fingerstyle muscle memory - Page 3

oldrocker · #31 04-08-2010, 07:09 PM

yes.........

TBman · #32 04-08-2010, 07:57 PM

Another yes. It takes time, but its worth it. If you don't sing strumming gets old fast. Flatpicking is alot of fun (did that for a long time), but learning fingerstyle opened up a new universe of sorts for me.

Glennwillow · #33 04-08-2010, 08:06 PM

I think developing good right hand technique takes the same kind of effort as developing good left hand technique. Some of us have simply spent more time doing one thing perhaps more than another, so we learn new things with a set of advantages and disadvantages.

For me, learning new left hand stuff takes more effort and my right hand just adapts and I don't have to think about it much. But that's because I have been playing with my fingers since I started 46 years ago. I'm OK but not great with a flat pick, but playing with my fingers is what I have always done.

When I was in college I made up my own versions of various picks, including a goofy version of the Travis pick. Right after getting out of college I met one of only two people that I have enjoyed playing the guitar with. He taught me how to play the REAL Travis pick, laying it out finger by finger, step by step. At first, I thought, this is impossible. But I spent about week doing nothing but playing open strings with my right hand, following his instructions, until it clicked in. (I'm sure I drove my wife nuts, but she has always been very patient and supportive.)

Even today, though, when I'm presented with a fairly difficult piece that requires true independence of the alternating thumb while a melody must be played that is not on the syncopated beat, that takes a little work to figure it out.

Every new thing takes some effort, and I'm not as quick to pick this stuff up now as I was when I was 16 or 20 years old. But now I have a little more time, I'm not trying to make money at this anymore, and I no longer worry about proving anything to anyone else. So I'm not in any big hurry. With time and desire, you can usually work out most anything.

Regards, Glenn

ewalling · #34 04-08-2010, 10:03 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Squeezebox

Again with the Roy BookBinder quote: "Your left hand is what you know, your right hand is who you are"

That's a great quote! Yes, I really like it.

Turp · #35 04-09-2010, 12:53 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dogsnax

I think it was Roy Book Binder who once said....

"what you know is in your left hand, who you are is in your right....."

Great quote. Hard to say it any better.

BULLSPRIG · #36 04-09-2010, 10:13 AM

Thanks for the excellent feedback.

I have a comment, which I'm sure will be disagreed with. Just keep in mind, its more a personal opinion or observation of mine. Not claiming it is "gospel."

See if this makes sense to you...

If a person is naturally drawn to a "pick" as opposed to playing with his/her fingers, I'm of the belief that he discovers (over time) that his LEFT hand is actually more his focus than his picking hand. This might be due to the fact that using solely a pick with his right hand, he's making individual pick strikes when he plays. Thus, his left hand become more of the focus, and he might dabble with "hammer on's and off's" in order to create more activity within his playing. Considerin his right hand is limited (mostly) to individual pick strokes.

So over the course of time, the flatpicker (my opinion) becomes "busier" with his left hand than his right. His brain actually drives most of its attention down the left arm.

Meanwhile, a "fingerstyle" picker is likely to be more focused, early on, with his right hand than his left. Much more has to occur and be mastered at the right hand, from the beginning. For example, a fingerstyle player can hold a barre chord structure, never moving his left hand position, and produce quite a variety of music, using right hand fingerstyle articulation.

Its interesting, here lately I've dabbled with various things using a pick and using fingerstyle (what limited experience I have). There are things you can do much more effectively/faster with a pick, than with fingerstyle. And the reverse is also true. So I find there's not always a more advantageous approach. Its very situational.

Lastly, with all this jibberish I just laid out here, my main point is it seems when I watch a flatpicker play music, he/she is more active at the left hand and busier at that hand than he is with his picking hand. And a proficient fingerstyle player is (more commonly) not as active/busy with his left hand.

now chew on that for a while. that's pretty darn out there isn't it.

ljguitar · #37 04-09-2010, 10:23 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BULLSPRIG

...Lastly, with all this jibberish I just laid out here, my main point is it seems when I watch a flatpicker play music, he/she is more active at the left hand and busier at that hand than he is with his picking hand. And a proficient fingerstyle player is (more commonly) not as active/busy with his left hand.

now chew on that for a while. that's pretty darn out there isn't it.

Hi b-sprig…
I’m not sure the left is busier, but the best flatpickers have really efficient right hand techniques...and their movements are very compact. But they are hitting as many notes with the right hand as with the left...except for hammer-on pull-offs.

Even when the left hand is ''efficient'' it still moves over a longer range of movement which is more visible - not necessarily more active.

I find the same things can be said about fingerstyle players as well.

I agree that each works ''better'' than the other with certain styles/techniques.

sugarkang · #38 04-09-2010, 10:30 AM

Learn "Freight Train" first.
Tommy Emmanuel himself suggested this.
On youtube, there's an excellent tutorial for FOUR different skill levels of freight train.
Here's level one:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z3RArufrbgw

With regard to left/right difficulty:
I think in the beginning, the left hand is harder to do.
Once you get to mastering chord fingerings, the right hand is harder to do and will remain that way for the rest of your life.

fatt-dad · #39 04-09-2010, 10:34 AM

If the left hand had to do all the heavy lifting, we'd all be playing lefty guitars. Nah, I don't buy it. Right-handed players use their left hand to do the noting, because we need our good hand to make the music, irrespective of whether it's with a flat pick or with finger picks.

+1 on Freight Train (or Goin' Down the Road).

f-d

David Hilyard · #40 04-09-2010, 10:48 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BULLSPRIG

Lastly, with all this jibberish I just laid out here, my main point is it seems when I watch a flatpicker play music, he/she is more active at the left hand and busier at that hand than he is with his picking hand. And a proficient fingerstyle player is (more commonly) not as active/busy with his left hand.

Depends on the arrangement. Some use more basic fingerstyle technique and have a lot happening on the fingerboard.

Martin Taylor uses the fingerboard like crazy and has the right hand doing what is necessary to play the notes he wants.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=USgds2Ruc8U

Leo Kottke is more right hand groove oriented and sometimes has less going on over the fingerboard. But his left hand sure hasn't fallen asleep.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lnQTC...eature=related

Tom46 · #41 04-09-2010, 11:12 AM

You should consider "The Principles Of Correct Practice For Guitar" by Jamie Andreas.

Offhand, I can't think of anyone who has given more thought to the notion of playing the guitar.

wcap · #42 04-09-2010, 11:53 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by sugarkang

Learn "Freight Train" first.
Tommy Emmanuel himself suggested this.
On youtube, there's an excellent tutorial for FOUR different skill levels of freight train.
Here's level one:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z3RArufrbgw

With regard to left/right difficulty:
I think in the beginning, the left hand is harder to do.
Once you get to mastering chord fingerings, the right hand is harder to do and will remain that way for the rest of your life.

Thanks for the links.

Regarding the right hand being harder for the rest of your life....
This is definitely not the case for me. I've been playing for decades, and more often than not the stuff that trips me up, and the mistakes I usually make in my playing, have to do with the left hand. The right hand, unless things get really really complicated (e.g. some classical/spanish type things), just sort of does what its told, and it waits patiently (or maybe not so patiently) for the left hand to rise to the same level of performance.