Theory
Your right hand has been walking hard for two days, so today your left hand finally steps in. Today is the day you make your first note with your left hand. Until now you rang only open strings, but press one fret and the pitch changes, and a "new note" is born. Don't be scared — today's whole job is just one note, pressed very slowly and cleanly.
The secret to a clean sound with no buzz is "where you press." Press the middle of a fret space, or on top of the fret, and the note dies or buzzes. Planting your fingertip right behind the fret (the side toward the bridge) is the answer. Press exactly there and the note rings clearly with very little force. Press with your fingertip standing straight up, not the pad, so you don't touch the neighbor string.
Today's note is the 3rd fret of the E string (4th string), which is G by name. The note shown in green on the score is that one — today's target for your hand to focus on. Plant your index finger right behind the fret and pluck with yesterday's two-finger right hand. Keep the left-hand force minimal — just enough for the string to touch the fretboard is plenty of sound. It's fine if a buzz creeps in at first. Nudge the spot and the fingertip angle a little and it clears up fast.
This fretting is the same job for the left hand on a 4- or 5-string. The E string is the same string (4th) on both instruments, so the hand shape for the 3rd-fret G is identical. What changes on a 5-string is only the right hand — you just add covering the low B you aren't playing with your thumb so it stays silent. The "press straight, right behind the fret" your left hand learns today becomes the foundation of every note you'll learn later.
See it
Today you cleanly press one note, the 3rd fret (G) of the E string. The examples below go from repeating the same note to settle it into the hand to contrasting open and fretted notes in turn. Each example is laid out in a 4-string and a 5-string version.
Example 1 — repeating the fretted note. Plant your index on the 3rd fret (G) of the E string, one per beat, crisp and clear. If a buzz creeps in, move the spot slightly toward the fret.
▶ BPM 60, 4-string. Play the G shown in green four times, crisp. With minimal force, listen for whether the sound is buzz-free.
▶ BPM 60, 5-string. The left-hand fingering is exactly the same as the 4-string. Cover the low B with your right thumb so the string you aren't playing doesn't ring along.
Example 2 — contrasting open and fretted. Alternate the open E twice and the fretted G twice. The goal is for the open and fretted volumes to sit close together.
▶ BPM 65, 4-string. Alternate the blue open E and the green fretted G. Keep only the timing of the left hand pressing and lifting on the fretted note crisp.
▶ BPM 65, 5-string. The left hand's job is the same as the 4-string. Here too, cover the low B with your thumb to keep it quiet.
Today's practice
0–7 min · Warm-up Loosen up again with yesterday's E↔A string crossing at BPM 60. Revive the right-hand feel, then add the left hand.
7–17 min · Today's skill Repeat Example 1 (the fretted G) at BPM 60. Focus only on pressing straight, right behind the fret, and fine-tune the spot and angle until the buzz disappears.
17–27 min · Applying it Do Example 2 (open↔fret contrast) four times at BPM 60 → once the two sounds sit close, raise it one step to BPM 65 for four more. If the fretted note goes fuzzy, go back to Example 1.
27–30 min · Check Write down the BPM you reached, and if you like, record 30 seconds to hear whether any buzz creeps into the fretted G.
Done when: you can play the 3rd-fret G on the E string with your index buzz-free, alternating crisply with the open E at 60–70.
- Pressing the middle of the fret space. Press dead center between two frets and the note dies or buzzes. Plant your fingertip right behind the fret.
- Pressing too hard. Squeeze hard and the pitch bends up slightly and your hand tires fast. Just enough for the string to touch the fretboard.
- Laying the fingertip flat. Pressing with the pad touches the neighbor string too and muddies the sound. Stand your fingertip straight up.
- Getting scared by sore hands. An aching left fingertip is the natural process of calluses forming. If it hurts, rest a moment and press again.