don't be in such a rush!

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Miguel de Maria

Posts: 3532
Joined: Oct. 20 2003
From: Phoenix, AZ

don't be in such a rush!

I've just come upon a neat image. It's--Don't be in such a rush! Here's how it happened: I can't really play thumb lines as consistently as I need to, so I started working on them, and somehow came to the conclusion that I was trying to move my thumb too fast. Basically, the feeling I'm going for now is very relaxed. It's the feeling that I can put my thumb down and press it, release the string, and have all the time in the world to do it. I did this for thumb lines and then for alzapua and arpeggio bass parts. Hey, it really worked for me, to get accuracy. No more flubbed or stuck strings, everything was clean. I think what happens is when you are in too much of a rush, you tense your hands up and don't allow the muscles to fire in the correct sequence. It seems to work for other techniques as well. Id be interested if any of you guys try it, to see if it works for you too. One of the lessons here is that our minds can process more information than we thought; these three somewhat seperate actions, all perceived in sequence, at normal speed.

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Oct. 13 2003 4:41:54

Escribano

Posts: 6417
Joined: Jul. 6 2003
From: England, living in Italy

RE: don't be in such a rush! (in reply to Miguel de Maria)

Good points, I find "slow down" the best advice I can give myself. The challenge is that one wants to sound flamenco, but the palo suffers at very low speed - so I am onto non-musical exercises for a while - chromatic scales, any old postion that stretches the fingers and does not expect the same finger on the same string on the same fret.

As for rasguedos - I am trying all sorts, hoping I can build a solid repetoire to suit different compas. The problem there is not to fall into the same compas pattern. One may work for Solea but not Tangos.

quote:

One of the lessons here is that our minds can process more information than we thought

Correct, we can think much more quickly than command our body. That's why there is the spinal arc that trigggers involuntarily to pull your hands off a hot plate without the signal going to the brain and back - a nervous reaction if you will.

I want my basic techniques to be semi-autonomous, like breathing.

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REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Oct. 13 2003 9:15:58