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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.
RE: Its finally paying off!! (in reply to fevictor)
Fevictor,
Good beginner advice...Im just starting to work on my tremolo and arpeggio and I too work off the same approach as you explained. Just out of curiousity, where in Costa Rica are you? I just returned from the Guanacaste region in July.
Posts: 377
Joined: Nov. 22 2005
From: Quepos / Manuel Antonio, Costa Rica
RE: Its finally paying off!! (in reply to fevictor)
Thanks for the response guys. JB, I am in the central pacific in a town called Quepos/Manuel Antonio (manuel antonio being the national park and the main attraction)...I am just below Jaco and above playa Dominical. I work at a hotel where the monkeys to visit everyday, theres always a sloth around, and the mangos are scattered all over the ground! I tell you...if there was only a tablao here I would really be in the best place on earth!
RE: Its finally paying off!! (in reply to fevictor)
I was there in '99. I loved it! I'd like to go back, but I'm scared now. After I started seeing "Spend Spring Break in Costa Rica" on the walls in college a few years later it really made me shudder... Doesn't Jaco have a hospital and big condo complex's now? I heard it is really developing fast. But if I could get a job done there, I'd take it in a second.
I'm going to have to search for your old posts on these practice exercises. I could REALLY use it.
RE: Its finally paying off!! (in reply to fevictor)
Ahhh yes, I know where Manuel Antonio is. Aren't they building the hell out of that? I remember seeing quit a bit of advertising in the Guanacaste region about some planned developments down there.
Actually, since my father purchased around 260 acres in Guanacaste last year I have been taking trips down there when I can... he's developing a small area of about 30'ish homes and a hotel. I don't think I have ever experienced anything like Costa Rica... it is truly addictive. Im crossing my fingers to move down there in a couple years!
Posts: 377
Joined: Nov. 22 2005
From: Quepos / Manuel Antonio, Costa Rica
RE: Its finally paying off!! (in reply to fevictor)
bbeardb: yeah this place is getting pretty americanized. A lot of new developments more in the works. The water pressure is getting low and the electricity and cable seem to come and go as they please. But all of the tourism brings in good money to whoever is bilingual and I'm going to milk this place for as long as I can!
JB: If you come by this way again make sure to let me know so that I can come up and see you. I was just in Guanacaste yesterday, I went to the Nicaraguan border. Its only about a 4 hour drive from where I am, and I always like to take a road trip!
RE: Its finally paying off!! (in reply to fevictor)
Are you Tico?
I was thinking about going to Nicaragua to have the Nico's teach me some spanish in one of those intensive language schools. But then I bought a house. Never buy a house...
If you could shoot me a PM explaining these practice techniques, I'd really appreciate it.
Posts: 377
Joined: Nov. 22 2005
From: Quepos / Manuel Antonio, Costa Rica
RE: Its finally paying off!! (in reply to fevictor)
I really wouldn´t recommend learning spanish in Nicaragua...my girlfriend is Nica and she would kill me if she read this, but I always bug her anyway; Nicaraguans tend to replace all s´s with an H sound. For example: Voh te montah en un buh a la treh. When it should be: Vos te montas en un bus a las tres!!! Get it? So you may pick up some really bad habits!
No, I´m canadian/mexican/spanish...just enjoying the good life here. And by the way...in regards to the techniques I´ve been preaching about, all I´m saying is that I´m solely working on techinique, instead of fighting my way thru falsetas that are out of myu league. Once my techinque is at a point where it all comes naturally with little effort, then its time to add notes and make music. And one more thing...I´m going to let my guitar teacher tell me when my technique is solid, because if it was up to me, I would have settled a long time ago!
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