You can lay the thumb lightly across the strings as you do rest stroke or even free stroke scales, this works for many players and might work for you. Laying the palm flat on the strings as you suggested changes the wrist and hand position drastically, which makes it harder to blend and alternate between different right hand techniques (if required) due to this major change in position.
Excellent video. I would point out that, depending on where a player is, they may want to set the metronome at 100, 80, even 60 to start. Four to a beat at 120 is a pretty quick scale passage.
The thumb has to be totally relaxed, and preferably anchored on a string or the top of the guitar (when playing on the bass strings). It should in no way be tense or in the way of your fingers. It is not pressing down on the strings its anchored on. By being completely relaxed and anchored it should allow the hand to open/close as you are moving up/down the strings. Alternately, you could trying laying the thumb flat on the strings as you are playing rest stroke with i and m. I hope this helps!
The sympathetic resonance is normal when anchoring the thumb on the 6th string while playing rest strokes. However, there should not be any secondary string noise, and even the sympathetic resonance is not overbearing the notes being played, which makes it negligible. I hope this helps!
Thank you for the tips on how to improve on speed. I find that instead of playing a 3-octave scale to build up speed incrementally, I play one octave. And then I bump up the speed slowly. If you can get the speed playing one octave then you know you are on your way. That way it is easier to digest the smaller information and it doesn't intimidate you. Once you have the speed you can work on doing more octaves or just keep increasing your speed to where you want to go. Baby steps...
Hi Nicholas, thanks for your message. I must say, quitting classical guitar because tremolo is not working does not make sense! Tremolo is just one aspect of classical guitar playing, it is not the core of classical guitar playing. It can however insure a relaxed right hand technique if practiced correctly and maintained throughout ones career. The key in tremolo is having a loose yet precise approach to right hand fluidity. We get that feeling when we applying rest stroke as in the video..
Hi Tariq, would you do a video on tremelo technique, I am learning 'El Ultimo Tremelo' by Barrios - and have recorded myself to self evaluate - but although the left hand is there - the tremelo sounds rubbish, choppy, slow and uneven - I have looked at other tutorials on youtube about tremelo and even 'pumping nylon' by Scott Tenant and tried using metronome but nothing seems to work - it nearly makes me want to quit classical guitar - can you help?
Thank you so much for this tips. It’s really helpful since I have been wondering how to get the right-hand fingers to have a smooth movement in playing fast scale since they all have different lengths 😂. In playing fast scale such as in Capricho Årabe, do you always use ALL “i m a” right hand fingers or just any two-finger combination such as “i m” or “i a”? Thank you again and again for this video!
When I'm playing with my thumb anchored and my hand slightly curved with my fingers on the top e string I get a lot of natural harmonics and secondary string noise from the other strings. Is this normal? I get tempted to play with my palm flat against the rest of the strings so they are muted,almost as in jazz guitar, in order to stop this.
Hi Tariq, I see on this video the guitar is on your right side but other videos you play it the standard way for a classical guitarist (it being on your left side). I assume this is like a joke of sorts -- but anyway, thank you for helping me out and I really appreciate the ideas for progressing to a higher speed.
Hey Tariq, I noticed that although your forearm and hand move while you are crossing strings, your thumb remains in the same position near the 6th string. Is there a certain reason for that, and what would you suggest to do with the thumb while working on developing speed in the fingers?
Hi, Thank you for the video. I noticed that you are doing staccato. How do you keep the alternation constant between I and M finger when you cross string. For example the first note E is struck with I finger and M finger immediately rest on string to be ready to play F#. M finger plays F#, and I finger immediately rest on the string to play G#, I then plays G#, and M rest on the string (the 6th string), now to play the A note on the 5th string, the M finger has jump from its resting position on 6th string. The tendency is to play the A note with I finger instead. Is playing the A note with I finger correct? So the sequence in this case would be E (I), F#(M), G#(I), A (I). I am confused I hope I don’t confuse you too. 😂😂😂😂
Sorry, ran out of characters. You should pin point where in your tremolo is the deficiency; is it between p and a, a and m, m and i, or i and p, or a combination of some or all of the above? Then teach that finger that has the deficiency, to play rest stroke completely relaxed, with a relaxed tip joint. Then get that same feeling playing with that same finger but using free stroke. You should achieve that relaxed feeling throughout a tremolo cycle, then 2 cycles.. and so on. I hope this helps!
