[Frustrated_Sk8er]

Hi everyone. Right now, I'm not really asking about skating, but I should.
I am going to be in my school's Jazz Band, playing guitar. But now, I'm asking how I play chords on and electric guitar without hitting the other strings. In other words, how do I play chords cleanly?:confused:

[hauser5]

It is according to what chord you are playing and what tuning you are using. Some artists use open tunings which make it easier to play. It just takes time and practice. I have been playing guitar for 17 years, and it didn't happen overnight. You have to get used to which strings to hit, and which ones not to. With fingerpicking, you can play up to five strings simultaneously, skipping strings in between (unless you have more or less fingers on one hand). Otherwise, with strumming you must play them in groups next to each other.

[Frustrated_Sk8er]

Well, I am only twelve years old. And I heard that popping your knuckles can effect your play. I do that a lot. Is that true? But I am talking about keeping your fingers only on the frets given, and not hitting the other strings.

[hauser5]

Oh, I see what you are saying. You must have big fingers! I was always told that my long and skinny fingers were signs of being artistic. But don't let it worry you, because if Dolly Parton can play with long fingernails, anyone can play guitar! And yes, popping your knuckles is bad for your joints. I know a lot of guitar players my age that have bad carpal tunnel syndrome, and popping your knuckles is not going to help any when you get older. I know a guy that can hardly even play because of it. To help you on not hitting the other strings, you need to really stretch your hand and curve your fingers. Don't just keep the palm of your hand rested on the neck of the guitar.

[Clough]

If the chords that you are strumming involve all of the strings of the guitar, then you will be more likely to strum the chords cleanly. If you are only wanting to use the bottom three or four strings of the guitar for the chords, then you would dampen the strings that you don't want to use with your little finger.

[Frustrated_Sk8er]

Dampen? Well I guess I need to stop popping my knuckles.....

hauser5,
Do you pop your knuckles? Just curious.

[hauser5]

Every now and then, but not outward. I just kind of make a fist and push in on them sometimes, but they rarely pop. Here is something I found on WebMD.com about popping knuckles:

Will cracking your knuckles will cause arthritis in later life?

ANSWER: False. Depending on your point of view, knuckle-popping sounds disgusting or cool. There is no evidence that cracking your knuckles inflames the joints and leads to arthritis. The cracking causes the bones to pull apart, forming a gas bubble and breaking the adhesive seal in the joint. Crack! About a quarter of the people in the U.S. crack their knuckles and might begin to lose their grip a little. Constant cracking can weaken the fingers.

And what Clough meant by dampen, is to just barely touch the string enough to keep it from making sound, without actually pressing it to the fretboard.

[Frustrated_Sk8er]

Ahhh....
Well, I'm getting a hang of it. Just struggling with the "D" and "G" chord. Or is it "C"?

[Jonathan0996]

Hi everyone. Right now, I'm not really asking about skating, but I should.
I am going to be in my school's Jazz Band, playing guitar. But now, I'm asking how I play chords on and electric guitar without hitting the other strings. In other words, how do I play chords cleanly?:confused:

This sounds like a hand position issue. You need to bend your wrist and position your fingers so that they're coming down from directly above the frets. You don't want to be trying to grab the chords from below the neck at an angle.

Your thumb should be somewhere between the upper edge of the fretboard to midway down the back of the neck. And there should be some space between the web of your hand (between your thumb and forefinger) and the neck. Don't cram your whole hand up against the back of the neck. Only the meat of your thumb and the third knuckle of your left hand should touch the back of the neck, usually at either end of the fretboard.

Oh, and keep your fingernails short.

[Frustrated_Sk8er]

Hehe...
Thanks.
I'll try that. :)

[dtv034me]

Well just try really hard to pull your fingers away from all the other chords without making too much of a different sound

[templelane]

Jon's right about the hand position. I haven't been playing as long as some of the other's on this thread but I do play a little. I improved pretty much overnight when someone helped with my hand position. I managed to suddenly get loads of techniques I couldn't do before just by shifting my hand a little.

You can play guitar with long nails (just about) but I would never advise it! Not that I think that'll be a problem for you.

Look up finger practices on the web. I used to do lot's of them and they really helped my speed and accuracy.

[Frustrated_Sk8er]

Well, I'm better now.
And I bought a Capo for some chords.