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Hey, When I'm trying to increase the speed of an arpeggio or a rasgueado the sound is becoming weaker and sometimes much weaker (I'm trying to stay relaxed). How to sustain the power of fingers when accelerating the movements? Thanks.
Posts: 1827
Joined: Jul. 26 2009
From: The land down under
RE: How to sustain fingers power? (in reply to HuBaghdadi)
quote:
When I'm trying to increase the speed of an arpeggio or a rasgueado the sound is becoming weaker and sometimes much weaker (I'm trying to stay relaxed).
I don't know of any short cuts. Lots of slow "tai chi speed" practice is the best IMO. The weaker feeling sounds like tension to me.
RE: How to sustain fingers power? (in reply to HuBaghdadi)
practice the movement slowly till you master it , train ur fingers each one by itself , like when doing the rasgueado (a,m,i) play (a) multiple times alone then m multiple times then i then combine them together rest ur thump on the low e string try to strike the strings parallel to the top with ur nails. good luck
Posts: 3055
Joined: Aug. 30 2008
From: Boston, MA, U.S.A
RE: How to sustain fingers power? (in reply to HuBaghdadi)
speed and power go hand in hand, imo. actually, i find it hard to play faster without playing a bit harder as well.
give this a shot: work with a metronome. find a speed where you maintain control, power, and relaxation, basically your comfort zone. now stay there and work on it and really take in the sensation you get from your hands, make it perfect. the next week, increase the metronome by only 5%. then work on that until it's perfect. and keep going, week after week.
so essentially, you're not working on increasing your top speed but rather expanding your comfort zone. as a result, your top speed will go along with it and you will maintain power and control and relaxation.
Posts: 1025
Joined: Oct. 14 2009
From: New York City
RE: How to sustain fingers power? (in reply to HuBaghdadi)
Whatever you try, don't do this - I read this a long time ago, don't know if it's true, but I wouldn't try it. The way I heard or read this, a famous pianist from the past - I can't remember his name - put little weights on his fingers, and exercised them with the weights on in order to strengthen his fingers. As I heard the story, after a certain period of time he could barely play at all. If this is true I don't know why. Exercising other muscles with weights works, so why not with fingers. Anyway, just something to think about in case the idea might have come to you, or if someone should suggest it, just investigate it first.
RE: How to sustain fingers power? (in reply to Ramon Amira)
quote:
ORIGINAL: Prominent Critic Exercising other muscles with weights works, so why not with fingers.
Because fingers are not muscles. What you can work on is probably your tendons, and general arm muscles, but then again the question is, whether you really need that much strength to press down a string. Watch children play on videos more or less well, and they arent stronger than an adult. If you think you have no power you need to work on coordination and execution. If you have no stamina, you have to make your body get used to the stress by constantly applying stress to it. IMO.
RE: How to sustain fingers power? (in reply to HuBaghdadi)
Yeah it is likely that your technique is holding it for you when you speed up, or you're not employing the right technique to begin with.
Make sure that you're doing/or have come familiar with:
1. planting the fingers when doing arpeggios
2. push the strings into the soundboard when doing arpeggios
3. contract-relax each fingers with doing rasgeos (slowly) to develp strength and practice un-accumulation of tension as you speed up.
4. Practice accurately and slowly. Make sure that the right part of the fingertips or nails and striking the right part of the strings at the right angle (I don't mean 90degrees ) in both rasg and arpeggios. These may be going out the window when you speed up. Remember speeding with wrong technique kills!
RE: How to sustain fingers power? (in reply to HuBaghdadi)
If you're practicing the right things, in the right way, regularly, then just keep doing what you're doing, it will pass. Its just an issue of stamina.
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) in both rasg and arpeggios. These may be going out the window when you speed up. Remember speeding with wrong technique kills! 
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