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07 Nov 16 - 10:26 PM (#3818824) Subject: Chord Req: Good left hand stupid right,what to do? From: Donuel Most of my life my right hand learned how to make a bow simulate the breath of a singer or bird song but with a fretted instrument, my picking is at a stand still. I've tried banjo rolls and simple picking but perhaps I need a foundation you know about that I do not. Beside practice what should I do? |
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07 Nov 16 - 10:53 PM (#3818828) Subject: RE: Chord Req: Good left hand stupid right,what to do? From: GUEST Practice more! In all seriousness, playing first on less tight strings can help you learn the basics, while playing on stiffer strings can help build finger strength. It's all a balancing act. |
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07 Nov 16 - 11:10 PM (#3818830) Subject: RE: Chord Req: Good left hand stupid right,what to do? From: leeneia I'm not a music teacher, but I've had a thought. Donuel, do you touch type? If you think of right-hand picking at typing, would that help? Think of the index finger as j, middle finger as k, ring finger as l. You could even write j k and l above the notes of a picking pattern and then type them. And maybe it's just a question of doing it more. Our hands connect to different sides of the brain, and it takes time to master any task where the hands have to work together. New nerve paths have to be established. |
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08 Nov 16 - 06:06 AM (#3818874) Subject: RE: Chord Req: Good left hand stupid right,what to do? From: GUEST,Richard Do you ever try playing the melody of a song on the guitar(RH fingers, thumb, flat-pick, whatever)? You can transfer the phrasing expertise you get from bowing onto the guitar. It's good fun, and might give you some insight into how to accompany, when it comes to picking patterns and how to vary them within a song. And practice, but I'm sure you know that!) Richard |
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08 Nov 16 - 06:20 AM (#3818876) Subject: RE: Chord Req: Good left hand stupid right,what to do? From: banjoman Don't give up you will get there in the end. |
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08 Nov 16 - 08:39 AM (#3818921) Subject: RE: Chord Req: Good left hand stupid right,what to do? From: Will Fly Donuel, I wrote a fingerpicking booklet some years ago that might help you - takes you from simple to more complex in easy stages. You can download the PDF for free from this page on my website: Tablatures - music for solo guitar Take each pattern at a time, nice and slowly until each one comes naturally. And let me know how you get on. Regards, Will |
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08 Nov 16 - 01:56 PM (#3819031) Subject: RE: Chord Req: Good left hand stupid right,what to do? From: Donuel Thank you all, each creative response is absolutely helpful. I already feel emboldened. I have always been about dynamic expansive tone and delicacy but speed and rhythm are a challenge. |
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08 Nov 16 - 02:04 PM (#3819036) Subject: RE: Chord Req: Good left hand stupid right,what to do? From: Jack Campin Is this for banjo, guitar, mandolin, bouzouki...? |
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08 Nov 16 - 03:13 PM (#3819061) Subject: RE: Chord Req: Good left hand stupid right,what to do? From: Donuel Will you have made a monumental gift to the future. I for one thank you for the ages to come. Jack I was hoping that would not come up. I take the path less traveled. Partly for amusement and part for a different display of artistry. Instruments in my past in order from bad to good was the bassbone / bassoon reed in a trombone. Cello violin, violin bass, Penguin Café strings, A highly reactive acoustic foam insert enhancement for string instruments. Today digital manipulation is most extensive. Bouzouki, Balalaika, tenor mandolins I wish I had some. But lately I am having great results with a classical bass ukulele which is really a baritone with lower Martin wound strings and upper nylon all in mandolin tuning 2 octaves down or more. The powerful golden deep tones and penetrating resonant highs is great for Bach, Cinemagraphic and folk. The instrument deserves a more extensive technique. If you like ukulele music, that's too bad but there are new examples as in a search of "life on Four Strings" |
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08 Nov 16 - 05:47 PM (#3819084) Subject: RE: Chord Req: Good left hand stupid right,what to do? From: Jack Campin Maybe I have something to contribute then. The only way I've got anywhere with plucked strings is by using an oud-style plectrum - on oud, cumbus, cobza/koboz or Arabic-tuned mandolin. Easiest to make is the standard cobza plectrum - 1cm wide loop cut round a 1.5 litre PET soft drink bottle, then squash it flat (see my cobza page). To grip it, rest it across the palm of your hand just below the base of your fingers, curl your fingers round it, then bring your thumb over as if making a fist, with a bit of plectrum sticking out. It makes for a much more relaxed grip than holding a normal guitar pick between your fingertips like grim death. See my cumbus page for other materials you might prefer - the cobza is mainly used for chordal or bass line smash-bang where the pick actually hits the soundboard on almost every stroke, and you can go faster with springier materials like fibreglass-reinforced strapping tape. A bass ukulele feels quite a lot like an oud. |
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08 Nov 16 - 08:12 PM (#3819122) Subject: RE: Chord Req: Good left hand stupid right,what to do? From: Jack Campin Demo of ud plectrum technique: Yurdal Tokcan Mutlu Torun Cobza: Tamas Kobzos Kiss Tilla Török Cumbus: Mevlüt Keskin As you can see there are different preferences for where the far end of the plectrum goes. I prefer Mutlu Torun's grip. |
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09 Nov 16 - 08:36 AM (#3819261) Subject: RE: Chord Req: Good left hand stupid right,what to do? From: McGrath of Harlow Nothing wrong with ukuleles. For any kind of music. Four strings is enough, if they are played right. As fiddle players have demonstrated for centuries. |
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09 Nov 16 - 10:08 AM (#3819288) Subject: RE: Chord Req: Good left hand stupid right,what to do? From: leeneia Let's back up. First thing ya do, Donuel, is stop calling your right hand stupid because it can't do something it's never done before. In time, patience and practice will get your right hand going. Anger and humiliation will not. |
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10 Nov 16 - 04:26 PM (#3819651) Subject: RE: Chord Req: Good left hand stupid right,what to do? From: Donuel Jack those are fascinating instruments which dance and drone with an ancient quality that transmogrifies any place or mood. I do have an over educated thumb but I enjoy a good stern talking to leenia. Its been a year already on the soft stringed uke but I am only a quarter of the way to my goal of doing a number of different kinds of music. I probably need another year before I can master 'Café Bistro' but Schindlers list, Crimson Tide, folk, and Bach are intact. McGrath are you always so agreeable :*) Anything that works on uke works on mandolin but real accompaniments are really complex. If you haven't seen it, Will Fly has a website school that really works. Thanks for teaching tablature. |
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11 Nov 16 - 03:29 AM (#3819780) Subject: RE: Chord Req: Good left hand stupid right,what to do? From: Will Fly Thanks for the compliment, Donuel, but I wouldn't call it a website school - just a collection of bits and pieces that I've liked and put together over the years. |