Anyone Using a thumb pick
skrohn
so that they do not have to palm or mouth the
pick when use of fingers is desired.
If so what brand and size of thumb pick.
I worked with thumb picks many years ago in
a ragtime type style.
It seems to be working for me now again.
Scott
Adam Gottschalk
skr...@nassau.cv.net wrote on 10/4/00 17:22:
I used to use a plastic thumpick and three metal finger picks when playing
"stride" type guitar on my flat top dreadnought (a la Jorma Kaukonen...I've
heard different reports about the use of picks among older blues players).
It certainly makes for a particular timbre in the attack, one that I decided
I could do without. Partly with the influence of Tuck Andress (Hedges and
others too), I also realized that even on a heavy-strung steel string one
can teach one's finger to pick damn hard (and fast) just by themselves.
Picks, especially a thumb pick, would feel terribly restrictive to me now.
So, instead of using a thumb pick for single line mixed in with fingerstyle,
I just stay all fingerstyle and do the single line stuff (try to, anyway)
alternating my index and middle fingers. Many players (much much more
experienced than I) use various combinations of alternating fingers (without
picks) for single line: thumb/index, index/middle/3rd, etc.
But, again, if the timbre you want is the timbre of a pick on the string
instead of your flesh, nothing else will work. Whatever works for you, more
power to it, but I'm guessing for myself if I wanted a pick sound mixed in
with fleshy fingerstyle, I would opt for a hide-the-pick trick. But the
thumb picks come in a variety of sizes and lengths, and of course you can
always shave/sand down the pick so it sticks out just the right amount for
you.
I also (again partly with Andress' influence) gave up on the idea of growing
my nails out. Nylon string, definitely. Steel...f'get aboud it.
Adam
Jack A. Zucker
news:3cNC5.62848$4d.96...@news02.optonline.net...
> Anyone out there using a tumb pick and fingers
> so that they do not have to palm or mouth the
> pick when use of fingers is desired.
> If so what brand and size of thumb pick.
>
> I worked with thumb picks many years ago in
> a ragtime type style.
>
> It seems to be working for me now again.
>
> Scott
I've tried them but never got comfortable with them. Many folks have great
success with them. One thing I don't like is that they only give you one
type of tone. With the conventional way of holding the pick I can get many
different tones depending on how I hold the pick (loose or tight), whether
my hand is suspended over the strings or whether my fingers are resting
against the pickguard, etc.
You might look into what Paul Bollenback (www.paulbollenback.com) does which
is not to palm it but to slip it between his index and middle fingers when
he plays fingerstyle. He has gotten to the point where he can go back and
forth so quickly that he doesn't miss a beat.
Jaz
--
Jack A. Zucker
E-Mail: j...@jackzucker.com
Jazz Guitar Page: http://www.jackzucker.com
>
Chris Smart
effect! You can't even tell it's a pick unless you listen very close, and
acoustic only.
skrohn (skr...@nassau.cv.net)
wrote: : Anyone out there using a tumb pick and fingers
: so that they do not have to palm or mouth the
: pick when use of fingers is desired.
: If so what brand and size of thumb pick.
: I worked with thumb picks many years ago in
: a ragtime type style.
: It seems to be working for me now again.
: Scott
--
____________________________________________________________
http://www.braille.uwo.ca/~chriss
"Laughter is the only tenable attitude in a universe which is a joke played
upon itself"(Peter J. Carroll).
Thomas F Brown
Adam Gottschalk <ad...@adamgottschalk.net> wrote:
>So, instead of using a thumb pick for single line mixed in with fingerstyle,
>I just stay all fingerstyle and do the single line stuff (try to, anyway)
>alternating my index and middle fingers. Many players (much much more
>experienced than I) use various combinations of alternating fingers (without
>picks) for single line: thumb/index, index/middle/3rd, etc.
