Strokes

[a name]

When doing free strokes, am I allowed to use a bit of power from my finger joint? Do my index and ring have to be perfectly straight when executing the rest stroke?

[fep]

Clasical guitarists will discuss this kind of question at length. Most jazz guitarists don't.

There are three joints on your finger, not sure which joint your refering too. But if you're refering to the joint closest to the fingernail, some classical guitarists will straighten that joint in the preparation or placement part of the attack of a rest stroke others don't.

Perfectly straight finger, I've never heard anyone teaching that.

You should post that question at this forum to get a better discussion on right hand technique:

Delcamp.us - Classical Guitar Forum • Index page

BTW, if your interested in proper classical right hand technique, you really need to take a few lessons from a classical teacher focusing on just that. It's hard to teach yourself all the details of rh technique.

[a name]

I'm referring to the middle joint. I actually did take a few lessons and yeah the guy said I should keep my fingers straight when doing RS, but the middle is allowed to be bent so that they're equal in length

Thanks for the link, I'll check it out

[fep]

I've never heard anyone suggest you should keep the middle knuckle straight (well until now).

Richard Provost is widely considered a guru on classical technique (he'll probably be mentioned on that classical guitar forum). He's written highly regarded books on classical technique. Here's a couple of pictures from one of those books (you should buy this book, Classical Guitar Technique by Richard Provost, I think you either misunderstood your instructor or he was giving you bad advice; imho):

[a name]

Wow THANK YOU MAN! That's how my finger was positioned when I tried to do the rest stroke but he kept telling me to keep it straight.

If you don't mind me asking, when playing fast passages on a single string, are you allowed to incorporate your other fingers? (e.g. fast passage on B string, instead of just m, can I go a-m-i)

Also, is the thumb restricted to the bass notes and the index, middle and ring to the treble?

Thanks again!

[bkdavidson]

For classical guitar, you should always alternate your right hand fingers. As far as keeping you fingers straight for rest strokes, you should pluck from the joint where your finger joins the hand and actually push down a little bit. Don't use the middle joint and pull up like an orchestral pizzicato. This is a much weaker motion, resulting in a much weaker tone. Your teacher may have just not known how to phrase how he wanted you to strike the strings. As for the thumb on the bass and a, m, and i on the trebles, there will be a lot of crossover, but 'p' on basses and a, m, and i on the trebles is sort of the default position. There's a decent number of us on here that are classically trained to some point, some of us even have degrees for it (at least I think so, I'm not the only one, am I), so don't hesitate to ask questions. We're always happy to help. Finding a classical guitar forum certainly wouldn't hurt, though.

[TommyD]

Here is Alice Artzt in a four-part lecture on Ida Presti's right hand technique. Though she explains each point in the technique almost ad nauseum, it's still a marvelous exposition of Ida Presti's great contribution.
Tom/
YouTube - The Ida Presti right hand technique for guitar - Alice Artzt - 1/4

[jack_gvr]

Right hand techniques are extremely variable from one player, and teacher, to the next. One friend of mine said that EVERY teacher she had had a different idea about right hand position. Many players do scales rest stroke with only i and m held very straight and the wrist very high, but when you do this the ring finger is out of the action, so I don't do it that way, instead I keep my fingers curved so that all four fingers including the pinky are within a half-inch of the string and available for action at all times. I.e., I NEVER have any right-hand finger completely straight.

With regard to "a bit of power from my finger joint" - whatever works. It takes years to develop a good right hand technique, and it could be unique to you. A little time spent watching youtube will show that there are a lot of different styles. Paco de Lucia has arguably the greatest RH tech in the world, and his position is pretty different from Segovia's. Bream's right hand tech even looks a little wacky to some of us, but it didn't slow him down much if any. Ida Presti's technique was backwards and other people get tendonitis doing it like that, but she was a phenomenon. Nobody says you can't learn something one way and then change it. Like any other aspect of guitar playing, just cuz one teacher says his is the one and only way doesn't mean that you can't find somebody else who can play rings around him doing it some other way.

[Dad3353]

Now I know why I don't play 'classical' guitar..!

[ksjazzguitar]

Some people try and do the "straight" finger approach to the RS to try and get the last finger joint to bend backwards so the finger can glide across the string without resistance. This is very common with beginners and a minority of "pros."

The biggest problem with this is that you will probably have to switch hand position between RS and FS. With some work, you can develop a RS that doesn't need you to switch. When I did this, I got a boost in power and tone. My RS is the same hand position (medium arch, slightly supinated) as my FS. Really, the strokes are almost identical except for the follow through.

The other common mistake is that the RS is the "good sounding" one and FS is the "not as good sounding but fast" one. Really, the goal is to get your FS to sound just as good as your RS, just a little less "full".

Peace,
Kevin

[christerguitar]

The angle of the stroke against the strings are the most important thing many guitarists now a day tries to get a tone between the characteristic rest stroke and free stroke, without playing a rest stroke...
ugh my english is to bad hope someone understand what i mean....

[KShri]

If you don't mind me asking, when playing fast passages on a single string, are you allowed to incorporate your other fingers? (e.g. fast passage on B string, instead of just m, can I go a-m-i)

Good question! Absolutely you can. You should check out Kazuhito Yamashita. He uses all sorts of different variations on one string, even c-a-m-i ! c meaning your pinky! Explore as many as you can think of. I have seen speedy players use a - i for fast passages even.

Also, is the thumb restricted to the bass notes and the index, middle and ring to the treble?Also a good question. The thumb is not restricted to the bass notes. Giuliani frequently employed p i passages in thirds - even on the 1st and 2nd string.

Also, for playing high octave passages you will have to use p on the 3rd string.

For scale work you will sometimes use i m all the way from the 1st and 2nd string to the 5th and 6th string. But I have never used 'a' finger on the bass strings.