be_ixf; php_sdk; php_sdk_1.4.15
231 ms
iy_2019; im_02; id_21; ih_01; imh_45; i_epoch:1550742311190
ixf-compiler; ixf-compiler_1.0.0.0
py_2018; pm_10; pd_26; ph_14; pmh_27; p_epoch:1540589268558
bec-built-in; bec-built-in_1.0.1; bodystr
pn_tstr:Thu Feb 21 01:45:11 PST 2019; pn_epoch:1550742311190
0 ms
be_ixf; php_sdk; php_sdk_1.4.15
https://artistworks.com/jason-vieaux/learning/7601
https://artistworks.com/jason-vieaux/learning/7601
Submit a video
-
This is a public version of the members-only Classical Guitar with Jason Vieaux, at ArtistWorks.
Functionality is limited, but
CLICK HERE
for full access if you’re ready to take your playing to the next level.
X
No results. Try fewer search terms.
These lessons are available only to members of Classical Guitar with Jason Vieaux.
Join Now
Classical Guitar Reference Topics
≡
Intermediate Classical Guitar
≡
Advanced Classical Guitar
≡
«Prev
of
Next »
Classical Guitar Lessons: Right Hand Fingers - Free Stroke
Study Materials
Quizzes
This video lesson is available only to members of Classical Guitar with Jason Vieaux.
Join Now
Playing: Looping: Adjust:
space play/pause I set loop start point [ move start back 1 sec
← back 10 secs O set loop end point ] move start forward 1 sec
→ forward 10 secs L start/stop looping SHIFT-[ or ] move end
↑ rewind to beginning C clear loop CTRL-[ or ] move both
H this help F full screen toggle ALT-[ or ] next/prev section
30 SEC
Loading lesson
Loading Video Exchange
This page contains a transcription of a video lesson from Classical Guitar with Jason Vieaux.
This is only a preview of what you get when you take Classical Guitar Lessons at ArtistWorks.
The transcription is only one of the valuable tools we provide our online members.
Sign up today for unlimited access to all lessons, plus submit videos to your teacher for
personal feedback on your playing.
Classical Guitar with Jason Vieaux
Definitive resource for classical guitar lessons. Curtis Institute and Cleveland Institute of Music Professor of Guitar teaches foundational, intermediate & advanced classical guitar lessons that include exhaustive Giuliani, Sor studies and Carcassi method and etudes. Pieces, exercises, solos all meticulously explained, demonstrated. Accompaniment tracks included. Unlimited Access.
CLICK HERE for full access.
Resume from where you last watched ( )?
Yes No
[MUSIC] In this lesson and subsequent lessons
we're going to cover the right hand technique and
sound production with the right hand.
If you don't currently have nails,
there are lessons in the curriculum that will help with nail maintenance.
And of course, I believe that having nails is essential to playing the classical
guitar as your right hand is, is basically your sound.
It's, it's, it's how you produce sound,
is with the plucking of the right hand fingers.
So here we go.
They are numbered, as you will soon find out, and lettered.
Well I should say, the left hand, hand fingers are numbered,
which we'll cover in another lesson.
Each of the, the, the right hand fingers that we play classical guitar with
are assigned a letter designation.
The thumb is p, the index finger is i,
the middle finger is m, and the ring finger is a.
In classical guitar, traditionally we do not use our pinky finger.
It, it does have a letter designation as well, it's called c.
And, but in classical guitar it's, it's not really used for
scales or arpeggios or, or fingerings.
P, i, m, and a are used for, for basically everything
that you need in order to play anything in the repertoire.
So here we go, we're just gonna demonstrate each of the fingers.
We're going to start actually with a.
If you can produce a good tone with your a finger,
on the first string, open first string you're in business.
Because it is the hardest note on the guitar to get a round, warm tone out of,
is the open first string.
And I like to start with the a finger because
that really kinda sets your hand position.
You want a pretty straight wrist,
not a lot of deviation this way, or this way.
This, while maybe it can look straight at a certain angle in the mirror,
is not straight, I'm actually flexing.
I'm actually flexing muscles up here to hold that position.
It should not feel like your holding your wrist or your arm or
your hand in any position at all.
It should just very, in a very relaxed manner just
come to rest on the guitar here, on the bout.
And you can see if I lean back here you can see the space that I'm occupying here.
I'm gonna roll up my sleeve a little bit and you'll see a little bit of the arch.
This is probably too much arch.
This is probably too little arch.
Especially if you're coming from other kinds of guitar playing.
You'll see a lot of players playing
classical guitar with this very low arch in the wrist, almost hugging the guitar.
And this is not advisable, because it really limits the mobility.
And you're gonna need you're gonna need a pretty good arch here,
and some room in the hand to develop the mobility of your right hand fingers.
Okay, so again, starting with the a finger, I'm just going to plant and
we're gonna talk about the contact point on the, on each of your fingers.
The contact point is the point at which the strings should meet your nail and
your fingertip.
And this contact point is really the center of your sound.
[SOUND] And as I plant, go ahead and feel the string a little bit.
Put a little bit of potential energy into the string with your a fingernail.
Again, on the contact point, both your nail and
fingertip should touch the, the string at the same time.
And then,ah, the stroke is really basically a combination of this
large knuckle, the top knuckle, or large knuckle.
The middle knuckle, which I'm moving right now, I'm moving my i, m and
a and c, from the middle knuckle exclusively.
Here I am moving it from the top knuckle, okay.
So, the work is provided by each of these two knuckles,
a little bit of work from each of these should do the job.