These alternates are faster, but good old I-M rest strokes still give the
best tone, especially on a nylon string, because it's easier to set the
string vibrating in a plane that goes into the soundhole instead of
parallel to the guitar's top. I don't notice any tonal difference on
my archtop, but on classical it's a huge difference.
John Wasak
news:8rgcde$2brh65$1...@news.jhu.edu...
I play jazz on both an archtop and classical, for single lines on the
archtop I use thumb/index (P-I), because I can get better speed this way.
For the classical, I use I-M. As Thomas says, playing P-I on the nylon
string doesn't sound so great, the tone and volume from the thumb to the
index is large enough to make lines played that way sound lopsided, like the
sound of someone walking around a wooden floor with one shoe on and one shoe
off. As for finger picks themselves, I never use them.
JW
Bob Russell
<< Anyone out there using a tumb pick and fingers
so that they do not have to palm or mouth the
pick when use of fingers is desired.
If so what brand and size of thumb pick. >>
I've been experimenting with Fred Kelly's thumb picks. He makes them up in
Michigan, I believe. I'm using his "Slick Pick", which is nice because it can
be used as a flatpick to good effect without the thumbring getting caught in
the strings. They work pretty well.
Bob Russell
http://members.aol.com/twangr/home.html
Scot P. Gormley
Also, Lenny Breau used a thumb pick very well, too.
RobinsonCHAZZ
were featuring a videos of what appeared to be singing groups from the 50's in
which all of the members played the guitar ( I don't speak Spanish). The player
in each group who was the "lead" player had on a thumb pick which was worn
above the first joint of the thumb and was pushed to the back near the second
joint. They played normal fingersyle patterns most of the time into which they
interjected lightning fast Paco de Lucia sounding runs. The contrast between
pick and fingers gave the illusion that it was two different guitar players. I
keep meaning to try this one but I forget to buy thumbpicks. CR
Paul Craven
also has quite long fingernails and plays exclusively fingerstyle.
He never 'strums' with the thumbpick, and he doesn't use it for
alternate picking like a flat pick; when he strums he uses his
fingernail(s). In his teaching, Lorne encourages students to
explore fingerstyle using just the thumb and index finger at first,
adding other fingers over time. In his playing, he uses the
thumb and four fingers, but doesn't adhere to a specific system of
one finger per string, etc. (Nor does he advocate positional
playing in the left hand, stressing instead complete knowledge
of the fingerboard and developing good relative pitch.)
Lorne has tremendous dynamic command of the right hand, so that
if he is playing a five-note chord, he can emphasize one or
another note by varying the finger's attack on that string
relative to the others. He practices and teaches a very clean,
articulate but legato style, with a lot of palm damping that
requires a lower right hand position than in standard classical
fingerstyle.
Lorne teaches one-on-one privately at his home, and small group
lessons/master classes at Shelley Berger's music school. (He also
teaches in the jazz programmes at York University and University
of Toronto.) If you are so unfortunate as not to live in the
Toronto area, you can hear and see his approach on the recent
performance video from Bransong Music, "Lorne Lofsky: A New
Standard." I believe Bransong has also released a teaching video,
but I haven't seen it.
"Scot P. Gormley" wrote:
>
> Lorne Lofsky uses a thumb pick, and he's just fantastic! Check him out.
>
> Also, Lenny Breau used a thumb pick very well, too.
--
________________
Paul Craven
Russ Waitman
I took lessons for a while from Stan Lassiter who turned me on to
thumbpicks. He has unbelievable technique and used to use a pick but
converted to thumbpick. I used to play fingerstyle or with a pick and was
at a crossroads about where to go. I really like the thumbpick because I
used to build up alot of tension in my hand with a regular pick.
I use a Dunlop medium, fake tortoise shell. I like it to fit fairly tight
on my finger. I file down the tip so it is just a little higher than the
flesh of the thumb. I also carve it so the sides are scalloped a thinner as
well. You can experiment with what kind of tip works best for you. Once
this is done it's easy for me to double pick and even do Dick Dale-like fast
runs on single strings with just the thumbpick. Or, you can alternate with
fingers. I use fingers and thumb for comping chords. For syncopated
strumming, I find that the thumbpick is too powerful and have been using my
index finger.
