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My rasgeuo is improving by the day, but now I'm onto another obstacle...the downstroke of i and/or p with a golpe of the a. My hands and brain just can't seem to grasp this movement. I know something like the rasgueo you must do slowly to get it down, but my hand is just struggling with the actual movement of the golpe and downstroke simultaneously.
Posts: 27
Joined: Jan. 30 2008
From: New Jersey, USA
RE: i- and p- downstroke with Golpe (in reply to SilverShark)
You are probably tired of seeing my replies, but since I also am a recent convert to flamenco I know exactly of this difficulty!
When I first started, I was pretty comfortable with the golpe while doing 'p' downstrokes. It's really a grasping reflex of sorts. But I was inept at golpe and 'i'. The two fingers seemed completely opposed to obliging that stroke. Mostly, my golpe was very weak even though I would execute the 'i' effectively.
Then one day it just worked... I was able to relax and not jab at the guitar, and somehow my neurons did their thing and forged the appropriate pathways. I heard a nice solid "bop" on the guitar and knew I had it.
Now it's easy and I can't even try to make it feel clumsy again. Flamenco is just not one of those "easy to pick up" styles. You have to work at it for a while, and things will just slowly click, one technique at a time.
Posts: 15725
Joined: Dec. 14 2004
From: Washington DC
RE: i- and p- downstroke with Golpe (in reply to SilverShark)
It is a tough one to get at first until it just "clicks". It is a coordination thing, and timing. I takes some practice. One trick I use for students not getting he i stroke with golpe, is to strum up and down constant, like say 16th notes. taka taka etc.
On the beat, replace the first stoke down with jUST the a golpe. So you have TAP-a-ta-ka, TAP-a-ta-ka, etc. Golpe, up down up, golpe up down up. Well do that continuous for a long time, really evenly. While doing it LOOK at your index finger, and notice how it SWEEPS across and OVER the strings when you tap, so it is prepared for the next up stroke. Well, it is just a mental thing, but if you can just simply let your index touch the string on its way down, then you have got it!
RE: i- and p- downstroke with Golpe (in reply to SilverShark)
As the other guys have said, I think it's a matter of practice and getting past the bit where your brain is thinking about it, like when you learn to drive a car and your changes are clunky because you're consciously thinking about them...
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