Welcome to one of the most active flamenco sites on the Internet. Guests can read most posts but if you want to participate click here to register.
This site is dedicated to the memory of Paco de Lucía, Ron Mitchell, Guy Williams, Linda Elvira, Philip John Lee, Craig Eros, Ben Woods, David Serva and Tom Blackshear who went ahead of us.
We receive 12,200 visitors a month from 200 countries and 1.7 million page impressions a year. To advertise on this site please contact us.
All maestros don't seem to look at their left hand fingerings while playing. So I tried the flamenco way of holding the guitar with the soundhole facing slightly downward. No way I can see my left hand fingerings. Looking over the guitar neck at the fretboard all the time is obviously not a solution.
How do you guys do it? Simple basic chord fingerings are not a problem for me. But tricky chord fingerings, chord changes across the fretboard or scale runs etc cause problems.
Posts: 3487
Joined: Jan. 20 2004
From: Austin, Texas USA
RE: Do you look at the fretboard whi... (in reply to devilhand)
In my experience, eyesight tends to dominate feeling, but in playing the guitar, feeling is more precise than seeing. So the thing to do is to try not to look.
You can look elsewhere, or even shut your eyes. It's been a long time since I started, but it seems reasonable to begin by changing chords or playing short scales in one position. I don't remember how long it took to learn to change positions accurately. At present the feeling is to land as accurately as possible, but always feel for the fret or frets, and make micro compensations if you're going to be there long enough. Most of the time I can land at the frets correctly and the slight adjustments aren't needed.
I sometimes still look if I shift more than about seven frets, but I regularly see players who can handle many long and rapid shifts with complete security.
As with most techniques, it's good to start slowly and attain accuracy before trying for speed.
Personally, my greatest obstacle to progress in any technique is impatience.
Posts: 1770
Joined: Jul. 11 2003
From: The Netherlands
RE: Do you look at the fretboard whi... (in reply to devilhand)
Your eyes are much slower than the reflexion of your hand. You trained yourself to look, so you need it. Same as dots on the guitar. So, now train yourself not to look. You become faster(better) because you skip the looking part.
Posts: 208
Joined: Mar. 29 2017
From: The Netherlands
RE: Do you look at the fretboard whi... (in reply to devilhand)
+1 with the above. In the beginning and when studying new pieces I still need to sit and look. That need fades. One thing though that might affect me is that I am only reading guitar tab (I can not read music) which somehow might link me more to counting fret's.
Posts: 15725
Joined: Dec. 14 2004
From: Washington DC
RE: Do you look at the fretboard whi... (in reply to devilhand)
Paco and many actually do look at both hands often, and for sections close the eyes or look up or away etc. Most important is to look right, toward the cantaor! . Seriously it’s not good to only look over the fingerboard so practice in front of the mirror with neck and head straight.
RE: Do you look at the fretboard whi... (in reply to Richard Jernigan)
Thanks to all of you guys I appreciat your inputs.
quote:
In my experience, eyesight tends to dominate feeling, but in playing the guitar, feeling is more precise than seeing. So the thing to do is to try not to look.
quote:
Your eyes are much slower than the reflexion of your hand. You trained yourself to look, so you need it. Same as dots on the guitar. So, now train yourself not to look. You become faster(better) because you skip the looking part.
Good points. Something I haven't thought about.
As for the dots, I can definitely relate to that. Still getting used to playing guitar without fret markers and dots. I feel it's getting better. But as we know it won't happen over night.
Posts: 1770
Joined: Jul. 11 2003
From: The Netherlands
RE: Do you look at the fretboard whi... (in reply to Richard Jernigan)
Yesn that is true, because you learned the piece with dots. So that is your reverence. If you study without dots, the reverence become the position of the hand or finger just before you come to the note or chord where the dot is.
( it took me three months to play my “repetoire” fully confidentially without dots)
Printable Version
. Seriously it’s not good to only look over the fingerboard so practice in front of the mirror with neck and head straight. 
New Messages
No New Messages
Hot Topic w/ New Messages
Hot Topic w/o New Messages
Locked w/ New Messages
Locked w/o New Messages
Post New Thread