hi everyone (+ picado question)

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flybynight

Posts: 121
Joined: Aug. 14 2009

hi everyone (+ picado question)

Post #1! Hi everyone,

Great to find some of my favourite youtube players here taking time out to help out with advice, especially for us noobies. Lots of different opinions help so much.

The first time I saw a flamenco guitar piece was PDL (youtube search PACO DE LUCIA - rumba), and i fell off my chair. Never heard anything like it. And so the journey began to try and learn to play myself. Let's just say it's taking a bit longer than expected, but it's become and nice healthy obsession. In comparison to other possibilites..

I had been trying to learn flamenco for about a year and a half.. technique all wrong, then I got an excellent teacher (Ramon Ruiz in london), and things are coming along a lot better. (not good enough to post

) Still basic problems with consistency of compas etc, which is something only I can practice learn for myself. So I'm still a beginner really. If I'm horribly honest (enough to play back recordings of myself).

On Picado, to get that stacatto bip-bip-bip, I've learned(?) that a lot of this is in the right hand, in the sense that when doing alternate IM strokes on a single string, while the I finger hits the string above to complete the I note, the M swings up at the same time ready to play, deadening the string, meaning the note doesn't last a moment longer than needed (as ToddK suggested.. silence is the rule, punctated with notes). Faster, this looks like fingers 'walking' on a single string.

But thinking about the left hand, after the note is played (I or M), should the finger be lifted slightly so the string leaves contact with the fret - which also has the effect of deadening the note ? And so it's the combination/synchronisation of the left and right hands deadening the notes that brings good bip-bip technique. Or am I obsession too much here / this isn't practically possible at speed, and should just focus on the right hand.

At playing at normal speed, I don't suppose the above matters much, but for practicing really slowly .. ?

Thanks everyone, and nice to be here!

Jon.

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Aug. 14 2009 11:55:28

alex_lord

Posts: 64
Joined: Dec. 2 2006
From: Vancouver, B.C., Canada

RE: hi everyone (+ picado question) (in reply to flybynight)

Hi Jon,

Staccato, when it comes to picado, is definitely all in the right hand. It would not be very practical for you to lift left hand fingers after each note, when you're doing a fast scale run. Economy of movement is king. Staccato is actually a great tool for developing economical movement in the right hand fingers.

Cheers,
Alex

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Aug. 14 2009 13:35:08

ToddK

Posts: 2961
Joined: Dec. 6 2004

RE: hi everyone (+ picado question) (in reply to flybynight)

Notes preceding a string change will ring a bit, but when you eventually
pick up the tempo past 16th notes @130bpm, it wont be that noticable.

Once you hit 150bpm, its totally indiscernable.

Remember the 2 big reasons for staccato practice. Not only to get a
staccato sound, but also to train your fingers not to come away from
the string(s). If you want speed, then economy of movement is
very very important.

Practice awkward string changes. For me, its index on higher string
to middle on adjecent lower string.

This is a great one.
Start with either I or M, then strictly alternate.
-0-----0--0------0--0-----0--0-------0---0--------0--0-----
----0---------0---------0----------0------------0-----------0- Repeat
-------------------------------------------------------------
------------------------------------------------------------
-----------------------------------------------------------
-----------------------------------------------------------

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REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Aug. 14 2009 14:36:16

HolyEvil

Posts: 1240
Joined: Nov. 6 2008
From: Sydney, Australia

RE: hi everyone (+ picado question) (in reply to flybynight)

Hi there, I'm a total beginner but I'll chip in..
my teacher showed me to deaden the note I'm playing by lifting the fretting finger. so it's kinda different from what others r saying here..

not sure which is better.. just conveying what my teacher taught me..

cheers

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Aug. 14 2009 22:45:19

Ricardo

Posts: 14835
Joined: Dec. 14 2004
From: Washington DC

RE: hi everyone (+ picado question) (in reply to HolyEvil)

Both ways are musical techniques, but if you are trying to develop speed and rhythm control, don't do the left hand staccato. You could fool your ear into thinging you are planting right hand fingers earlier, then you actually are. Practice on OPEN strings so you know you are really doing it correct.

Ricardo

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REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Aug. 15 2009 9:29:33