Russ
"skrohn" <skr...@nassau.cv.net> wrote in message
news:3cNC5.62848$4d.96...@news02.optonline.net...
> Anyone out there using a tumb pick and fingers
> so that they do not have to palm or mouth the
> pick when use of fingers is desired.
> If so what brand and size of thumb pick.
>
RobertH446
as straight fingerstyle
i believe he uses the Kelly Speed thumb Pick
these are all over the chet atkins convention. seem to be pretty popular and
the thumb pick of choice these days
bob
Kevin Karrick
> Anyone out there using a tumb pick and fingers
> so that they do not have to palm or mouth the
> pick when use of fingers is desired.
> If so what brand and size of thumb pick.
>
> I worked with thumb picks many years ago in
> a ragtime type style.
I sometimes run into Bob Gibson at a local jam, and he burns with thumb pick and
fingers. Bobby plays a kind of country chord-melody style guitar. I personally
always go bare thumbed when not using a flat pick.
Kevin
broy
which pick he uses and if/how he modifies it. If anyone knows or
if Lorne is lurking out there......
Billy Roy
Russ Waitman wrote:
>
> It seems different things work for different people.
>
> I took lessons for a while from Stan Lassiter who turned me on to
> thumbpicks. He has unbelievable technique and used to use a pick but
> converted to thumbpick. I used to play fingerstyle or with a pick and was
> at a crossroads about where to go. I really like the thumbpick because I
> used to build up alot of tension in my hand with a regular pick.
>
> I use a Dunlop medium, fake tortoise shell. I like it to fit fairly tight
> on my finger. I file down the tip so it is just a little higher than the
> flesh of the thumb. I also carve it so the sides are scalloped a thinner as
> well. You can experiment with what kind of tip works best for you. Once
> this is done it's easy for me to double pick and even do Dick Dale-like fast
> runs on single strings with just the thumbpick. Or, you can alternate with
> fingers. I use fingers and thumb for comping chords. For syncopated
> strumming, I find that the thumbpick is too powerful and have been using my
> index finger.
>
> Russ
>
> "skrohn" <skr...@nassau.cv.net> wrote in message
> news:3cNC5.62848$4d.96...@news02.optonline.net...
> > Anyone out there using a tumb pick and fingers
> > so that they do not have to palm or mouth the
> > pick when use of fingers is desired.
> > If so what brand and size of thumb pick.
> >
> > I worked with thumb picks many years ago in
> > a ragtime type style.
> >
Joey Goldstein
broy wrote:
>
> I believe Lorne Lofsky uses a thumbpick. I would be curious to know
> which pick he uses and if/how he modifies it. If anyone knows or
> if Lorne is lurking out there......
> Billy Roy
Yes he does use a thumbpick. I'm not sure of the exact type but I know
he does not use any of the Herco models that are designed to allow for
flatpicking also. Lorne never uses the thumbpick for upstrokes. It's a
pretty generic pick. Long and not as wide as a flat pick.
--
Regards:
Joey Goldstein
Guitarist/Jazz Recording Artist/Teacher
Home Page: http://webhome.idirect.com/~joegold
Email: <joegold AT idirect DOT com>
Paul Craven
thumbnail. I have seen him in the past few months using (among
others) a Herco, a couple of different Fred Kelly slick-picks, a
Fred Kelly speed pick, and even a heavy gauge steel thumb pick.
Whichever he uses, he still sounds like Lorne Lofsky.
broy wrote:
>
> I believe Lorne Lofsky uses a thumbpick. I would be curious to know
> which pick he uses and if/how he modifies it. If anyone knows or
> if Lorne is lurking out there......
