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Ever since I began playing flamenco guitar ( almost sixty years ago) I've had this habit of hooking my spare fingers under the first string when playing pulgar passages. (And being an old-style player I tend to used the thumb a lot!).
To try to improve my crude technique, I recently took a few lessons from a young professional player with excellent technique - and the first thing he noticed was: " you have a bad habit of resting your fingers on the 6th string when playing with the thumb!". He suggesed,instead, resting the fingers on the face of the guitar.
Unfortunately he's moved away so I can't have lessons from him any more.
Question #1: Is it ABSOLUTELY necessasry to avoid resting the fingers against the top string when playing pulgar?
And if so: #2: Any suggestions as to how to overcome this habit?
hmm, just play with a fist? only stetch your thumb.
If you play simple oldschool stuff it is probably okay to play like this. Whenever you play on the first string you have to get the fingers away anyway.
But here´s one to think about. A lot of thumbstrokes ahould be accompanyed by a golpe and even more in trad flamenco. When you strum a chord with the thumb do golpes. Are you comfortable with that?
Also doing a lot of old school alzapua pippip should help (pippip means thumb,index,thumb,thumb,index,thumb and so on)
Well, in the takes-all-kinds department, when I had my first lesson my teacher, who’s an old professional, gave me the exact opposite instructions!
I went in with the habit of having my fingers desperately mashed against the soundboard, and he told me to lightly rest those free fingers on the first string. But what he stressed was the LIGHTLY, and I think that’s really the most important thing. Your right hand should be relaxed, poised, and easily mobile, and so long as you’re not creating a bunch of unwanted tension by keeping your fingers planted, and so long as it’s not hampering you in the performance of other techniques, I think the old “whatever works” rule is the one to follow.
I just finished up practicing and I observed what I do with the right hand during pulgar passages. I tend to keep the index lightly touching the first string and the other fingers lightly touching the guitar top. So I guess I’ve settled into something that falls between what I was doing before and after the “correction,” but I remain mindful of the importance of having those fingers lightly, not heavily planted.
Works for me. The fingers resting on the top provide a little stability and the middle and ring are ready to come up and drop down for golpes. The index is set up for P-I stuff or an upstroke when I need it.
When you strum a chord with the thumb do golpes. Are you comfortable with that?
Yes. I do tend to get a bit carried away with the golpes, especially in Seguiriyas. But I still find my fingers hugging the other strings, too. When not "golping".
The main reason the teacher gave was that the thumb stroke was more crisp and powerfull when the other fingers were not anchored. And the whole hand free to move.
Also, I seem to remember reading somewhere (?) that touching the top string during pulgar passages prevented it from vibrating in sympathy, or something like that?
What happens is that a lot of trad flamenco players tend to put an open high E string (1st string) in between in pulgar passages, thats very flamenco and if you rest your fingers, then you cant do that.
I tend to rest m finger on soundboard when doing pulgar. PPi especially but other passages you can get a punchy bass attack w a nail-less Golpe of m finger. Index also can touch 1st string incase of odd open e notes that fill in rhythm.
I suppose it isn't a problem as in Juan Martin's book (el arte...) he says it's the right method(edit: at least in the pics) and I also see Paco De Lucia doing it on some of the youtube vids. Then if playing the 6th string just move the fingers to the soundboard. And I suppose in the end if it works and is comfortable then there is no problem.
I suppose in the end if it works and is comfortable then there is no problem.
Maybe so. But I'm still not convinced that my habit is not somehow restrictive. I think I'll persevere with trying Ricardo's method; allowing the M finger to rest on the soundboard - and leaving the I finger free for UP strokes, where appropriate. Either way, I will have to work at it. I've had this habit a long, l...o...n...g time. . .
If I can't shake it, then somehow I'll live with it. Whatever. . .
Personally I prefer middle or middle and ring finger on the golpe due to their longer lenght, if I keep the index finger it strains my wrist more. I don't know if it's correct but it works. And if I lay down the index finger too, I prefer to keep it in contact with the 6th string because if I bring it down to the golpe there's a bit more strain.
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