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Moving from low strings to high, I've noticed that my the finger I use to transition from one string to another goes abnormally high in the air. I have watched videos of Grisha, Paco and others, but their fingers don't seem to do this.
Does anyone have a way to practice to correct this? I have tried using staccato, and that helps while staying on the same string or moving lower, but I am having trouble while moving up a string.
RE: Picado Technique Question (in reply to Wheater)
I find a relaxed hand is crucial to getting natural feeling movements and transitions. Good hand position is crucial to the ability to relax the hand.
Your usage of the adjective 'abnormal' signals to me that it isn't feeling natural. I think the distance a finger comes away from the string is relative to the guitar player.
One exercise I like to do, especially when my hands are tight, is to play a picado very slowly in staccato. In between notes take a second or two and relax or 'let go' of your hand while still maintaining position. If you find the tension in your muscles considerably shifts, then you may want to consider adjusting your hand position to allow for more efficient movement.
RE: Picado Technique Question (in reply to Wheater)
I agree with vigrond: play picado slowly and in as relaxed a manner as you can while hitting the target notes. Gradually build up speed while keeping your fingers somewhat relaxed. If you feel your fingers getting overly tense, then switch over to a different technique exercise. When I'm doing technique exercises, I alternate between arpeggio, picado, pulgar, tremolo, and rasqueado. I find this (and finger yoga) helps minimize the risk of injury. Besides, practicing a variety of techniques is a closer approximation of the songs I want to learn.
RE: Picado Technique Question (in reply to Wheater)
I had trouble moving across strings on runs of 5 or 6 strings and I overcame it by practicing slowly and deliberately with particular focus on making sure I got the troublesome part right. Speed then came very quickly.
Posts: 1240
Joined: Nov. 6 2008
From: Sydney, Australia
RE: Picado Technique Question (in reply to Wheater)
try walking from the lower strings to the higher strings?
eg 2 notes per string. 6 5 4 3 2 1 using the staccato technique/finger damping technique where you strike a note and the next finger is placed on the string where the next note is being sound.
RE: Picado Technique Question (in reply to Wheater)
For specifically going from lower (note wise) string to higher strings I find i use a much more smooth movement across the strings than descending.. it's kind of like my hand/arm moves in one smooth motion when playing quickly (i.e. not just jumping when moving to a different string) but it could maybe just feel that way because the movements happen very quickly...
Posts: 15725
Joined: Dec. 14 2004
From: Washington DC
RE: Picado Technique Question (in reply to Wheater)
quote:
Does anyone have a way to practice to correct this? I have tried using staccato, and that helps while staying on the same string or moving lower, but I am having trouble while moving up a string.
even though you dont make a staccato sound, the idea is you pre plant the next finger. You should still do this when crossing low to high....so you still hear the low string note ringing while your next finger to play the high string is already seated. Try this with fast rhythm of da da da DA.....da da da DA.....so triplets on the open G string, then the accented note is the B string. First do it like imi m, imi m, then try to reverse it.
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