Picado: Grisha's tips

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el.toro

Posts: 32
Joined: Sep. 17 2012

Picado: Grisha's tips

Last weekend I broke my nails and I cut them off to restart again.

In the week since, I have been struggling to produce a good sounding picado.
I came across Grisha's video on tips for playing scales. He says that the proper way
to strike the notes pushing the string DOWN towards the soundboard instead of upwards
into the next string.
He also made a point the contact area on the string is where the flesh meets the nail.
He says it is possible to produce good sound striking this way ... even with no nails.

So.... I have been trying it out this week. Sure enough ... yes it does produce a nice tone.
I have also noticed that it is really really difficult to consistently strike the string with that
exact part of the fingertip. As a result, my speed has dropped dramatically from concentrating
on striking with the correct part of the finger AND pushing the string downward. I also have noticed
my right forearm cramping up after practicing this way.

My question is.... should I continue attempting to perfect the Grisha Technique? Or should I just go back to
the standard picado rest stroke and wait until my nails grow back for the good tone.

I am total beginner with only 1 month of guitar experience.

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Oct. 26 2012 21:35:13

bursche

Posts: 1182
Joined: Jul. 19 2007
From: Frankfurt, Germany

RE: Picado: Grisha's tips (in reply to el.toro)

quote:

I am total beginner with only 1 month of guitar experience.

Then forget Grishas lessons for now and do the basics first. How about rasgueado exercises? They are much more important now.

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REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Oct. 26 2012 21:42:51

el.toro

Posts: 32
Joined: Sep. 17 2012

RE: Picado: Grisha's tips (in reply to bursche)

Rasgeudo is coming along nicely. It is much easier than playing picado.

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Oct. 26 2012 21:45:26

Leñador

Posts: 5237
Joined: Jun. 8 2012
From: Los Angeles

RE: Picado: Grisha's tips (in reply to el.toro)

A good picado is a really tough thing, maybe the toughest thing. Technically the string vibrating towards and away from the soundboard is ideal, rather then towards and away from the bottom of your guitar. If your feeling pain your doing something wrong. If your a beginner there is nearly no way to tell if your doing it wrong, you would have to have an experienced player watch you and say what your doing wrong/right. That said, there's no exact perfect way to do a picado, I've seen world class players contradict each other about the proper perfect technique. There is however a wrong way to do things, and that can, at the least inhibit you from getting better and at worst actually damage your hands. Pain is no good, if you feel pain do something different, maybe your anatomy is not built to play the way another player can.
Anyways, if you've only been playing a month, rasgueados and rhythm should be your primary concern like Bursche said. Slooooooooooow is your friend.

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REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Oct. 26 2012 22:18:35

theblackcat

Posts: 57
Joined: Feb. 2 2010
From: Istanbul

RE: Picado: Grisha's tips (in reply to el.toro)

Grisha is correct of course, strings should be pressed down & they should snap back to their original state to give the full bodied picado sound. I would also recommend you don't grow your right hand nails more than 1 - 1.5 mm, that way you have to learn to do it right. However, I would aim for Paco's way instead of Grisha's (or any other player who doesn't bend fingers at the 2nd joint).

instead of straight fingers:

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Oct. 27 2012 18:36:49

turnermoran

Posts: 391
Joined: Feb. 6 2010

RE: Picado: Grisha's tips (in reply to Leñador)

virtually everyone agrees that Slow is best, both in the beginning, and some say forever.
So I don't see what bad can come of including slow picado practice for total beginners.

Like "spider exercise" or other basic technical exercises that deal with individual left hand fingers moving w/ corresponding RH picado. Otherwise, nothing but rasgueado practice means that the left hand focuses almost entirely on "chord grips".

In the end, while it may be frustrating due to amount of precision, picado is a super fine-motor activity and if done slowly and with relaxed technique, only aids in creating good neural connections, fine motor skill and muscle memory.

Sure, you may not need (or shouldn't need) and picado passages in your playing if you're a beginner, but the nuance of playing any technique is a matter of details, and why not incorporate details from the beginning?

IMO, everyone benefits from having a balanced practice regime from beginners to advanced; rasgeuado, pulgar, picado, arpeggio, etc
If nothing else, it rests certains muscles/tendons, etc as you move your arm/hands through the various positions

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Nov. 5 2012 19:53:43