> Billy Roy
________________
Paul Craven
Tom Lippincott
I've learned a lot about thumb picks from following this thread; I didn't
realize there were so many different types. I've noticed that an awful lot of
Canadian guitarists seem to use them; is this because of Lenny Breau's
influence, or is there some other factor? I recall reading a quote from Lenny
saying (maybe in one of his Guitar Player columns) that if he had it to do over
again he'd just use all fingers but that he started out imitating Chet Atkins
and that's how Chet plays. I saw some old CBC footage of Lenny playing with
two other guitarists (one of whom was Ron Haldorson who later played bass in
Lenny's trio) and noticed that the other two players were also using
thumbpicks. Is it something in the water up there?
Tom Lippincott
Guitarist, Composer, Teacher
audio samples, articles, CD's at:
http://www.tomlippincott.com
broy
et al.
broy
Atkins and Merle Travis as major influences. Regards
Billy Roy
Thomas F Brown
Tom Lippincott <tomli...@aol.comnospam> wrote:
>
>I've learned a lot about thumb picks from following this thread; I didn't
>realize there were so many different types. I've noticed that an awful lot of
>Canadian guitarists seem to use them; is this because of Lenny Breau's
>influence, or is there some other factor?
Probably because it's so cold you can't feel your fingertips half the year.
Paul Craven
I believe Ring Music now carries the Fred Kelly line. Most good
guitar stores will have a range of thumbpicks of different kinds.
But it's not so much the pick, it's what you do with it ...
broy wrote:
>
> Thanx Paul: where in T.O.can I see a selection of Herco, Fred Kelly
> et al.
>
> Paul Craven wrote:
> >
--
________________
Paul Craven
Tom Lippincott
>>influence, or is there some other factor?
>
>Probably because it's so cold you can't feel your fingertips half the year.
good answer.
I still have to wonder about this; I can't say I've EVER met a jazz guitarist
here in the states who uses a thumb pick. I did notice that on the back cover
of Bruce Dunlap's "The Rhythm of Wings" there's a picture of him playing not
only with a thumb pick, but with finger picks on all his fingers as well.
Also, someone was talking about all the music stores in Toronto where you could
find all those exotic thumb picks. Even at the largest music stores around
here if I ever see a thumb pick it'll be just the generic ones I've always
seen, and it'll usually be shoved to the back of the display case along with
those huge triangle picks and the big felt ones. I have tried them before I've
never really been able to get the hang of it. The thing that seems weird about
it for me is that I'm so used to a regular pick where when you hold it there is
some "play" (depending on how tight you're gripping it) so that the pick gives
a little when you pluck a string whereas the thumb pick is really rigid. One
thing I can see for the Atkins and Travis style stuff is it's easier with a
thumbpick than with a thumbnail to mute the strings with the heel of your right
hand because of the right angle of the thumbpick to the strings vs. the thumb
having to be held more perpendicular to the strings to use the nail (the
typical classical position). It's maybe also easier to get that heavy thump on
the bass notes with a thumb pick.
Does that make sense? Any thumb picking jazzers out there who have a "jazz
specific" reason for favoring thumb picks over strict fingerstyle?
RobinsonCHAZZ
here in the states who uses a thumb pick. >>
<< Tom Lippincott >>
Nathan Page used to use a thumb pick but I haven't seen him in a while so I
can't say that he still does. His style is more closely related to those of
Wes, Grant Green and Kenny Burrell than Merle Travis or Chet Atkins (in fact I
hear no similarities at all to the latter two ). CR
broy
Tom Lippincott wrote:
>
> > is this because of Lenny Breau's
> >>influence, or is there some other factor?
> >
> >Probably because it's so cold you can't feel your fingertips half the year.
>
> good answer.
>
> I still have to wonder about this; I can't say I've EVER met a jazz guitarist
> here in the states who uses a thumb pick. I did notice that on the back cover
> of Bruce Dunlap's "The Rhythm of Wings" there's a picture of him playing not
> only with a thumb pick, but with finger picks on all his fingers as well.
