Its finally paying off!!

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fevictor

Posts: 377
Joined: Nov. 22 2005
From: Quepos / Manuel Antonio, Costa Rica

Its finally paying off!!

So I want to just share this great feeling I have right now. My last posts have all been technique related, seeing as how I've put making music on a back burner and have only been concentrating on technique. Well, my playing feels so good now that I feel owe it to fellow beginners to share my success (although I get the impression that people here don't really care for beginner advice)

Anyway, I want to start by saying that reverse rasgeos are a great way of strengthening your middle and ring finger. I now do rasgeos as much as I can, but very little on the guitar! I mean to say that while driving, sitting in a chair, whatever...keep those fingers moving in slow full extension movements. It builds great strength.

I have a problem with arpegios in the sense that my hand tends to wobble and move around too much. To rectify this, I practise tremolo for about an hour and a half, concentrating only on hand position. Tremolo is easier than arpegios in the sense that there is less finger movement. This lets you concentrate more your position, and less on how smooth the arpegios may be. So after weeks and weeks of tremolo practise, arpegios start becoming easier since my right hand starts moving less and less.

Abanico: I found this to really improve my alzapua. Trying to get a nice smooth abanico and practising nice and slowly has really loosened up my wrist, not to mention given my hand a better "feel" of where all the strings are. I mean that by raising the abanico while doing bass chords, or lowering while doing D7 for example. Anyway, the point is that this directly hepled me with alzapua, since my wrist is not as stiff as it used to be, and my thumb has its own natural path now.
One more thing...since my brain is so fixated on hand position right now, thats also helping me maintain my thumb contact when doing alzapua.

Lastly, I also recommend doing left handed rasgeos while not playing guitar. Again, just slow complete finger extensions on your leg or knee. Also doping reverse rasgeos with your left hand. It just makes sense if you want to acquire more strength in your fingers. Its obvious to me now that strength = control.

Now the strings are starting to feel a lot softer, and sometimes I can´t wipe a dumb smile off of my face while I am playing!!

So thats about it. If I had my own computer and someway of recording myself, then I would definately post an audio clip to back up what I am saying...I have that confidence now...its the technology thats lacking! I actually really want to post a solea to get some feedback, since there are no flamencos where I am.

Vic

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Aug. 25 2006 4:07:24