Posture in Guitar Playing

Last few days I've not practised so much on the guitar. Though I did manage to snatch a few moments from other more "pressing matters" (naaah!!) and practise the guitar tab.

Anyway I found out 2 things a bit luckily
1) I was playing guitar in the casual non-classical way and found that I could play the slow version of the tabs easily enough. When I tried to speed it up, my fingers were sticking to the fretboard. I recalled the principles of perfect practise for guitar and changed over to the classical posture. Immediately I felt the weight of the guitar coming off the left hand and onto the left thigh. "I flitted merrily over the notes and danced away like the children of the night!!" :-)

2) Getting a bit of a stiff back from sitting at my workstation for 8 hrs constantly I decided to do something about it. I started back strengthening exercises (Bhujangasana and Shalabhasana, followed by spine stretching Halasana (great - esp. between the shoulder blades) ).
After 1 week I found that I could sit up straight without any effort.
Normally I slouch a lot and though the above Guitar Principles say to 'Sit-Up-Straight', I normally didn't follow it. (It wasn't easy to do so many things .... )

It's helped me a good bit as I've got a sedantary life-style, computers, bike driving over slightly bumpy roads etc.
I hope that it'll help me improve my guitar playing as well.

Video of my First Cut at Playing "Theme for Young Lovers" by The Shadows

This video is for viewing how I played when I started out. SO 6 months down the line I want to look back at this. I've played LIVE ie. no preparation - warts and all.

Like the 'You never throw away the first piece of Pottery that you make' from Globe Trotter or Lonely Planet or something.

Here's the link to my website containing the .3gp ie RealPlayer video file.
http://www.geocities.com/guru_on_net/TheShadowsThemeForYoungLovers11-05-06.3gp.mp3

Geocities doesn't allow uploading/renaming the file with .3gp extension so just download the file and remove the URL's .mp3 keeping the .3gp as
TheShadowsThemeForYoungLovers11-05-06.3gp

Tablature for my first song on the guitar

This is the Tablature (Tabs) for the song -
"Theme for Young Lovers" by The Shadows

E||----------10--9--7--9--|--7----------------|-------------0-----0--|
B||-----------------------|-------------------|----------7-----------|
G||-----------------------|-------------------|----------------7-----|
D||-----------------------|-------------------|----------------------|
A||-----------------------|-------------------|----------------------|
E||-----------------------|-------------------|----------------------|



-------------------|----------10--9--7--9--|--7----------------|
--7----------------|-----------------------|-------------------|
-------------------|-----------------------|-------------------|
-------------------|-----------------------|-------------------|
-------------------|-----------------------|-------------------|
-------------------|-----------------------|-------------------|



-------------0-------|--0----------------|--------------------|
----------7----------|-------------------|---------------0----|
----------------7----|-------------------|----------2---------|
---------------------|-------------------|--------------------|
---------------------|-------------------|--------------------|
---------------------|-------------------|--------------------|



-----------0----2----|--0-------------------|-----------0----2----|
--3------------------|-----3------0----3----|--3------------------|
---------------------|----------------------|---------------------|
---------------------|----------------------|---------------------|
---------------------|----------------------|---------------------|
---------------------|----------------------|---------------------|



--5--2-----------2----|--5--------2----5----|--7----5--------------|
------------3---------|---------------------|------------7---------|
----------------------|---------------------|-----------------7----|
----------------------|---------------------|----------------------|
----------------------|---------------------|----------------------|
----------------------|---------------------|----------------------|



--0----------------|------5----7----9----|--10--------9----10----|
-------------------|---------------------|-----------------------|
-------------------|---------------------|-----------------------|
-------------------|---------------------|-----------------------|
-------------------|---------------------|-----------------------|
-------------------|---------------------|-----------------------|


--9--7------5----7----|--5------------------|--0--------------0----|
----------------------|-----------7---------|----------------------|
----------------------|----------------7----|-----7------7---------|
----------------------|---------------------|----------------------|
----------------------|---------------------|----------------------|
----------------------|---------------------|----------------------|



------------0---------|--0-------------------|--------------------|
--7--------------7----|------------0---------|--0-----------------|
---------7------------|-------7--------------|---------------7----|
----------------------|-----------------7----|--------------------|
----------------------|----------------------|--------------------|
----------------------|----------------------|--------------------|



---------------------|-----------0---------|--0-------------------|
----------------0----|----------------7----|------------0---------|
--7------------------|--7------------------|-----7-----------7----|
-----------7---------|---------------------|----------------------|
---------------------|---------------------|----------------------|
---------------------|---------------------|----------------------|



-----------0---------|--5-------------------|--5-------------5----|
----------------7----|-----7-----------7----|-----------7---------|
--7------------------|------------7---------|---------------------|
---------------------|----------------------|---------------------|
---------------------|----------------------|---------------------|
---------------------|----------------------|---------------------|



--7----5--------------|--0----------------|------5----7----9----|
------------7---------|-------------------|---------------------|
-----------------7----|-------------------|---------------------|
----------------------|-------------------|---------------------|
----------------------|-------------------|---------------------|
----------------------|-------------------|---------------------|



--10--------9----10----|--9--7------5----7----|--5------------------|
-----------------------|----------------------|-----------7---------|
-----------------------|----------------------|----------------7----|
-----------------------|----------------------|---------------------|
-----------------------|----------------------|---------------------|
-----------------------|----------------------|---------------------|


