Dave Wirth
Picking up a guitar and starting from scratch is hard. One of the first challenges someone faces is to learn how to play a chord clearly. For example, the third, or ring, finger, it can be a little bit lazy and touch the string below it. Like for instance if you were playing a E Major, the 3rd finger could be touching that G string below it, and thus muddle the most important note of the chord.
One goal that every beginning guitarist could aspire to is to make every note last at least five seconds. What helps this process is refusing to be on the pads of the fingers. It's more about being on the fingertips. I have found that 95% of people I tell this to, in private lessons, warm up to the idea. Being on your fingertips works simply because there is less margin for error. Smaller area to muddle around with, too.
UPDATE: 12-18-09'
Each string should have sound for at least five seconds, just like the video below.
