Left Hand Position is a free weekly video guitar lesson series by Ethan Fiks. Be sure to subscribe and check out Ethan’s official website.

Video Guitar Lesson

Left hand position on the guitar is something that some players, especially in pop styles, do not think about too much. And you know what?- Many of those players turn out just fine letting the fingers fall how they may. However, since this is guitar education, we like to think about any matters that can make us better players, and left hand position is worth considering. The spectrum of square classical to angled blues hand positions all have their advantages for different types of playing. This first video in this series examines the benefits of a square hand position and shows a really cool “Spider” exercise for developing left hand finger independence. Square hand position is not just for classical players… Players such as Steve Howe, Allan Holdsworth, and many of the “shreddy” types lean this way because of its efficient and clean movement.