nylon fingerstyle single note chops

[rcandro]

I wish this was me playing but it is Sylvain Courtney. I studied Flamenco for 6+ months. I would agree that that isn't sufficient but while I understand your recommendation, when it comes to single line jazz playing I'm trying to emulate this guy.

Wowwwww. Fantastic. Amazing technique.

[rob taft]

Can I be a big noob, and ask about electric guitars. I have a crappy one at home. It has no space between the strings. That video with sylvain seems to have wider spacing. Can you buy wider fretted electric guitars?

Yes, but they are not that common but it is more than nut width. It is nut width and the string spacing at the bridge as well. You also have to remember that the string spacing does not have to be as wide as a typical nylon string guitar as electric string say a .12 gauge are not as thick especially GBE strings. That said, there are a lot of 1 3/4" nut width archtops out there but in many cases the neck width as it approaches the body isn't much different than a normal width neck.

I own a special purpose built guitar that has a nearly 2 1/4" spacing at the bridge which I find ideal but had I known at the time about something like the Peerless Martin Taylor Maestro I would have gone that route. If I can believe the specs, that guitar has a nut width is 1.76 inch and the width at the 12th fret 2.16 inches and 2.33″ at the 20th fret

Martin Taylor is certainly no slouch with his fingers although when he really wants to play fast, although when he plays really fast single lines, he usually uses a pick.


Peerless Martin Taylor Maestro | Guitars 'n Jazz

[Stanford J17]

I once asked Thomas Fellow how to play fast single-note-lines with fingers. He replied, that the secret to speed is relaxation.

This means, that you don't need to get your finger back over the string with a conscious muscle movement! You just need to relax the muscles that moved the finger towards the palm and it will return "automatically" to it's initial (or neutral) position. That means you have to do one move and relax instead of two moves, which should speed you up.

I hope I explained it well enough.

If not, here is a video of Pepe Romero explaining the same thing:

[Aretium]

I once asked Thomas Fellow how to play fast single-note-lines with fingers. He replied, that the secret to speed is relaxation.

This means, that you don't need to get your finger back over the string with a conscious muscle movement! You just need to relax the muscles that moved the finger towards the palm and it will return "automatically" to it's initial (or neutral) position. That means you have to do one move and relax instead of two moves, which should speed you up.

I hope I explained it well enough.

If not, here is a video of Pepe Romero explaining the same thing:

Yes. There is only one way and that is obviously relaxation. There are plenty of guitarists out there, however, who have a bit of tension but they have practiced a lot so they just get by those fast scales. The ONLY way to do it with true results is staccato. So you play the note with one finger very powerfully but relaxed and the other finger plants and mutes the note, the planting must occur in between the fingernail and flesh. Then the same with the other finger. After a few years you will have it down haha.

[destinytot]

Alexander Technique and Tai Chi exercises are a great help in getting 'right' (muscle) tone.
A Technique for Musicians

[christianm77]

This might be tangential as really my fingerstyle technique is quite basic, but I've been working at 'pick the off beat and slur into the beat phrasing' which is quite common with a lot of players it seems (Mike Moreno covers this in his first musicmasterclass video.)

I like what this has done for my pick playing but the a side benefit is that my fingerstyle linear playing is much better.

It's a bit of a myth that you have to pick everything - guys like Sylvain Luc and Lionel Loueke don't appear to do this... (Although Luc can play pretty fast fingerstyle runs it must be said)

[jmurphyguitar]

I've been in a similar boat... I haven't been playing much nylon guitar but I have been converting to fingerstyle. I a made a short video addressing some of the techniques that have worked for me, maybe it will help you too?

I have been alternating i m and p i the most but also occasionally where a thumb pick which helps give a little more clarity to the thumb but I don't always like to use that sound...

Hope the video helps!

JJ

[armando]

"Look, Ma' - no nails!" Earl Klugh solo @3m40:

Earl Klugh does use nails......

[destinytot]

Earl Klugh does use nails......

"Look, Ma.. very little nail and mostly flesh."

[armando]

"Look, Ma.. very little nail and mostly flesh."

"Look, Ma.. everyone thinks I mostly use flesh but they haven't read my guitar magazine interview"

[kris]

Nice sounding modern classic Frameworks:

[kris]

I like this playing:

[christianm77]

Man I have been listening a lot to Sylvain Luc following my last post. What a wonderful musician.

[Encinitastubes]

My issue isn't so much scales, but arpeggios -- not the broken chord kid, but the 2-3 notes per string.

[Lionelsax]

With the greatest respect, I HATE the sound of amplified nylon. It sounds so cheap and tatty. It is a nice solo but I can't get over the sound haha

You should plug one into an amp made for electric guitars, and you will figure out it sounds very good as if it were quite an archtop, delete the high ends and you will hear something beautiful.
On the other hand the high E string on nylon guitar has got a lot of dynamics, it doesn't sound weak.

[Tomcat]

With the greatest respect, I HATE the sound of amplified nylon. It sounds so cheap and tatty. It is a nice solo but I can't get over the sound haha

whoeveer heard Pat Metheny live would know that there ARE nylon string guitars that sound beautifully in even very large venues: