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I´m new to this forum and a beginner at flamenco guitar. I have a few questions regarding picado technique that hopefully someone can help me with.
Like a lot of people I love the sound of Paco de Lucia´s rapid picados (and of course the rest of his playing) and I want to get a clear picture of how that sound is created. In most places where I´ve found info on the subject it´s described how you should strike the strings using rest strokes, letting one note ring until the next note is played. But in one video on YouTube it´s demonstrated that you should play this staccato, immediately dampening the note played before playing the next note. The dampening should be acheived by placing the next right hand finger on the sounding string before playing the next note.
I percieve Paco´s picados to have a fairly open sound and not staccato, but since I´m new at this I´m uncertain if that observation is correct. I heard Grisha for the first time the other day (what a fantastic player!) and he also get the sounds that I love out of the guitar. I just want to make sure that that I program my muscle memory correctly from the start, because to me it feels like two totally different ways of playing.
The next thing I´m wondering about is if it´s a "rule" that you always should have one finger resting on the next lower string, even when you play picado at really fast tempos, or if someone abandon this rule when going faster. Because that´s the difference between walking and running.
And finally (for now), I´m wondering if you´re supposed to lock your fingers and have movement from the knuckle, or movement from the first joint or both.
I percieve Paco´s picados to have a fairly open sound and not staccato, but since I´m new at this I´m uncertain if that observation is correct
Bing bing bing is open. Bip bip bip is closed or "staccato" which IS how Paco plays quite often. It is a good way to practice because by doing staccato with the right hand, you are learning to get a good secure grip or "plant" on the string very early in time. Having a good grip on the string means you will have control over rhythm, tone, volume, etc and it trains your fingers to make minimal economic movement so you end up getting some speed too.
In the end, when you finally perform, you will have the technical control to decide if you want the sound of bing bing bing, which is easier at fast tempos, vs Bip bip bip.
Also regarding finger movement of i and m. You can play with bent fingers, so the tip lines up, or with straight fingers so the m finger is a little longer. Both are OK, but the main thing is the power comes from the big joint where the finger connects to the hand, in both cases. It is ok that the middle knuckle moves a little when crossing strings and things, but the power or driver of the stroke is never the middle knuckle.
RE: picado technique support (in reply to Ricardo)
Thanks for your answer!
If I understand you correctly then by practicing staccato I gain control over both sounds "for the same buck", and my muscle memory won´t be confused when I want to play "open".
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