When do you shift?? I'm so confused...I'm learning by the teacher/books and I'm trying to learn some stuff on my own, but reading tabs is not the book's forte...so I'm working on figuring out tabs, but it's telling me to play on the 7th and 9th frets and I don't know how to position my fingers, like which fingers do I use for that sort of thing? When do I shift up and which fingers do I use on the higher frets beyond first position? (I'm not positive that's how you say it; I'm used to violin lingo, not guitar. Hopefully you know what I mean.)
I really would like to know. I'm just a beginner and I really could use the help. Thanks everyone! Very Happy
I suggest that you start here in our Absolute Beginners Section.
Inside there I would suggest Your Very Own Rosetta Stone - A Guide To Reading Musical Notation Part One, Absolute Beginner: Part 1 Chords and Timing Is Everything - A Guide To Reading Musical Notation Part Two and Improving Your Chord Changes.
Hope those help! :D
And, welcome to GuitarNoise!!! We look forward to seeing you around the forums! :D
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"Don't wanna ride no shootin' star. Just wanna play on the rhythm guitar." Emmylou Harris, "Rhythm Guitar" from "The Ballad of Sally Rose"
In that particular instance you'd fret the 7th fret with your pointer finger ,and the 9th with your ring finger.
Just think of the top line here as frets, and the bottom line as fingers
1234 <frets
1234 < fingers (pointer, middle, ring, pinky)
Much in the same way
5678
1234
78910
123 4
When you get to the higher frets, it's really up to you/the situation. Sometimes I'll use less fingers
It's really all about what makes things comfortable and quick.
It also depends on what your next chord/notes are going to be. Whenever possible it is best to leave one finger where it is (called the pivot finger) and just move the other two or three fingers depending on the chord/notes. For instance, when forming an E chord 
and you want to go to a C chord 
, you'll notice that there is a common finger placement between the two chords, all you would have to do in this instance is to drop your index finger down to the second string in the first fret and move your ring finger over to the third fret on the same string while leaving your middle finger in the exact same spot in the second fret. This way you're using minimal finger movement and are able to make changes faster.
Here's a handy little chord chart. When you click on an individual chord shape, it will give you alternate shapes for that same chord. http://www.chordie.com/chords.php
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¸.·´ .·´¨¨))
((¸¸.·´ .·´
-:¦:- ((¸¸.·´ -:¦:- Elecktrablue -:¦:-
"Don't wanna ride no shootin' star. Just wanna play on the rhythm guitar." Emmylou Harris, "Rhythm Guitar" from "The Ballad of Sally Rose"
It all depends on where your fingers are to begin with, if the lowest note is at the 5th fret you shouldn't have to shift up, your index finger should already be at 5. You need to look at the whole song first.
ThatsRad, welcome to the forum.
I also have a hard time with tabs. I kind of forget what the symbols mean.
then I get lost. you mentioned violin. do you play?
if so, then you have an ear.
all you need now is to learn some basic chords (triads)
and which fingers to use to make them.
after that, your knowledge of violin (scales, etc). will apply to guitar.
check out the lesson section here.
in the mean time, rock out. use one string
see what happens.
Thanks for the help everyone :) I really appreciate it. Yes, I do play violin also and it has helped me with certain things already.