The tip joint, the small joint here, should be fairly firm through the stroke.
[SOUND] It should not require a lot of effort to keep the to keep that fir, firm.
[SOUND] You should not necessarily try to bend,
actively bend the tip joint or to actively collapse it, like this.
[SOUND] You'll see some playing like this [SOUND] and rest strokes,
[SOUND] collapsing of the tip joint.
That, you want to avoid that.
Just let it naturally, let the middle knuckle and
the top knuckle do the work, and then you simply close your hand.
It should really feel as simple as that.
That you plant and then [SOUND] close your hand.
Basically open, close, open, close.
The closing of the hand is, is provided by the flexor group of muscles.
And the opening of the hand, as you, as illustrated here,
is the extensor group, ex, extensor muscle group.
And that's what returns your finger back to the string.
Once again, a finger on the first string, planting first feeling that contact point.
[SOUND] And then releasing.
Just kind of have a nice [SOUND] brisk explosion through the string.
[SOUND]
[MUSIC]
[MUSIC] And now we're gonna do the same
thing with the M finger on the second string.
Eventually you'll see that A will be on the first M on the 2nd I, on the 3rd and
then the thumb on the sixth string and fifth, we'll demonstrate that.
And that's basically a pretty good example of eventually of a chord or
an arpeggio that you might play, [MUSIC]
or this, chords.
But, so, I don't mean to force you at off it.
That's kind of why I'm, I'm going on, on each of the, the strings with this.
So, M, find your contact point.
Again, your wrist should look straight if you're looking at a mirror or
when you practice on your own, or you're seeing this video.
You'll see that you should see that this wrist here is fairly, fairly straight.
A little bit of arch in the wrist and here we go, find the contact point and release.
[SOUND] Okay, one more.
[SOUND] So that's an example of planting.
See, that's planting.
[SOUND] And then the, then the stroke.
You can also once that becomes more comfortable you can actually do a what I
call a sweep stroke.
Or, or a legato free stroke.
Basically what we're doing right now are free strokes.
And that's where if you can try to find it you can you can position the fingertip and
keep the rest of the hand really relaxed position it just above the string.
And without planting you give it a nice sweep.
I like to call these sweep strokes, but
they're basically rest strokes that are legato where they, they are,
they don't have any plant on behind the stroke, okay?
And then going on to the I finger, the index finger on the third string,
same thing.
I'll do an example of a planted stroke where I find the contact point first and
plant to put a little bit of potential energy into
the string [MUSIC]
and release.
The more potential energy you put into
the string [MUSIC]
the fuller and louder the note you'll get.
If I just lightly plant, and put a little bit of energy into the string, and
then release.
I end up with a softer note, dynamically.
So once again, if I put, see if I grab the string, I grab and
put more energy into it and then release, you can hear how loud that note is.
And as you cultivate your tone and sound.
[SOUND] yeah, you should hear the nice wide full [SOUND] sound as you,
as you practice this.
Go for a nice full sound as you're hearing in this lesson.
And now it's going into the thumb.
The thumb stroke.
Again find the contact point.
You'll see different angles that were we have a,
we have a nice angle from underneath.
And you'll see here that of course my thumb is ridiculously long.
That'll be explained in, in other videos.
My, I have, I like to have a very long thumbnail for my mechanics.
It keeps my arch really nice and comfortable.
And there we go, there's our thumb stroke.
The thumbnail looks really really long, but
you can see that if you can see from these different angles
that indeed I have a contact point, where the nail appendage and
my thumb, the tip of my thumb, the fleshy tip of my thumb.
[MUSIC] Are meeting at the same time before I
perform the stroke.
[MUSIC] Now we have to talk about the thumb
stroke itself, and the thumb joints.
It's very easy to locate the fingers I, M, and
A where your top knuckle is here this, this knuckle here.
And where the middle knuckle is and where the tip knuckle is,
the tip joint, middle joint, top joint, knuckle, or knuckle joint.
We have these same joints in the thumb as well,
but one of them is hidden [LAUGH] actually.
It's underneath kinda hidden underneath the skin it's really hard to see.
Your top joint of your thumb is way back here underneath all this,
kind of, webbing, and, and moves back here.
I don't know if you can see that, you can, from the wrist here.
That's where, where that, that joint is it's all the way back in the wrist.
That's where you should [SOUND] really move your thumb from.
Your middle knuckle, which is here, a lot of people think that this is their top
knuckle because it's in line with the top knuckles of the other fingers, but
it indeed is the middle knuckle.
You should not try to actively move that knuckle in the stroke.
Same thing with the tip knuckle, the, the small knuckle of the thumb.
That joint and the middle joint you should keep try to keep firm through the stroke.
If the stroke of the thumb unlike the fingers should be produced only with
the top knuckle, that top joint that's deep in the hand near the wrist.
Like this, [MUSIC]
right?
And another thing that you should be noticing is that I'm running my thumb, I'm
completing my thumb stroke by following through right into the first finger.
I'm not trying to stop the thumb stroke.
Or trying to avoid hitting the first finger, or avoid anything.
I'm just letting the natural path of the follow through of my thumb
complete its action.
If, if your first finger, your index finger excuse me,
your I finger happens to be in the way then, so be it.
It will not impede the progress of your I finger.
Later on in arpeggios or any other exercises or any other pieces for
that matter.
So, that's the first lesson on the right-hand fingers and
right-hand technique, and we will have more lessons coming up.
Thank you very much.
[MUSIC]