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Is it ok to ask specific questions about techniques on this forum, if not then ignore this entry and ill never ask again. Im having trouble turning my free strokes into rest strokes, for example pacos GUAJIRAS, at what point does it become a rest stroke. Using the music from one of pacos books that are authenticated. HELP.
Nando, Myself, I tend to go for how it sounds. I use my eyes for reading and my hands for playing. I think personally this is how relying on "tabs" get folk mixed up. I'm not a good player or anything, but I think you can pick up basic Flamenco more by listening rather than reading a set of instructions IMO.
There is nothing wrong with asking questions about technique. You may receive as many variations on how to do something as there are members!
Which Paco and which book?
Some answers I have heard over the years about free stroke and rest stroke have been:
1. Only classical players use free stroke! 2. Flamenco players never use free stroke!
My advice is to use what is comfortable, allows you to play clearly and in compas, while having control of the instrument. Sometimes a free stroke is appropriate as is a rest stroke. To me it depends and only you are the boss, unless you have to please your teacher!
By the way I know several types of rest strokes. Such is life!
The specific answer to your question regarding young PDL's Guajiras arpeggio/picado craziness, is revealed clearly in the video series "Rito y Geografia del Toque", which you can get on DVD. He plays it as a duet w/ Ricardo Modrego, but the camera man knows exactly what the guitar student wants to see and focuses the lens on Paco's technique, you just have to pay attention. It is in the program called "Poem of the guitar" or something like that, after Nino Ricardo plays.
The trick is to maintain your hand postion and the way the finger attacks the strings so you don't have to move or change angle much to shift from rest stroke to free stroke. I find this unique to flamenco technique and hard to learn if you come from playing classical guitar, where apoyando and tirando are different worlds. But if you start off learning this, it is pretty natural and logical. Watch the video.
Nando, I don't like to go into technique in too much detail, since I'm mainly self taught and don't want to be responsible for screwing up someone elses technique. However, I've found this useful... Practise playing your arpegios with more force. Really dig in and get a hold of the strings using lots of flesh before nail. You'll find that after a while your hand starts to adjust naturally so that you are practically doing rest stroke arpegio. When you've got that, try coming out of a forward arpegio into a short simple rest stroke picado run. You'll find that you don't have to adjust much. Of course this won't happen after 10 mins practise. Just start off by gently applying more force on your arpegios each time you practise. This seems to be working for me anyway.
I didnt read all the comments in this threat, coz in one hour starwars episode II is in the TV and I have not much time. ^^ free or reststroke... yes.. it only depends on how it sounds. You can check the gerardo nunez encuentro video. There he tells that freestroke is a picado, too. He often use it and it sound very similar to his normal reststroke picado.
And I think Paco is THE pioneer player. But you cant say that all what he did is right for everyone today. The anatomy of the hands of everybody is very different.. So, if you play better with freestroke with an irregular posture, its not wrong if paco plays it different, I think.
HI Thomas, its Paco de Lucia, and the book is Fantasia Flamenca de Paco De Lucia, page 69, bars 53 and 54. I generally dont use free stokes however I dont think I mentioned that it starts an ascending arppegio which I believe requires a freestroke initially. I live in Thunder Bay Canada and I am self taught, because flamenco requires such technique everything your learning yourself is a struggle wereas a teacher would probably clear things up and save me alot of grief. Videos are helping out lately (Osacr Herrero). Anyways, were would be the best place to turn the arrpegio free stroke into the rest stroke in his Guijiras. Is there a rule to this?
Anyways, were would be the best place to turn the arrpegio free stroke into the rest stroke in his Guijiras. Is there a rule to this?
The first note to rest stroke, rather, the picado starts on the D note on the 3rd fret of the second string. It would help if the book used CAPITOL letters for rest stroke, like Faucher does. (p...imaIMIMIMIM etc). Same kind of thing is happening on P. 71. Get the vid "Rito y Geografia del Toque" from Flamenco world or flamencoconnection.
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