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I came across these photos on Facebook. If you zoom into the right hands of Vicente and Antonio it appears that they barely have any thumb nail. Which is weird because I thought having a long nail is crucial to the flamenco style.
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RE: Do Vicente Amigo and Antonio Rey... (in reply to nikgogl)
quote:
ORIGINAL: nikgogl I thought having a long nail is crucial to the flamenco style.
Size isn't everything Nikgogl. This is the flamenco analogy of it ain't what you got, it's what you do with it.
Juan Martin has the longest thumb nail of any flamenco I ever saw. Moraito had a pretty hefty thumb nail too.
Those long nails seem to force those guys to really use the side of the thumb, even for alzapua. I don't think they're getting their thumb anything like as close to 90 degrees to the strings as some of the more virtuoso technical monsters like to go for pulgar and alzapua.
Horse for courses - hefty nails slow ya down. The guys you mention are so precise they can hit that nail and get great tone even if it ain't gonna win any whopper nail contest.
I'm about as precise as the goat in my avatar - and you should see the size of my....
Posts: 3487
Joined: Jan. 20 2004
From: Austin, Texas USA
RE: Do Vicente Amigo and Antonio Rey... (in reply to Dudnote)
Sabicas had relatively small hands. The nail of his right thumb was unlike any other I have seen. Instead of sticking out straight, it curved over the end of the thumb, conforming to the shape of the thumb's end. He didn't grow it very long.
Sabicas often played with his thumb nearly perpendicular to the strings. His alzapua was lightning fast, like the rest of his playing could be, and unfailingly precise and musical.
There's a story drifting around somewhere that Segovia saw Sabicas playing, and remained for a long time, fascinated with watching Sabicas's thumb.
But remember what Borges said, with false modesty, about his collaboration with Bioy, in the Autobiographical Introduction to one of his books: "I take no credit for those stories, since they are almost inherent in the structure of language."
RE: Do Vicente Amigo and Antonio Rey... (in reply to Richard Jernigan)
quote:
Sabicas had relatively small hands. The nail of his right thumb was unlike any other I have seen. Instead of sticking out straight, it curved over the end of the thumb, conforming to the shape of the thumb's end. He didn't grow it very long.
Sabicas often played with his thumb nearly perpendicular to the strings. His alzapua was lightning fast, like the rest of his playing could be, and unfailingly precise and musical.
There's a story drifting around somewhere that Segovia saw Sabicas playing, and remained for a long time, fascinated with watching Sabicas's thumb.
But remember what Borges said, with false modesty, about his collaboration with Bioy, in the Autobiographical Introduction to one of his books: "I take no credit for those stories, since they are almost inherent in the structure of language."
RNJ
Small handed Don Trump could have done us all a favor if he had just tripped into a night spot in NYC when he was a late teen and taken a look at Sabicas. Perhaps he too would have seen the master dominate the instrument with his small hands and like you, the estimable Mr. Jernigan, become an aficionado of depth and wisdom.
The chance was there, but history did not take it. But sad is it not, that we could have had such a rich and influential aficionado as El Donald. His sello propio could have been short hooked nails and like Sabicas a beautiful peluca. We could call him Peluca de Oro, but never Manitas de Oro. No never.
RE: Do Vicente Amigo and Antonio Rey... (in reply to nikgogl)
In general, many modern players keep their nail shorter than the old school players.
I saw that picture and also took notice of how extra short his thumbnail seems to be. I then thought I'd try and file mine down to a similar size and shape, just to see... And... no. Sound is weaker for me, alzapua was harder. Benefits seem to be less resistance with triplet rasg and I can really get a nice golpe sound when hitting the soundboard with a thumb up stroke. But I've noticed that sometimes just a days more growth can make a big difference.
I've always thought that pics of nails can be misleading. Because it's hard to see shape, and relationship of white nail to flesh.
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