Miguel de Maria -> On resting the thumb (Mar. 21 2005 19:29:32)
|
It is an idiomatic part of flamenco techique to rest the thumb on string or even the soundboard (according to Anders), however, this is something I have always been slightly suspicious of... why? Well, to achieve fluency in any technique, whether it be arpeggio, block chord, picado, or for that matter, anything to do with the left hand, balance is very important. You don't want one finger to predominate over the other ones. For example, playing picado, if your m is stronger and catches on the string, it will be like trying to run with a club foot, or with one shoe on and the other off. The problem I have with resting and bracing the thumb is that it tends to make the hand lazy, so as not to seek balance. All the effort goes into resting in the thumb, and the fingers just fly and try to do their thing. An experiment: play a right hand technique with the thumb in the air. Start slow, but speed up. Allow the hand to come to an equilibrium, "walking" on the fingers. This will probably cause your hand to rise a little, to redistribute its weight. Eventually you will reach a point of excellent balance, where you can play fast quite easily. Try to do the same thing with the thumb planted on the soundboard. Of course it can be done, but it is not such a natural move for the body. I think you should practice with the thumb in the air to help you discover the best positions for the various RH techniques, and then use the thumb on the string or soundboard to assist you, even to help you gauge the correct distances, once the right position is found. Otherwise you may find yourself trying to run while leaning one hand agaisnt the wall.
|
|
|
|