--0--------------0----|------------0---------|--0-------------------|
----------------------|--7--------------7----|------------0---------|
-----7------7---------|---------7------------|-------7--------------|
----------------------|----------------------|-----------------7----|
----------------------|----------------------|----------------------|
----------------------|----------------------|----------------------|



--------------------|---------------------|-----------0--------|
--0-----------------|---------------------|--7-----------------|
---------------7----|--7------------------|--------------------|
--------------------|-----------7------7--|--------------------|
--------------------|---------------------|--------------------|
--------------------|---------------------|--------------------|





--------------------|--------------------|--------------------|
--------------------|--8--------7--------|--------------------|
--------------------|--------------------|--------------------|
----------7------7--|--------------------|----------7------7--|
--------------------|--------------------|--------------------|
--------------------|--------------------|--------------------|



--5--------3--------|----------5------5--|--2----------------|
--------------------|--------------------|-------------------|
--------------------|--------------------|-------------------|
--------------------|--------------------|-------------------|
--------------------|--------------------|-------------------|
--------------------|--------------------|-------------------|



----------10--9--7--9--|--7----------------|-------------0-----0--|
-----------------------|-------------------|----------7-----------|
-----------------------|-------------------|----------------7-----|
-----------------------|-------------------|----------------------|
-----------------------|-------------------|----------------------|
-----------------------|-------------------|----------------------|



-------------------|-------------0-----0--|-------------------|
-------------------|----------7-----------|-------------------|
--7----------------|----------------7-----|--7----------------|
-------------------|----------------------|-------------------|
-------------------|----------------------|-------------------|
-------------------|----------------------|-------------------|



--------------------|-------------------|--------------------|
--------------------|-------------------|---------------0----|
----------7----7----|--6----------------|--------------------|
--------------------|-------------------|----------7---------|
--------------------|-------------------|--------------------|
--------------------|-------------------|--------------------|



-----------0---------|--0-------------------|-----------0---------|
----------------7----|------------0---------|----------------7----|
--7------------------|-----7-----------7----|--7------------------|
---------------------|----------------------|---------------------|
---------------------|----------------------|---------------------|
---------------------|----------------------|---------------------|



--5-------------------|--5-------------5----|--7----5--------------|
-----7-----------7----|-----------7---------|------------7---------|
------------7---------|---------------------|-----------------7----|
----------------------|---------------------|----------------------|
----------------------|---------------------|----------------------|
----------------------|---------------------|----------------------|



--0----------------|------5----7----9----|--10--------9----10----|
-------------------|---------------------|-----------------------|
-------------------|---------------------|-----------------------|
-------------------|---------------------|-----------------------|
-------------------|---------------------|-----------------------|
-------------------|---------------------|-----------------------|



--9--7------5----7----|--5------------------|--0--------------0----|
----------------------|-----------7---------|----------------------|
----------------------|----------------7----|-----7------7---------|
----------------------|---------------------|----------------------|
----------------------|---------------------|----------------------|
----------------------|---------------------|----------------------|



--5--------0----2----|--0-------------------|--------------------|
---------------------|-----3------0---------|--0------------3----|
---------------------|-----------------2----|--------------------|
---------------------|----------------------|--------------------|
---------------------|----------------------|--------------------|
---------------------|----------------------|--------------------|


-----------10--9--7--9--|--7----------------|-------------0-----0--|
--3---------------------|-------------------|----------7-----------|
------------------------|-------------------|----------------7-----|
------------------------|-------------------|----------------------|
------------------------|-------------------|----------------------|
------------------------|-------------------|----------------------|



-------------------|----------10--9--7--9--|--7----------------|
--7----------------|-----------------------|-------------------|
-------------------|-----------------------|-------------------|
-------------------|-----------------------|-------------------|
-------------------|-----------------------|-------------------|
-------------------|-----------------------|-------------------|



-------------0-------|--0----------------|--0----------------------||
----------7----------|-------------------|-------------------------||
----------------7----|-------------------|-----------------------0-||
---------------------|-------------------|---------------------2---||
---------------------|-------------------|-----------------0-4-----||
---------------------|-------------------|-------------------------||

My First Complete Song "Theme for Young Lovers" by The Shadows

Things I learned while learning to play this song:
a) Learned to Time moving from 1 string to another and plucking the strings.

b) Learned to play 'Arpeggio' i.e plucking individual string with the Thumb and first 3 fingers.
In this style the Thumb plucks the 6th, 5th, 4th strings (Bass Strings),
the Index finger plucks the 3rd string
the Middle finger the 2nd string
and the Ring finger the 1st string (Melody Strings 1st, 2nd and 3rd strings)

c) Learned to cover the whole octave from the 1st to the 12th fret.
12 notes/4 fingers ie. cover the whole octave with 3 movements across the fretboard.
ie
+ Index finger covers the 1st, 5th, 9th, 12th frets
+ Middle finger covers the 2nd, 6th, 10th frets and
+ the Ring finger covers the 3rd, 7th, 11th frets

d) Re-Learned the importance of good Body position and classical stance to reduce unnecessary tension while shifting from fret to fret. In the classical stance the left hand doesnt take up the weight of the guitar. This allows it to move freely over the fretboard avoiding stickiness.

e) Learned how to use the strings Vertically. Its natural to play the scale horizontally on a string ie up and down the string. By playing the Same note but on adjoining strings produces variety in playing the scale!!