The Ida Presti right hand technique for guitar - Alice Artzt - 3/4

[Guitartzt]

Do you get tension if you sit in a chair with arms and just have your arm resting on the chair's arm and your hand dangling down totally relaxed? That is the position for playing the guitar as Presti did, and as I do. Far less tension that trying to hold your arm in place in the air. If you feel tension doing what I am advocating, then you are not doing it right. Don't try to twist your wrist - just relax and curve your fingers in a natural curve. Try to watch the video again. Best of luck.

[Cretin321]

surely angling your wrist around so that the opposite side of the a finger nail is in contact with the string creates tension? I've tried what you are doing and I can feel the tension in my arm immediately...

[jovdbo]

Indeed Alice, I have the same feeling !

[jovdbo]

intresting way of teaching Alice, I studied with Albert Sundermann in Brussels and I am a self made composer and improviser : jovdbo.spaces.live.com

I learned some intresting techniques with Michel Sadanovsky and Jad Askoul too...

kindest regards, Johan Van Den Bossche

[Guitartzt]

@jovdbo I'm listening to your Grounding Piece now - and like your moment of silence idea. We must do all we can, these days, to try to save the earth. Best etc, Alice

[jovdbo]

why do the best guitarists in the world not use this old Tarrega technique ?

[Guitartzt]

@jovdbo I don't know. I think mostly that teachers don't know it, and don't understand it at all or see the advantages since they weren't taught it. Presti didn't live long enough to get enough of her students using it so that enough of them would become well enough known to get more of their students using it. I am very glad I found out about it and used it - I credit my career to this, in fact. A lot of this is just habit. A pity.

[Guitartzt]

Glad you liked it.

[hillaroo666]

Great videos, thanks for posting!

[Guitartzt]

I have taught a few such students. Thumbs are very variable, and you just have to experiment, with wrist position/height mostly, to see what works. A few people try bending the thumb's tip joint at each pluck, though I find that problematical. Presti's thumb was quite double jointed and she managed just fine.

[Boldstrummer]

Have you ever taught a student with very double jointed thumb that bends back sort of like Segovia but even more?

[Guitartzt]

Actually I made a 22 minute commercial video on the interpretation of 19th century music about 20 years ago, and since the company that made it is now out of business, we just put that up on YouTube today - so I hope you like it.

[ecuador812]

It is a pleasure to see your videos and thank you so much for your help.

I would like to know if it is possible to have a video explaining interpretation?

Sincerely,

L.

[Guitartzt]

A lot has to do with the length of your thumb and how its joints work. Thumbs are all different. But make sure you have your wrist out far enough. If your wrist is too low - too near the top of the guitar - then you'd have to have a ridiculously long thumb nail to use it at all. My thumb is very straight and not very double jointed, so for years I had problems because I didn't figure out how high to keep my wrist. Try experimenting with that.

[dscutsinger]

I have a question.... I understand the ima nails concept, but how do you know when your thumbnail is long enough. I have been struggling with the thumb for years, It always feels too short, yours is very long, does it make it easier to play??