HANDS & TRICKS
Build Technique
Picking, hammer-ons, bends, vibrato — the moves that turn notes into playing.
What you'll explore
Alternate Picking Explained
Down-up picking harvests the return trip: half the motion, twice the notes. When to start, whether all-downstrokes is fine, and the fix for a snagging pick.
Downstrokes vs Upstrokes
Downs are wide and heavy, ups are narrow and light, and that contrast is the design. Why your upstroke sounds thinner, plus the fix for a snagging pick.
Fingerstyle Guitar for Beginners
No nails needed. The finger-to-string map (your thumb owns the bass), the first p-i-m-a pattern, and why fingerstyle isn't gated behind pick playing.
Palm Muting Explained
The name lies: it's the pinky edge of your hand, parked at the bridge. Position and pressure are the two dials, and a discovery drill finds your spot.
Hammer-Ons Explained
Pick once; your fretting hand plays the second note. What 5h7 means, why speed beats force, and the anchor rule that keeps the new note ringing.
Pull-Offs Explained
A pull-off isn't a lift; it's a tiny pluck by the leaving finger. Why yours is silent, the plant-pick-pull order, and the fix for snagged strings.
Slides Explained
Finger slides, not the glass tube: what 5/7 in tab means, why the note dies when pressure eases mid-trip, and how to land in tune at the target fret.
Bends Explained
Most flat bends share one cause: no destination. Fret the target note first, listen, then bend to match it. Wrist rotation and stacked fingers do the rest.
Vibrato Explained
Vibrato is a tiny bend repeated in time, returning to true pitch each cycle. Two dials, speed and width, and slow-and-wide beats fast-and-nervous.
Why Are My Hammer-Ons Too Quiet?
Because volume comes from strike speed, not force. The cause checklist, the volume-matching drill, and why part of the gap is physics, not failure.
How to Mute the Strings You Aren't Playing
Clean players don't aim better; they mute better. Both hands guard the strings: the fretting hand takes the thin side, the palm edge takes the thick side.