🛠️ Troubleshooting

Usually a knuckle crease of your index finger isn't fully pressing one string. Roll the finger slightly onto its bony edge, move it close to the fret wire and use arm weight instead of thumb squeeze. Hold the chord and pick string by string to find the dead one. Details: Barre lesson.

You're pressing too far from the fret or not firmly enough. Place your finger right behind the fret wire. If every note always buzzes, the guitar's action or neck relief may be off — get a "setup" from a tech. Fretting lesson.

A neighbouring finger is leaning on it. Curl your knuckles more, press with your fingertips and bring your wrist forward so fingers come down vertically.

Find the shared (anchor) fingers and keep them down; move the others together in one motion. Do the "one-minute changes" drill daily. Anchor finger system.

New strings stretch for a few days — tune, gently pull each string a few times and retune. Always approach the target from below. Temperature changes also matter; keep the guitar away from radiators.

If open strings are right but the 12th fret is off, the intonation needs adjusting. Pressing too hard also pulls notes sharp — use lighter pressure.

Light strings to begin: 0.009 or 0.010 on electric, 0.011 (custom light) on acoustic. Move to heavier gauges for a fuller tone as your fingers strengthen.

Never stop the down-up motion of your strumming hand; on silent beats just miss the strings. Start at 60 BPM with a metronome and count aloud. Strumming lesson.

Hold the pick looser and use only the tip. A thinner pick (0.5–0.7 mm) is softer for strumming. Move from the wrist and keep the arm relaxed.

Lift your fretting hand early on the bar's last "&" and strum the open strings — pros do it too. Slow the tempo first, then build it up.

Film yourself and work through the speed bottleneck diagnostic. The cause is usually tension, oversized pick motion or the pick snagging at string changes.

Play the target note fretted first, then bend to match it. Use support fingers and drive from the wrist. Bending guide.

Mute with both hands: the underside of your fretting fingers covers lower strings, your picking palm rests lightly on the unused thick strings.

Normal for the first 2–4 weeks. Practise short and often (3 × 10 min a day). Rest 1–2 days if blisters form. Sharp wrist pain or numbness is not normal — stop. Callus care.

Consistency beats duration: 20–30 minutes daily is far more effective than 3 hours once a week. Routine templates.

Set measurable goals (tempo, clean changes per minute) and record yourself weekly. Listening back to last month's recording will show the difference.