Correct Right Hand Postures

                         Bad Posture

                                                                                 Corrected Posture

                                                                       Corrected Posture

                                                                    Good Right Hand Posture

                                     Slightly bent wrist

                                                                   Knuckles nearly in line with strings

                                                            Fingers perpendicular to strings from top view

                                                Thumb slightly forward

                                                                    

                                                                  Front View

                       

       Side View

                   

                                                                     Top View

                   

The Alexander Technique

What Is The Alexander Technique?

"The Alexander Technique is a method that works to change (movement) habits in our everyday activities. It is a simple and practical method for improving ease and freedom of movement, balance, support and coordination. The technique teaches the use of the appropriate amount of effort for a particular activity, giving you more energy for all your activities. It is not a series of treatments or exercises, but rather a reeducation of the mind and body. The Alexander Technique is a method which helps a person discover a new balance in the body by releasing unnecessary tension. It can be applied to sitting, lying down, standing, walking, lifting, playing a musical instrument and other daily activities..."

The following article describes how the Alexander Technique can help ease the problems of a guitarist especially the sitting posture which actually can effect the left and right hand movement.

                                  

                                    from Guitar July 1978

The Tremolo

 The guitar is not a sustaining instrument in that  it is not possible to produce a long continuous note as with a bowed instrument or a blowing instrument.  However it is possible to give the illusion of sustained sound by playing a succession of repeated notes which is known as tremolo. The most common form of tremolo uses the right hand thumb to play a bass while each note of the melody is played three times with the a, m and i fingers. The most simple exercise to begin with is to play the 'E' on the 4th string of the guitar and a, m and i fingers on the open 1st string. As shown in Ex 1 the notes should be played slowly and make sure the notes sound evenly spread out. Most of the time beginners will tend to play the fingers of  a, m and i notes quite separated from the thumb. Keep fingers relax with right hand knuckles quite parallel to the strings and with the free stroke technique try to play with a good projection. As for practice purpose play the Ex 1 slowly and clearly from the 1st open strings up to the 5th position and back.

Exercise 1

Exercise 2

The next exercise is to try moving the thumb on different strings. This exercise from Malaguenas uses the 2nd, 3rd and 4th strings as the bass line and the a, m and i fingers will still use  the open 1st string. This time try practice with some dynamic changes and slow down towards the end.

Exercise 3

Some songs make use of the tremolo for the variation as shown in this short Japanese traditional tune The first part uses block chords while the tremolo comes in as a variation..Take note at bar 19 and 23,  the melody moves to the 2nd string briefly and also at bar 24 where it finishes the melody on the 3rd string with the last note ended with the 'm' finger and the bass 'A' with the 'p' finger.  So be careful to shift the a, m and i fingers to the 2nd and 3rd string melody smoothly without interrupting the flow of the music. This requires practice.

Kojo No Tsuki

Exercise 4

Romance de Amor is another favorite tremolo piece to start with because it is a variation from the original triplet arpeggios with the 'a' finger playing the melody line. For the tremolo version, the 'p' finger of the right hand will play the first beat for the bass and the 2nd and 3rd strings will play the accompaniment. If you practice the first bar accurately then it is quite easy to play the whole tune because the right hand thumb movement is the same throughout except that you have to concentrate on the left hand shifts.

Romance de Amor

Exercise 5

The Flamenco tremolo is quite similar with the classical tremolo in that it has one extra stroke which means instead of p a m i now it becomes p i a m i making it a quintuplet for each beat. Most classical tremolo has each stroke of the thumb playing eighth note  beats on the accompaniment as can be seen from the song Romance de Amor. The music is in 3/4 time and the thumb has to play 6 strokes on the lower part for each measure. As for the Flamenco tremolo the thumb usually plays each stroke for each quarter note beat, therefore if the music is in 3/4 time  the thumb will only play 3 strokes for each measure.. So if  the tremolo uses only p a m i  it does not sound tight enough to create a smooth effect thus the p i a m i will make the difference. Please try the following exercise taken from 'Soleares'

Exercise 6 

Another Flamenco piece with the "p i a m i" stroke from 'Farruca.'  In some measures the tremolo notes for the right hand fingering "i a m i"  does not play in groups of the same notes but has melodic movement.  At the 10th position onwards the melody changes in between the "i a m i" strokes, makes it very difficult because you have to shift your left hand at the right timing to execute the melody.  A lot of co-ordination is needed for the left and right hand.  No left hand fingerings are given here, give a try on your skills.

Exericse 7

This exercise helps to improve the repeated notes of the tremolo to run more evenly. Very often most players when practicing the tremolo tend to rush and the "a m i" strokes of the right hand tend to form groups of notes with the rhythm  much separated from the "p" finger. So instead of practicing "p a m i" all the time a reverse exercise is necessary so that the "a m i" fingers can control the strokes independently. Here you can try "p i m a m i" making it a sextuplet and play on each string of the guitar running on E major scale. It is  not easy at first but after some practice it will work smoothly like the p a m i tremolo.. Some players uses this technique in their Flamenco performances.

Reference (Some other popilar songs with tremolo technique)

Feste Lariane by Luigi Mozzani (Intermediate)

http://www.classclef.com/pdf/Feste%20Lariane%20by%20Luigi%20Mozzani.pdf

Sakura by Yuquijiro Yucoh (Advanced)

http://www.classclef.com/pdf/Sakura%20Variations%20by%20John%20Williams.pdf

Cancion de la Hilandera by Augustin Barrios Mangore (Advanced)

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1kfK732tyTNkJoKFHq0UF__KJOqbsh3Uy/view?usp=sharing

http://www.classclef.com/pdf/Cancion%20de%20la%20Hilandera%20by%20Agustin%20Barrios%20Mangore.pdf

Recuerdos de la Alhambra by Francisco Tarrega (Advanced)

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1ig0qWUstyiuanPjuhjB_FE6M4SNNQayz/view?usp=sharing

https://musescore.com/user/143654/scores/2602406

Una Limosna por el Amor de Dios by Augustine Barrios Mangore (Advanced)

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1Hw35buafE6TudST9Q5PxxrMscf7X2IDr/view?usp=sharing

Un Sueno en la Floresta by Augustin Barrios Mangore (Advanced)

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1NvsGCr7QzNsqrWDtFK6n5udyW6_QNNVV/view?usp=sharing

En Las Cuevas by Paco Pena (Flamenco) Advanced

http://www.classclef.com/pdf/En%20Las%20Cuevas%20by%20Paco%20Pena.pdf

Amor Amor Amor

Slowed Down Video With Tabs

Amor Amor Amor Backing Track

Classical Guitar Table Strutting (Bracing)

from 'Guitar' June 1983 

Maria Elena

One of my most memorable tunes I always hear during the early 1960's. At that time I was just beginning to learn the guitar and  admired the beautiful tone produced by Natalicio Lima (Los Indios Tabajaras) 

 Slowed Down Video With Tabs

Los Indios Tabajaras

  Los Indios Tabajaras

Tadashi Koizumi

Masterclass with Tadashi Koizumi (Chief Guitar Instructor, Yamaha Foundation, Japan) August 1978.

Paul Fischer - Luthier

 

from: Guitar Jan 1981

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How To Shape Your Right Hand Nails

 

by James Obrien - BMG Oct 1974