Hi Tariq, I have practiced this excercise on the past few weeks and I have reached a very good speed, but somehow my free strokes don't sound as good as my rest strokes, can you give me some tip with that?
unemployable82 Hi, I'm glad this exercise is working for you. For your free-stroke sounding better, it really depends on many factors; your nail shape, the way you engage and release the string, the fixation/relaxation at the tip joint, the general attitude and playing approach of your right-hand... it would be difficult to help you here via a TH-cam comment. A one-on-one lesson would be the most effective approach to help you. If you are interested, please e-mail me at tariq@tariqharb.com so we can discuss things further. Thanks, and have a good day!
You can lay the thumb lightly across the strings as you do rest stroke or even free stroke scales, this works for many players and might work for you. Laying the palm flat on the strings as you suggested changes the wrist and hand position drastically, which makes it harder to blend and alternate between different right hand techniques (if required) due to this major change in position.
Never had a guitar lesson.. been playing for years. Never realized classical was about the relaxation for speed too... Big up ❤
Excellent video. I would point out that, depending on where a player is, they may want to set the metronome at 100, 80, even 60 to start. Four to a beat at 120 is a pretty quick scale passage.
The thumb has to be totally relaxed, and preferably anchored on a string or the top of the guitar (when playing on the bass strings). It should in no way be tense or in the way of your fingers. It is not pressing down on the strings its anchored on. By being completely relaxed and anchored it should allow the hand to open/close as you are moving up/down the strings. Alternately, you could trying laying the thumb flat on the strings as you are playing rest stroke with i and m. I hope this helps!
I'm glad you enjoyed this, Peter. I hope it helps you!
The sympathetic resonance is normal when anchoring the thumb on the 6th string while playing rest strokes. However, there should not be any secondary string noise, and even the sympathetic resonance is not overbearing the notes being played, which makes it negligible. I hope this helps!
Thank you for the tips on how to improve on speed. I find that instead of playing a 3-octave scale to build up speed incrementally, I play one octave. And then I bump up the speed slowly. If you can get the speed playing one octave then you know you are on your way. That way it is easier to digest the smaller information and it doesn't intimidate you. Once you have the speed you can work on doing more octaves or just keep increasing your speed to where you want to go. Baby steps...
Thank you! Never hurts to hear (AGAIN) that discipline and patience rule!
I'm glad you found it helpful! :)
Absolutely! I always try to remind myself :)
Could you please talk about the importance of scales? How much time of our practice time should we devote to scales? Thx
Playing tips from a real-life guitar virtuoso?!? You've made me very happy, Tariq, and inspired to improve, thanks!
I appreciate you posting this video. Very helpful.
Very useful video. Thanks for to shared on youtube!
Excellent video Tariq! How are you handling your RH Thumb when playing scale runs? Thanks!
Hi Nicholas, thanks for your message. I must say, quitting classical guitar because tremolo is not working does not make sense! Tremolo is just one aspect of classical guitar playing, it is not the core of classical guitar playing. It can however insure a relaxed right hand technique if practiced correctly and maintained throughout ones career. The key in tremolo is having a loose yet precise approach to right hand fluidity. We get that feeling when we applying rest stroke as in the video..
Thanks Mahmmuod!
Thanks habibi Orhan! Glad you like it :)
Bro can you build speed same with free hand stroke ?
Also with different finger combinations like M&A
Or I&A ?
Buenísimo aporte maestro!. Saludos desde las junglas del Paraguay
Gracias, Esteban!
