I have been working from a guitar tuition book and am currently learning all of the notes on the fretboard. The book I have came with a CD of all of the recorded 'songs' that are in the book.

The songs are very basic e.g. Michael row your boat ashore

My problem is that the book says nothing about how to stop the note of an open string once played. So when I play (4x4 time) one bar with 4 crotchets in it I should hear 4 distinct notes which only ring/sound for 1 beat each. If of those notes is an open string it just keeps ringing (great sustain!) so that crotchet is really being played as a semibreve.

Can someone tell me what technique I should use to shorten the note on an open string? The CD that I mention sounds very different to what I'm hearing when I play (the notes are correct, but the length is incorrect).

cheers,

TheOoz