NormanKliman -> RE: Is using a guitar-support "un-flamenco"? (Apr. 16 2008 11:05:11)
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Excellent comments from all. It's interesting how one thing leads to another. Might get off topic, but lots of things come up on the way. Doitsujin: Might be a tuner on Gerardo's guitar. I've seen them on the side near the neck, where some players keep a dab of vaseline for their fingertips, or even inside (!) the guitar. Pimientito: About Paco changing his right hand since his first recordings, it sounds to me like his attack (pulsación) is much more dynamic. He "touches" the strings (right hand) using a wider range of pressure. Sometimes the string just slips out from under his finger, and sometimes it jumps because he presses harder. It's a much more efficient way to play and it allows for greater control and tonal color. But it sounds lighter and more "ethereal" to me, and I greatly prefer his old way of playing. It's more satisfying for me, like dark tobacco, full-bodied beer or a greasy stew. [:)] The light touch and the predominance of index, middle and ring fingers on the treble strings can really turn me off sometimes. I want to hear that thumb on the bass strings!!! But that's just my comment on playing in general, as applies to lots of players. Paco is still the best IMO, and he's always thumbing the basses. At home, my favorite playing position is sitting on the couch, like Ron, but I'll change from traditional to modern to keep my legs from going numb. If I play at a party or something, I'll change my sitting position in the chair to every possible alternative, just to remain comfortable. But when I started (before I even had a couch, haha), I always played sitting in a chair, with both feet on the floor and the neck held up at an angle. I found that it's extremely important to have support for my back, so I'd always lean back on the chair. Playing on a stool without a backrest will wreck my back, shoulders, upper arms and neck, but leaning back onto the chair lets me play for hours on end with no stiffness the next day. So, because of the back-support issue, I don't think that playing on the couch is such a bad thing, although I remember that it wasn't comfortable in the beginning. Maybe playing on the couch is the ultramodern playing position! [:D]
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