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z6 -> RE: Technique question (Jun. 6 2013 10:33:58)
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I do this. But there's no 'thumb-over' and the original poster didn't say his thumb protruded over the fingerboard.
I used to play with a 'classical' 'square on' hand. But when holding the classical position the lower positions are right by one's nose. (kinda)
If playing flamenco, with the guitar on the right knee, then those positions are 'further away' and at a different angle.
Also, this is a position that can adjust as the hand moves up the fingerboard. It's much easier for me to play with my left hand slightly slanted in the lower positions.
I believe that a global acceptance that 'square-on' (everywhere) is correct above other strategies is just one of things that seems to have seeped into the consciousness as 'correct'. We are all different. I think the whole 'square-on' thing makes sense if it feels good but getting the right feel is everything. I'm certainly not convinced that it is always appropriate for flamenco. It depends on what one is doing with the left, and right, hands.
My two middle fingers (left hand) want to touch each other at their tips; a slight angle solves this and I also find that my left hand (even though it does sometimes play a part in supporting the guitar) is much more relaxed and alive playing this way.
If you believe the 'correct' way is better for you then there are those supports that do it 'for' you.
However, this IS somewhere I would advise caution. Extra supports can be a great help but one should have a deep understanding of one's own hands and limitations thereof before resorting to artificial means to support the guitar. (It's easy to solve one thing while introducing a new 'class' of 'problem'.)
There's nothing wrong with people using them (people can and should do what they want) but the implied suggestion that such a contraption is a superior strategy compared to using one's hands (without any accoutrement) should be examined very closely by anyone thinking they're 'doing something wrong'. Supports are terrific for advanced players who really know why they're using it. (Back problems, etc.)
I'm not a great one for 'watching' people's hands but I would bet that you'd see a lot more of the slanting or slight holding than you might think, if you look around.
The technique you're describing looks to me a lot like the way violin players hold the instrument. A violin is a tiny wee thing and different, etc., but it doesn't stop them playing fast or slow, or with double or triple stops, perfectly in tune. (And we can assume that fluffing a note with a fretted instrument is a corollary to playing out of tune without frets.)
The hand shouldn't be 'grabbing' any more than it needs to but a slanted hand, even when holding, does not necessarily signify everything going into the grab to the detriment of the music you're playing.
It squares up naturally, as required by the music, or the actual job at hand. You can still develop not only an efficient technique slanting at the lower frets but a technique that 'looks efficient'.
I think a lot of the prejudice against such techniques comes from the fact that a lot of players who do this seems to also have a lot of finger movement going on (which does not 'look' efficient). But the two things are different, and excessive movement of the left hand fingers (away from the fingerboard) is again not, by default, 'wrong'.
If it feels good and it sounds good then it's good.
A support would radically alter the whole position of the guitar. A lot of people like these systems very much and I would not suggest for a moment that they have not solved many problems suffered by many guitarists.
If you're playing 'old style' (I don't know if it has a name) by pointing the neck higher then this is very close to the 'support' position and I doubt you would lose anything by using a support. (It would feel right and you wouldn't have to grab anything.)
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