Finger precision

Question

As earlier asked here, I have made a lot of progress from where I was, especially I can hold the guitar in the standard way and at least play something without leaning onto fretboard.

However, each time I attempt to play a melody, I hit just one fret lower (left) or higher (right). but not precisely the exact fret. so basically my questions are:

1. How can I visualize the "exact" location of a fret such as fret 10, 11, 12? They are so confusing! The sound is dramatically different, but their physical location perceived by me appears to be the same. How can I improve my spatial perception and proprioception?

2. How can I increase finger precision?

Answer 1

Proprioception and muscle memory are intimately linked. If you do not want to use Tim's "musical" method - perhaps you want to always be able to move from 3rd fret to 15th fret for example, and not have to look - then I think there is only one solution:

PRACTICE!

On stage I wear a mask that severely limits my ability to look downwards, and I have a few songs where I need to quickly be able to hit a fret accurately, so worked through my two options. One being to slide up to the required fret - reasonably easy, as I can hear the right note.

But for some songs a slide is not what I want, so I had to learn how to move my hand to exactly where I wanted it, and quickly. My practice scenario was to play an A shape at the nut then 12th fret, then 1st fret, then 13th fret etc., so 12 fret jumps, then did the same with an E shape etc. And then I did the same with 9 fret jumps, and 7, and 5. Anything less than that is simply a flex of the wrist/hand.

Once I was really comfortable with those, I brought in changing chord shapes during the jump.

I know you mention single notes, but the principle is exactly the same - and it works for both.

Admittedly the first few thousand attempts were a bit hit and miss, but you improve rapidly, even though my different guitars have different neck shapes. All had the same scale length, which helped.

Answer 2

Learn your scales! There is one particular pace where the scale can be played in more than two octaves, over all the strings. For example, A major encompasses frets 4 to 7. Using one finger per fret, and certainly not sliding up or down, each diatonicc note will be the product of a certain finger on a certain fret on a certain string.

At your level, most of what you play will be diatonic, so when eventually accidentals come along, you'll be more eperienced, so will be able to find them without looking anyway.

Instead of looking at the fretboard direct, you could have, as I have in the studio, a mirror to check in, but with the above method, you won't need to look anyway, as long as your hand doesn't stray from its 4-fret position for the key it's in.

Answer 3

Figured out a decent solution that is seemingly working.

Since the confusion is not at musical feeling but with specifically proprioception, a really really fun exercise can solve it.

Since frets are about 1 to 2 cm apart near the high pitch end (near the body), fingers can be trained to detect less than 1 cm change of placement.

Take a Comb. (The one intended for hair brush), preferably start with a large gap comb.

Hold the comb in right hand like a guitar, with teeth portion at left hand (Teeth simulates fret). Take a thin plectrum in left hand in between left cursor and left middle finger.

Excercise 1:

Paint the pick over the teeth horizontally very gently over the comb teeth left and right. feel the jerks.

Excercise 2:

Slowely inset the pick in between gap of 2 adjascent teeth. then take out the pick and again insert it on the same gap

Excercise 3:

Same as exercise 2 but after you take out the pick, but then insert into the next gap. then again release the pick and insert it into previous gap.

Excercise 4:

continue this insertion and taking out process for gap 1 then gap 2 then gap 3 ... thus continue. then in reverse- like gap 10 - gap 9 - gap 8 - ... .

This really really works cool for me.