord, try to visualize the chord before you change.

Think ahead to the next chord, next measure. Think ahead to
where your fingers are moving. Only look, if you watch your
hands, to where you're moving too.

© Jean Welles