Lesson: Left Hand Tension and Relaxation Exercises for Classical Guitar

Lesson: Left Hand Tension and Relaxation Exercises for Classical Guitar
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Lesson: Left Hand Tension and Relaxation Exercises - This is a lesson on how to relax the left hand and learn to do the movements without tension. Although some tension is used in playing we must differentiate between functional tension and dysfunctional tension (some terms from Charles Duncan's The Art of Classical Guitar Playing). In the video I cover 4 main topics:
1. The importance of have a good technique and positions overall
2. Muted exercises that can help your technique (from my book Classical Guitar Technique)
3. The vice-grip problem and thumb tension
4. Integrating these exercises into your practice routine
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Thanks for watching!
#guitar #classicalguitar #classicalguitarlesson

[@scottkleyla7752]

Yes Maestro, absolute begginer here. A required progression method as many benifits and rewards after only one practice.

[@defaultname9674]

Thank you for this great advice. I'm 50 years playing self-taught folk (steel string) guitar and I have many bad habits to unlearn! I've been feeling good about learning a piece but my left thumb is KILLING me after about 40 mins of practice. I fear that I am not using good technique, as well as trying to play through the pain, which only causes more unnecessary tension. I'm going to follow all these instructions !

[@Thisisclassicalguitar]

Hope it helps!

[@kirklandgavin6858]

I learned a valuable lesson not to long ago its stop playing if your are fatigued or your fingers and hand feel week. You can do some serious damage to yourself. for example doing to much like scales, arp, stretching, slurs, and bar chord studies together for long time or several hours. I was pressing way to hard with my thumb on the neck which caused me pain along my arm, elbow and forearm I had to stop playing for a few days. for it to heal. I don't want a injury that will stop me permanently. The reason why I was working so hard was to make up time for not playing for over a year. Now I have changed everything about how I practice or play music. I also found that I had a lot of tension in both legs and right shoulder that I hadn't noticed before. Playing the guitar is not difficult it takes time and lots of practice of a lot of different things. I like your deal of RH studies w/ open strings and this lesson .Thank you for these awesome lessons, sir, very good.

[@MK-sc8md]

Thank you for referring me to this. Muted scales it is!

[@rrheipel]

This is the lesson I really needed to progress. I have been playing electric/acoustic guitar all my life but my problem has been that I tend to press too hard on the strings and vise grip. The muting exercise is really helpful. Thanks very much. I just bought another one of your books today. You are an excellent teacher! Thanks!

[@Thisisclassicalguitar]

Glad it was helpful!

[@eduardowhitlam4179]

I really appreciate all your lessons and in particular this one. I am a Ronroco player and have some left hand issues that I am determined to improve. Your lessons provide really amazingly helpful tips and perspectives to improve. Thank you so much.

[@Thisisclassicalguitar]

Glad it has been helpful!

[@nik8ivnv]

Thanks! It's a life changing exercise, a few people talk about it😢 it's super important to set up everything right from the start!

[@moosaawad1627]

Kiko Loureiro also talked about this minimal tension exercise. I keep procrastinating doing this exercise and I always end up with muscle pains while playing the guitar. Maybe its about time I actually try this haha

[@prime8150]

love you from sikkim northeast india thank from the bottom of the heart

[@PurpleBreath]

This was incredibly helpful, thank you so much!

[@Thisisclassicalguitar]

Glad it was helpful!

[@DaveLeoni]

Great advice. Thx

[@Operafan75]

Excellent video. Thanks!

[@MrUrech]

Just what i needed! Wow thanks bradmeister

[@Thisisclassicalguitar]

Hope it helps!

[@koker0]

For me the problem is that left and right hand strenght is synchronized. When I relax left hand then right relaxes also, and vice versa

[@kangyiflute]

You are the best. Thank you!

[@Thisisclassicalguitar]

Thanks!

[@Shravan_Vasishth]

What do you think about using the weight of the arm to contribute to the pressing down onto the fretboard? Could that be one way to reduce the tension in the fingers per se?

[@Thisisclassicalguitar]

Yes, to some extent. By being in the proper position and curving the fingers the weight of the arm can help bring the string into the fret. Not as much as it does when forming a barre but it does help. But it's light as we don't want the weight itself to cause tension in the curved fingers.