Hi Tariq, would you do a video on tremelo technique, I am learning 'El Ultimo Tremelo' by Barrios - and have recorded myself to self evaluate - but although the left hand is there - the tremelo sounds rubbish, choppy, slow and uneven - I have looked at other tutorials on youtube about tremelo and even 'pumping nylon' by Scott Tenant and tried using metronome but nothing seems to work - it nearly makes me want to quit classical guitar - can you help?
Thank you so much for this tips. It’s really helpful since I have been wondering how to get the right-hand fingers to have a smooth movement in playing fast scale since they all have different lengths 😂. In playing fast scale such as in Capricho Årabe, do you always use ALL “i m a” right hand fingers or just any two-finger combination such as “i m” or “i a”? Thank you again and again for this video!
helped a lot... thanks from music major
yessss
excellent lesson habibi
oleee
When I'm playing with my thumb anchored and my hand slightly curved with my fingers on the top e string I get a lot of natural harmonics and secondary string noise from the other strings. Is this normal?
I get tempted to play with my palm flat against the rest of the strings so they are muted,almost as in jazz guitar, in order to stop this.
Hi Tariq, I see on this video the guitar is on your right side but other videos you play it the standard way for a classical guitarist (it being on your left side). I assume this is like a joke of sorts -- but anyway, thank you for helping me out and I really appreciate the ideas for progressing to a higher speed.
This is just the camera that flips the image. :) Thank you Blind Eye Jones, I'm glad my videos helped you!
+Walter Peretiatko The "standard way for a right handed classical guitarist" not the standard way for a left handed classical guitarist!
Thank you for your tips! Can I know what guitar you use?
Hey Tariq, I noticed that although your forearm and hand move while you are crossing strings, your thumb remains in the same position near the 6th string. Is there a certain reason for that, and what would you suggest to do with the thumb while working on developing speed in the fingers?
Hi,
Thank you for the video.
I noticed that you are doing staccato.
How do you keep the alternation constant between I and M finger when you cross string.
For example the first note E is struck with I finger and M finger immediately rest on string to be ready to play F#. M finger plays F#, and I finger immediately rest on the string to play G#, I then plays G#, and M rest on the string (the 6th string), now to play the A note on the 5th string, the M finger has jump from its resting position on 6th string. The tendency is to play the A note with I finger instead. Is playing the A note with I finger correct?
So the sequence in this case would be E (I), F#(M), G#(I), A (I).
I am confused I hope I don’t confuse you too. 😂😂😂😂
You're welcome!
Amazing
Hi TeeHarb. What's that thing on your arm called? And what's it for? Thanks.
Sorry, ran out of characters. You should pin point where in your tremolo is the deficiency; is it between p and a, a and m, m and i, or i and p, or a combination of some or all of the above? Then teach that finger that has the deficiency, to play rest stroke completely relaxed, with a relaxed tip joint. Then get that same feeling playing with that same finger but using free stroke. You should achieve that relaxed feeling throughout a tremolo cycle, then 2 cycles.. and so on. I hope this helps!
Thank you
+Bei Bei Miao Welcome! :)
woooow amazing :)))
أستاذ طارق
ممكن هادا الدرس بالعربي
طاریق
طاریغ
تاریق
Which one?
It's طارق
Hi Tariq, I have practiced this excercise on the past few weeks and I have reached a very good speed, but somehow my free strokes don't sound as good as my rest strokes, can you give me some tip with that?
unemployable82 Hi, I'm glad this exercise is working for you. For your free-stroke sounding better, it really depends on many factors; your nail shape, the way you engage and release the string, the fixation/relaxation at the tip joint, the general attitude and playing approach of your right-hand... it would be difficult to help you here via a TH-cam comment. A one-on-one lesson would be the most effective approach to help you. If you are interested, please e-mail me at tariq@tariqharb.com so we can discuss things further. Thanks, and have a good day!
Ear wig handle is the same