> Also, someone was talking about all the music stores in Toronto where you could
> find all those exotic thumb picks. Even at the largest music stores around
> here if I ever see a thumb pick it'll be just the generic ones I've always
> seen, and it'll usually be shoved to the back of the display case along with
> those huge triangle picks and the big felt ones. I have tried them before I've
> never really been able to get the hang of it. The thing that seems weird about
> it for me is that I'm so used to a regular pick where when you hold it there is
> some "play" (depending on how tight you're gripping it) so that the pick gives
> a little when you pluck a string whereas the thumb pick is really rigid. One
> thing I can see for the Atkins and Travis style stuff is it's easier with a
> thumbpick than with a thumbnail to mute the strings with the heel of your right
> hand because of the right angle of the thumbpick to the strings vs. the thumb
> having to be held more perpendicular to the strings to use the nail (the
> typical classical position). It's maybe also easier to get that heavy thump on
> the bass notes with a thumb pick.
> Does that make sense? Any thumb picking jazzers out there who have a "jazz
> specific" reason for favoring thumb picks over strict fingerstyle?
>
Hi Tom: In a nutshell, it's difficult to get the right-hand thumbnail
to grow out of the left side of the thumb at a 90 degree angle. Thus,
enter the thumbpick. Regards,
Billy Roy
Joey Goldstein
broy wrote:
>
> Tom Lippincott wrote:
> >
> > > is this because of Lenny Breau's
> > >>influence, or is there some other factor?
> > >
> > >Probably because it's so cold you can't feel your fingertips half the year.
> >
He's right. In order to really play with legit classical technique (i.e.
using the thumbnail) you really need to be in the legit classical
posture with a guitar that has the physical dimensions of a classical
guitar. IMO
I think the reason that so many Canadian jazz players (there's only 2,
Lenny and Lorne) use thumbpicks is the Lenny influence though.
Paul Craven
That's right --- we wear our thumbpicks over our mittens. Best for
cool jazz.
________________
Paul Craven
Ronald Cid
joegoldATidirectDOTcom wrote:
>
>
> broy wrote:
> >
> > Tom Lippincott wrote:
> > >
> > > >>influence, or is there some other factor?
> > > >
> > > >Probably because it's so cold you can't feel your fingertips
half the year.
> > >
I'm also a Canadian, and I play with nails and a thumbpick. Also, I've
been heavily influenced by Lenny Breau, George Van Eps and Ted Greene.
The reason I started using the thumb pick was because I also started
to play the Pedal Steel Guitar. For many years I played with a flat
pick, and fingers, but with the Pedal Steel, I quickly realized the
added benefits of using all your right hand fingers, including the
pinky. It was then a natural progression to abandon the flat pick, and
switch over to the thumbpick. One of the added benefits of the thumb
pick, especially in the Breau style, is the articulation of the
harmonics...without the thumpick they are very weak.
Ron
--
Montreal Jazz Guitar - The charts of Lenny Breau
http://www.angelfire.com/az2/jazzcorps/index.html
Sent via Deja.com http://www.deja.com/
Before you buy.
Tom Lippincott
>(i.e.
>> using the thumbnail) you really need to be in the legit classical
>> posture with a guitar that has the physical dimensions of a classical
>> guitar. IMO
I play more or less with "legit" technique and hold the guitar "hillbilly"
fashion on my right leg (with a strap for stability). I could never quite get
the hang of the guitar on the left leg thing, particularly with a footstool; it
always gave me a sore back after about 10 or 15 minutes. I will say that my
right wrist is almost flat as opposed to the typical extreme arch that is used
in "proper" classical technique. This is just what feels comfortable to me,
plus I use the side of my RH thumb to help keep unwanted open strings from
ringing sometimes.
> One of the added benefits of the thumb
>pick, especially in the Breau style, is the articulation of the
>harmonics...without the thumpick they are very weak.
