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Posts: 3509
Joined: Jan. 20 2004
From: Austin, Texas USA
RE: The best left hand technique (in reply to devilhand)
The last time David Russell played here in Austin he held a master class for Adam Holzman's guitar studio at the University of Texas.
Russell's program for the next evening was already published. It included a wildly virtuosic piece by Regondi. Two of the master class students played it. "Pretty bold," I thought.
Both students were technically perfect. Russell's comments applied only to interpretation. The students immediately exhibited their understanding by playing astonishingly difficult parts flawlessly, with the expression suggested by Russell.
After Russell's concert the next night I commented to the Executive Director of Austin Classical Guitar, "When I was young, that Regondi piece was impossible."
"You mean, nobody could play it," he agreed.
The standard of technique is so high among the best younger players in both classical and flamenco that I think it is fruitless to try to compare them.
RE: The best left hand technique (in reply to devilhand)
It is almost impossible to compare any of the hands on great players, as everyone has different hands, meaning different finger length or palm size.
For example, Jeronimo Maya, he has his 4th finger of the left hand (pinky) very long compared to mine and most of the people, I mean as long as his index finger. So he plays easily chords that require the middle finger on the second string and the pinky on the sixth while holding a barre. The husband of my sister in law has the same pinky (he is a classical guitar player). Most of my classical students, and me, do not.
So seeing a video of a master doing one thing might be completely different on your hand trying to do it.
Checking if undesirable tension occurs while fretting on any part of the fingers, palm, arm, elbow, shoulder, or even back or neck or the belly (yes, most people have tension there while playing), could show you where to go and what to do, plus having a nice teacher guiding the process. You might also ask a good friend to observe your playing and see if anything feels strange to him (maybe a shoulder sticking up).
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