How do you get a note to sound 'clear' on guitar?

I just picked up a guitar yesterday and I'm trying to learn how to play. I understand chords and stuff like that and I understand how to play the guitar in general but when I have my fingers in one position, sometimes the note sounds 'dead.' I have to move my fingers around (either closer to or further from the fret) to find the right clear noise. Does anybody have any tricks or tips?How do you get a note to sound 'clear' on guitar?
When I play guitar, I try to put my fingers near the center of the frets. Sometimes the sound comes out kind of ';muted'; if you put your finger right on top of the frets.How do you get a note to sound 'clear' on guitar?
I have news for you sunshine.. you DON'T UNDERSTAND HOW TO PLAY A GUITAR... If you can't answer your own question.. then YOU NEED A TEACHER.





Why is it you people think you can just pick up a guitar and play it with NO TRAINING? and that you can learn for FREE off the internet (you CAN'T)... What YOU need is a TEACHER to at least get you started because you already think you know everthing, so all you will do is pick up a bunch of bad habits that you will eventually have to unlearn.





It's people like you that has caused me to no longer teach guitar. Everyone who picks up a guitar thinks they are a guitar player and are so arrogant you can't teach them anything. I am sick and tired of people like that who think they can learn some 'secret' tips and tricks and suddenly be able to play fantasitic chords and riffs.
First, don't place any of your fingers *directly* on the frets, instead put them right before or just after. Secondly, make sure that you're actually applying enough pressure to the strings to have them ';ring out';, rather than ';thud'; (because if you don't press down hard enough your fingers will act like dampers, and the string(s) wont vibrate.)
you have to make sure you have your finger in the middle of the frets and you need to push down fairly hard to get it to sound good.
A teacher *will* help you, if you can afford one, and help you learn faster and correctly. When you teach yourself you end up learning how to do some things wrong, and you have to go back later and learn how to do them right before you can really get to the next level (ie, playing fast *correctly*, etc). I know from personal experience....





But, whatever. The best way to fret correctly is thus:





If the headstock is ';low'; or ';below'; or ';behind'; and the bridge is ';above'; or ';ahead'; or ';high'; (which is usually how we look at the guitar) then you will want to put your finger just ';behind'; the fret, ie, not on top of it but right behind it, so that if the string wasn't there the edge of your finger would be touching the edge of the fret.





You should try and fret with *just enough* force to get the string to ring out clearly, and no more. Pressing too hard will cause the string to go sharp and sound slightly out of tune, and if pressing too hard becomes a habit, then it will actually keep you from playing fast, when you're ready to do that.





Do not fret in the ';middle';, that's a good way to cause string buzz, poor sustain, and possibly an off-pitch note. Whomever is doing that isn't doing it correctly, and is giving you bad advice.





If you want, you can email me through my profile if you have specific questions, I don't check my email every day but I'm willing to help if I can... I'm not and probably never will be a teacher, but I have played for a little over a decade, played in a few bands, done the gigging thing, studio recording, etc. That's the great thing about guitar and music, there's always something new to learn!





Good luck!








Saul