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After browsing old threads I on the subject of picado, I interpret some of the posts (from Grisha amongst others) as if some players sometimes when playing picado, leave the principle of always having i or m resting on the next lower string while the other finger plays a note.
This would be done to achieve greater speeds and maybe to emulate the difference between walking and running. I have heard that when doing picado "both fingers should never be in the air at the same time", but have never understood the logic behind this principle if you want to play faster.
If someone could clarify this for me I would be really thankful! And maybe somebody knows how PDL does it, for instance.
I´m a beginner at this and just want to do it "right" from the start.
both fingers should never be in the air at the same time", but have never understood the logic behind this principle if you want to play faster.
Picado is an alternating stroke, so after "m" comes "i" but both fingers are in action: At the same time when "m" makes the impuls for plucking the string, this is same impulse for "i" to go back for being prepared for plucking. So if "i" is making the impulse, this the same moment for "m" going back. You can compare it to a runner. Jumping on 1 leg is less efficient than running with 2 legs. When 1 foot touches the ground, this is the impulse to the other leg to start coming forward and so on. Refering to the fingers it´s correct to say that the simultanous down/up impulse has the most less dissipation loss, it´s the best way to play fluid. The more practise you have the faster you will be. But keep in mind that extremely speed is not important. Pay attention to compás and a good tone.
Every one seems to focus more in right hand and less in left hand reguarding picado exercise. A clean picado will need both clean left and right hand. That means the notes have to be played perfectly in sync both L/R fingers. Most of the time the left fingers can't catch up with the right ones. To verify what I said just do picado on one open string and then compare with that of having left hand fingering.
In my opinion, it's easier to train the right hand greatly first using simple left-hand playing. Once you get the picado technique coordinated and fast, you can spend time training the hands to coordinate. You have to train your hands to play any new falsetta you learn anyway. Well at least I do!
I've never really seen anybody who can sight-read a picado solo they've never seen before at tempo, but once you are trained you should be able to improvise them easily and both hands should be coordinated. If they are not, learn progressively more difficult picado solos and practice running through scales until improvisation becomes natural.
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