That certainly makes sense; when I was learning that technique (without
thumbpick) I had to spend a long time working on making the picked notes as
soft as the harmonics.
Joey Goldstein
Tom Lippincott wrote:
>
> >> He's right. In order to really play with legit classical technique
> >(i.e.
> >> using the thumbnail) you really need to be in the legit classical
> >> posture with a guitar that has the physical dimensions of a classical
> >> guitar. IMO
>
> I play more or less with "legit" technique and hold the guitar "hillbilly"
> fashion on my right leg (with a strap for stability). I could never quite get
> the hang of the guitar on the left leg thing, particularly with a footstool; it
> always gave me a sore back after about 10 or 15 minutes. I will say that my
> right wrist is almost flat as opposed to the typical extreme arch that is used
> in "proper" classical technique. This is just what feels comfortable to me,
> plus I use the side of my RH thumb to help keep unwanted open strings from
> ringing sometimes.
Do you find it easy to actually hit the string with the nail of your
thumb or do you get sort of a flesh first nail after flam effect? I
never really got the classical thumb thing happening so I'm the last guy
to be saying how it's supposed to work but I always thought those types
of flams were not desireable.
In my experience the classical posture and to a certain degree the
dimensions of a classic guitar allow the thumb to be angled so as to get
a better nail-only type attack. Maybe my thumbnail just isn't long
enough though.
Tom Lippincott
>That's right --- we wear our thumbpicks over our mittens. Best for
>cool jazz.
hmm, so that's why I've had so much trouble getting the right vibe with a
thumbpick down here in sunny Florida!
Joey Goldstein
felt really natural for flatpicking too. The Hercos come close but have
a weird scraping sound as the edges wear and they don't feel real
natural to me.
I used to use Crazy Glue to glue on the blade from a Dunlop nylon pick
on to a Herco frame. It sounded better but still does feel right. I
thing with flatpicking the pick needs to move around a little. You
can't get that with a fixed thumbpick.
Paul Craven
The Kelly picks all have the same weight frame, but with different
sizes and weights of picks.
The speed pick has a little tongue of a pick, which does indeed
'move around a little'. They are available in (at least) three
weights.
I ordered a sample pack from Kelly's website more than a year ago,
and I'm still working through the various kinds. I have been
told that Ring Music on Harbord near Spadina now has them in stock.
This is the url I used to order from Kelly, although it wasn't
working when I tried it just now: http://www.kellypicks.com/
--
________________
Paul Craven
York University
Thomas F Brown
Tom Lippincott <tomli...@aol.comnospam> wrote:
>>> He's right. In order to really play with legit classical technique
>>(i.e.
>>> using the thumbnail) you really need to be in the legit classical
>>> posture with a guitar that has the physical dimensions of a classical
>>> guitar. IMO
>
>I play more or less with "legit" technique and hold the guitar "hillbilly"
>fashion on my right leg (with a strap for stability). I could never quite get
>the hang of the guitar on the left leg thing, particularly with a footstool; it
>always gave me a sore back after about 10 or 15 minutes. I will say that my
>right wrist is almost flat as opposed to the typical extreme arch that is used
>in "proper" classical technique. This is just what feels comfortable to me,
I don't think an arched wrist--in either hand--is a component of legit
technique. In fact, that's one reason to prop the guitar up, so you don't
have to arch either of your wrists so much. Playing with a bent wrist is
a good recipe for developing a repetitive stress injury.
Mike Melkonian
met him). Although it is a custom made one that he can somehow turn around
and use like a flatpick. He uses a custom made 7 string guitar that goes
down an extra 5 frets. He plays both chord melody and single line stuff as
well. Great player.
--
Mike Melkonian
http://artists.mp3s.com/artists/94/mike_melkonian.html
RobinsonCHAZZ <robins...@aol.com> wrote in message
news:20001009071353...@ng-bg1.aol.com...
