Toward the nut or the body of the guitar? I had thought for some time the general concensus was the nut in instructional materials, now I have been seeing the body mentioned more often.
Is there a technical advantage to one way or the other or is it one of those personal preference things?
thanks.
The technical advantage is in going straight down - if you roll either way, you're turning your wrist and limiting the reach of your fingers.
But some folks find that hard to do, at least for a while. Rolling toward the nut will get most beginners a better tone; rolling towards the bridge will give you a bit more reach to do a shuffle. But ultimately you want to work towards keeping it straight... the trick is not to bend the index finger. Most beginners at barre chords want to curl the finger, but any curl beyond the fretboard radius makes it difficult or impossible to apply even pressure - you'll end up with some dead strings.
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Hmmm - I just checked and apparently I've been doing it wrong all these years (I'd trust Noteboat's judgement on anything guitar related!) because my index finger is slightly rolled towards the nut. So technically I'm disadvantaged - but it doesn't bother me too much, I've got pretty big hands and can manage those shuffles fairly easily. I'll check next time I'm playing and try and straighten that pesky finger!
:) :) :)
Vic
"Sometimes the beauty of music can help us all find strength to deal with all the curves life can throw us." (D. Hodge.)
+1 on Tom's advice. If only I had know that when I was learning barre chords. I share the same technique with Vic yet I don't have the advantage of good reach.
"Nothing...can take the place of persistence. Talent will not; nothing is more common than unsuccessful men with talent. Genius will not; unrewarded genius is almost a proverb. Education will not; the world is full of educated derelicts."
