Munin -> Another basic rasgueado question (Oct. 7 2008 6:31:00)
Reading the other rasgueado thread got me wondering about my own technique, in a slightly different context. From my teacher, I've learned the traditional amii rasgueado in a way where I'm flicking/fixing my fingers on the very first part of my thumb, the tip, so to speak (and thus I'm doing it like Graf-Martinez as shown in his DVD I think). However, I keep noticing that other players seem to do it more from the inner part of the hand, so I keep wondering if what I'm doing is not especially good...?
Particularly when playing bulerias, I've noticed that switching to a rasgueado position for a amii rasgueado out of doing i upstrokes/golpes, with my version, I completely have to change my thumb/hand position, and it takes a lot of time and distance to "get there". So I wonder...is what I'm doing actually good technique? Or is it just about getting used to it? And why, with other players, it seems like they can do fast bulerias and flick out a rasgueado from nowhere without moving their hand/thumb one bit. Am I doing it wrong?
Reading the other rasgueado thread got me wondering about my own technique, in a slightly different context. From my teacher, I've learned the traditional amii rasgueado in a way where I'm flicking/fixing my fingers on the very first part of my thumb, the tip, so to speak (and thus I'm doing it like Graf-Martinez as shown in his DVD I think). However, I keep noticing that other players seem to do it more from the inner part of the hand, so I keep wondering if what I'm doing is not especially good...?
Particularly when playing bulerias, I've noticed that switching to a rasgueado position for a amii rasgueado out of doing i upstrokes/golpes, with my version, I completely have to change my thumb/hand position, and it takes a lot of time and distance to "get there". So I wonder...is what I'm doing actually good technique? Or is it just about getting used to it? And why, with other players, it seems like they can do fast bulerias and flick out a rasgueado from nowhere without moving their hand/thumb one bit. Am I doing it wrong?
It is not "wrong" but understand there are TWO ways, and the reason for doing it different is the sound. What I mean is, the amii you describe, flicking from the thumb, allows you to snap into the bass strings more. There are a lot of times this is very nice, but you get a snappy percussive sound (like a llamada for siguiriyas). The other way, the fingers are free and brush across and hit more the treble strings and get a brighter shimmering sound (like what you are not doing in bulerias). Watch some videos and notice the thumb position. When the thumb bends and the fingers get "cocked" like a gun, they flick and snap into the basses. But if the thumb is straight, the fingers don't flick, they "brush" very quick and smooth for a brighter sound.
Some folks wrongly believe that flicking from the thumb is more "modern" and the other technique more traditional, but both techniques were in use in the old days, and today. It is more about the sound you want to get.
Here is an old snapping bent thumb in siguiryas. It is out of synch but you can SEE what I mean. Look at :35, and 1:25, watch the thumb:
But here is a modern rasgueado where the thumb stays straight and you get the bright brushing sound at 0:22 and 4:21:
I was aware of both ways, actually, but indeed as you described in the belief that nowadays, people would actually always use the "cocked" version, somehow. Additionally, my "free" rasgueado still sounds pretty weak and strummy, while for other players, in bulerias etc, sounds always pretty snappy too (though without the bassy edge), so it got me wondering what they were actually doing.