> << I can't say I've EVER met a jazz guitarist
> here in the states who uses a thumb pick. >>
>
>
Tom Lippincott
>technique. In fact, that's one reason to prop the guitar up, so you don't
>have to arch either of your wrists so much. Playing with a bent wrist is
>a good recipe for developing a repetitive stress injury.
Well, I certainly don't mean an extreme arch, but all the pictures I've ever
seen of "this is the proper hand position" show the right hand slightly arched
with the heel of the hand several inches above the strings so that all of the
fingers, including the thumb, meet the string at a more or less 90 degree
angle. Pretty much without exception all the classical teachers I had in
college tended to take the whole hand position thing with a grain of salt (they
may have been more lenient on me because I was a jazz major).
Thomas F Brown
Tom Lippincott <tomli...@aol.comnospam> wrote:
>
>Well, I certainly don't mean an extreme arch, but all the pictures I've ever
>seen of "this is the proper hand position" show the right hand slightly arched
>with the heel of the hand several inches above the strings so that all of the
>fingers, including the thumb, meet the string at a more or less 90 degree
>angle. Pretty much without exception all the classical teachers I had in
>college tended to take the whole hand position thing with a grain of salt (they
>may have been more lenient on me because I was a jazz major).
I don't pretend to be an expert in this, but my understanding is
that classical pedagogy has been evolving over the past few
decades, and that's what you were experiencing as leniency.
I get the impression that a straight wrist is seen as a
good thing today.
Paul kirk
Mike Melkonian wrote:
> Steve Masakowski (from New Orleans) uses a thumbpick (not that I have ever
> met him). Although it is a custom made one that he can somehow turn around
> and use like a flatpick. He uses a custom made 7 string guitar that goes
> down an extra 5 frets. He plays both chord melody and single line stuff as
> well. Great player.
>
I asked him about it a few years ago when he came through town. its not a
thumb pick (or at least wasn't then), its a regular pick that he melts a piece
of wire into so that it holds onto his finger and he can turn it out of the
way when he wants to play fingerstyle, without it dropping out of his hand.
Paul Kirk
David Rastall
news:8rtsq1$2go0o0$1...@news.jhu.edu...
Classical guitarists have been notorious for forcing their bodies into
playing positions garaunteed to ruin their backs, hands and wrists, but
those days are gone, thank goodness. Tom's right: nowadays the straight
wrist is seen as a legit way to play.
As for meeting the strings at a 90-degree angle, I think photographs can be
deceptive. I don't think the thumb is ever plucking at right angles, at
least not for long! Ouch! That hurts! As for the fingers, it's no problem
at all: they can meet the strings at 90 degrees. The problem comes when
you try to PLUCK the strings at a 90-degree angle. To do that you have to
turn your fingers so that the pads are at right-angles to the strings. Try
keeping your thumb at the same angle you always use, and straighten your
wrist. Any tension there might have been in your right hand disappears,
right? You can still meet the strings at right angles with your wrist
straight and your hand comfortably relaxed, but when you bend your fingers
to pluck, they will pluck more along the line of the strings and not at
right angles to them. This will give you a softer tone, and your nails will
be less likely to catch on the strings.
This is very similar to harp playing. Hold your guitar vertical, and you'll
see what I mean. It's also similar to the lute "thumb-out" technique; in
fact, one of the ways CG pedagogy has evolved has been along the lines of
historical awareness. Guitarists have learned from historical techniques
that plucking at right-angles is not the only option. I've even seen
guitarists playing 19th-century music using the renaissnace lute
"thumb-under" technique.
What it all means basically is that with any kind of finger-style playing,
never force your right hand into a painful or stressful position. Never
play with your right hand twisted!
David R
skrohn
using the thumbpick again.
I have a Dunlop Medium that I've filed to
the shape that I like.
I've also heated it and put it on so that I would mold to the
size of my thumb.
I am able to use it like a flat pick when desired and find
that I can relax my right hand pretty well.
Thanks for the great responses and info.
