Nice and catchy title to the video, but it says what it is.

Why struggle with stretches? Even common chords can present difficulties in the first position: the usual culprit reluctant to stretch is the third finger. If you use a capo on the 5th or 7th fret, the frets are narrower and the arm is closer to the body making access so much easier. Over the months the capo can be placed on the 4th, then the 3rd etc., the small differences in stretches become achievable.

But, as usual, pin-point accuracy of fingertip placement is important - the closer the tip is to the fretwire, the less pressure needed to sound a note clearly.

The video also looks at the other benefits of using a capo, for example, the guitar sounds 'crisper', the shorter string length adding to the notes' clarity.

Regarding chordal playing, the video fails to mention that at times, instead of playing a lot of nightmare bar chords all over the fingerboard, it makes much more sense to put a capo on and play in the first position using chords with open strings. I was brought up to think this was cheating, but those chords sound good on the guitar and due to their close proximity to each other will help playing sound smooth and that is our ultimate aim after all.

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Did I say picking out the melody was the most difficult thing to do well on the guitar? I lied, legato is! Playing legato is the essence of beautiful music and our target must be to replicate the voice soaring seamlessly between notes - no silences. To achieve this on the guitar is a nightmare.  

This exercise is laughable in its simplicity, but a pig to play well. Even played slowly, the first finger of the left hand has to leap swiftly onto the next string, synchronising the pluck of the right hand finger with no discernable silence; this is once the right hand can play legato effortlessly though. 

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When we play the guitar, we should always conserve energy and aim to release tension to increase musicality and to minimise fatigue - sadly this approach is neglected by many players and teachers alike. 

Much emphasis is given to the use of the fingers of the right hand, but we mustn't neglect what's going on with the thumb. Using the thumb is a prime example of where we make a huge effort to create a sound when we needn't.

This video explains the ideal approach to using the thumb, but as usual, for a relaxed stroke to become second nature, a huge amount of effort and time is required, but well worth the dedication.

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Here's another stretching exercise for the left hand fingers - this time with an emphasis on increasing the independence of movement from the 6th to 1st strings and back again whilst anchoring other fingers on the strings.

In the video I say it's a challenge, so play it slowly; I also accidentally mention it's fun, which I'm sure it will be eventually.

The LH most comfortably plays around the 7th position, so start there and over time, move down to the lower positions - and of course, stop if it hurts.

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I remember the first time I heard a harmonic, it was like I’d witnessed magic - and when I realised how it was achieved, I was blown away… so simple. However, the technique to achieving a clear and strong tone is like a dark art, but not at all unachievable given knowledge of the appropriate technique.

Listening to Llobet’s version of “El Testamento de Amelia“ for the first time was incredible… how were those harmonic arpeggios created? Again, so simple with practise and dedication.

I remember witnessing one of Gary Ryan’s masterclasses at the London Guitar Festival, King’s Place,  a couple of years ago; he encouraged the students to stop looking at the fingerboard whilst playing, most were amazed that this was even possible and astounded that their playing even improved (due to setting themselves free from the constraints of observing their fingers and technique probably), but he was very honest and admitted that even he has to look at the placement of his fingers when playing artificial harmonics - encouraging for us mortals!

The video looks at both natural and artificial harmonics and one extra technique for good measure!

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The joy of the pieces in "Modern Times' is that they are pretty straightforward to read and not too demanding on the fingers; this allows the player to focus on musicality and legato which are at the heart of good playing.

Here are two more: 'Paisaje' and 'Escalando', both by Jaime Zenamon.

A big thank you to Luigi for his top camera-work and useful technical advice.

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My students have asked for some half-decent recordings of the pieces we use. Here are a few to start.

The first is 'Aire de Hueya' by Adrien Politi from 'Play Guitar in Concert'. I came across this book in a beautiful music shop in Bruges, like stepping back in time, but with a great range of scores. Like all Michael Langer edited books, arrangements are neat, easy to read with helpful fingering.

The others are from the fantastic book 'Modern Times' which features pieces from grade 2 to 6, great tunes, but even the easy ones have rewarding challenges. Most demanding is playing legato and keeping the melody singing out.

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Many guitarists give up  the guitar due to the difficulty of the barré chord… that’s a shame, if a few simple guidelines are followed, they needn’t be that demanding.

This video is included in this series of guitar ‘basics' even though a barré chord is not viewed as basic by most people; I remember as a beginner struggling with them, just to realise later that it was the action of my guitar making them impossible to play easily. I’m sure this is the case for most players finding difficulty. A simple set-up would hugely improve the playability and enjoyment of the guitar for lots of beginners, a simple saddle height adjustment could mean they continue to play and enjoy playing.

Playing a barré chord with a relaxed as possible hand is discussed in the video; here are a few little tricks we can employ to make them easy.

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So much has been written on the use of free strokes and rest strokes, so the focus of these videos is more about the lesser covered areas, or areas not usually discussed.

Taking it for granted that most guitarists are familiar with tirando and apoyando, this video explores playing apoyando on the ring finger (a) as part of the arpeggio pattern i, m, a - really useful and well worth the effort. One issue though is the terrible tone of the ring finger, so the video shows how the angle of the finger must be adjusted to find a half-decent tone.

Sor taught in his Method that only i and m should be employed with the thumb when playing anything… very good advice given the limitations of the movement of the ring finger and poor tone, but a lot of work. Unfortunately arpeggios are complicated and awkward string crossings are unavoidable, so compromising is always necessary and building up the independence and tone of the ring finger is a small hardship.

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