Right Hand Studies No 1

In this lesson, Charlie will teach us some right hand exercises to improve the eveness of the right hand.

The diagrams below show the position of the fingers on your left hand to play the basic chords used in this lesson.

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In case you missed it ...

We're going to have a look at some right hand studies. The idea of this is to improve the eveness of your right hand picking. I'm going to go through just a couple of chord changes and a consistent right hand picking pattern. We'll go through, probably four or five of them.

Let's start with our chord change and finger picking pattern number 1.

Now, the two chord shapes we're using are ... the C chord, and what is essentially the G chord with a B bass. I've got my second finger here on B, on the A string. I've got my first finger down here, on the F, which is on the first string first fret, and my pinkie on my third fret of my B string. ...

What I'm going to do with that is going to practice working on that chord change. I 'm going to need that change while I'm playing my right hand picking ...

So with my fingers on my C chord, I'm going to be playing thumb on my bass note, which in this case will be a C note, on the A string. My first finger on the B string, and my second finger on the E string.

I'm just going to move down one bass note at a time, as I play each of those triads. so I'm going ... one ... two ... three ... back to my C note. So, I'm playing the notes on my A string ... bass note down to my D string ... down to my G ... and back up to my C ... Then all I do is change the chord ...

So, quite simply in a nice even tempo ... twice through on the C ... chord change ...

So for my first picking pattern, I'm going to play, C again on the bass, and then I'm going to be playing the B string and the E string. This time I'm going to separate those notes into triplets, so I'get thumb ... first ... second ...

Thumb ... first ... second ...
Dropping down a string with my bass note ...
Dropping down to my G again with my thumb ...
And then back up to my C ...

Twice through that ...

Change the chord ...

For my second right hand picking pattern all I do is simply reverse my first finger and second finger so I'm now playing thumb, second, first, ... so, I'm going back the other way. I hit my E string first, then my B string. My bass note is still going to move down one at a time, so I get ... one cycle ... change the chord ...

[For] my third right hand picking pattern, I start with my thumb, I then play first finger on the D string, second finger on the G, so I play one-two-three ... drop down a string, repeat the same right hand, now from my D, to my G, to my B ... and then finally my G (not finally, but my G) B, E,... and then my last motion is going to be from my bass note C and my last two strings being my B and my E string, so I get ...that to close ... so it becomes ... change the chord ...

And for our forth right hand picking pattern, we're going to go again in reverse, this time we're going to start on the G, work our way back to the C, so we're going second, first, thumb ... dropping down a string ... and then another string ... finishing back on our C bass ...

I pretty much play these through at a fairly slow tempo. The important thing for you to understand is that it must be even. You can gradually build your speed as you get your confidence going with your right hand so eventually you're going to end up fairly fast if you like, this kind of speed ... but it is very important that you get it nice and even. We don't want the chord changes to be sloppy and sound like this ... we want it to flow through ...

Ok, persist with it, build up the strength in that right hand, or if you happen to be left handed it would be a left hand exercise, but I think you know what I mean. Anyway, good luck with it and we'll see you next time.

 

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