I've ordered some Kelly Speed picks to try.
It was encouraging to hear about the many players
who are using the thumb pick.
Scott
skrohn wrote in message <3cNC5.62848$4d.96...@news02.optonline.net>...
D Steward
> that classical pedagogy has been evolving over the past few
> decades, and that's what you were experiencing as leniency.
> I get the impression that a straight wrist is seen as a
> good thing today.
The world is starting to move away from some aspects of the Segovia
Teechnique (TM). :-)
Both Segovias (the maestro and his wife) had sharply bent wrists.
But if you look at the pictures of classical guitarists down the ages eg.
Aguado, Sor, etc., they ALL, without exception have straight wrists. What
this means is the straight wrist is the preferred technique, unless you have
an anatomical peculiarity requiring your wrist to be bent. Although I must
admit a preference for a (very) slight flexion!
=D
Tom Lippincott
>Teechnique (TM). :-)
>Both Segovias (the maestro and his wife) had sharply bent wrists.
>But if you look at the pictures of classical guitarists down the ages eg.
>Aguado, Sor, etc., they ALL, without exception have straight wrists. What
>this means is the straight wrist is the preferred technique, unless you have
>an anatomical peculiarity requiring your wrist to be bent. Although I must
>admit a preference for a (very) slight flexion!
>
>=D
part of my daily routine includes running through some scales using rest
strokes, but for general playing I tend to use other more non-classical
fingerings and techniques. I noticed today that I do indeed arch my wrist ever
so slightly when I use rest strokes, but it straightens out when I use other
techniques. I don't really know why this is, just an observation.
icarusi
news:39E22F24...@nowhere.net...
> Do you find it easy to actually hit the string with the nail of your
> thumb or do you get sort of a flesh first nail after flam effect? I
> never really got the classical thumb thing happening so I'm the last
guy
> to be saying how it's supposed to work but I always thought those
types
> of flams were not desireable.
I think individual hand and finger shapes and dimensions, have a lot
to do with how slight you can angle the thumb, and still get a nail
sound and feel that you like. My thumb nail is pretty close to edge of
my thumb so I can play with quite a short nail length and still be
10-20 degrees off parallel with the strings. There is slight skin
contact, so if I want 'thumbnail only' tone I raise the angle to
nearer
25-30 degrees.
Icarusi
--
remove the 00 to reply
Spencer Doidge
Proof: Stand in front of a mirror, hold your right forearm in front of
you, and let your wrist go limp. Touch the mirror with your knuckles.
Draw your hand back toward you and look at it. It looks twisted, but
it isn't. It is the natural bend of the wrist.
On Wed, 11 Oct 2000 16:57:41 +1100, "D Steward" <dste...@bigpond.com>
wrote:
Spencer Doidge
---------------------------------
http://www.mp3.com/spencer_doidge
sheet music & tabs, some free at
http://www.teleport.com/~spencerd
D Steward
>
> Proof: Stand in front of a mirror, hold your right forearm in front of
> you, and let your wrist go limp. Touch the mirror with your knuckles.
> Draw your hand back toward you and look at it. It looks twisted, but
> it isn't. It is the natural bend of the wrist.
Sorry Spencer, but it doesn't look like proof to me. I think you're slightly
out of line here. ;-)
Lets not talk about _bend_. Lets rather talk about extension and flexion.
Lay your hand on the desk in front of you, palms down, fingers arched and
palm with fingers forming a shallow cup. Your wrist is slightly extended.
This is the 'natural bend of the wrist'. You can also see it if you observe
someone walking with arms down. You will notice their wrist is slightly
extended.
When playing the guitar, your wrist will be slightly (or very much) flexed.
In other words, the 'natural bend of the wrist' is the opposite of what
classical guitarists have to put up with.
Due to the constraints of gravity, and having your right elbow in a
comfortable position, you end up with a flexed wrist.
BTW, could you please give the link to your site?
cheers
=D