Classical Guitar Lesson #6: Arpeggios

[CarlosMacMartin]

Kent,I'm glad that you posted video's demonstrating Mr.Shearer's guitar techniques.

In regards to many of the newer generation of concert guitarists,they may be fast & play with excellent technique,but many are way too concerned with speed and not

with the interpretation of the music.That's my 2 cents.

[Lutemann]

I heard David Russell on the radio yesterday playing some impoisible arrangment with that powerful tone. It saddens me that he didn't play a note of music.

[maor232]

very good lessons! i can play tremolo only because of you! thanks!

[xmergaite]

It's great that you are teaching details because later its gona be more easy to play it :-)

But you need to teach that one lesson would be one way and another otherwise

[gimpyboy1]

What an ugly technic. You are teaching unneeded movments which only cost you time ...

[Lutemann]

@gimpyboy1

What you don't realize is that there is freedom in motion. Watch the good players and you will see that this is how they do it.

[gimpyboy1]

@Lutemann

I know that there is free motion in my hand. For example if I play "p i m a m i" or "p i m a" my little finger goes with a. But this is just a natural movement. There is no need to ever focus on this movment. Just let a beginner's little finger go as he wishes.

But you say you should take a and the little finger together with m if playing " p i m ". I'm sure this will cost you speed and will get your play worth. I do not do that and great guitar players don't do that either:

[gimpyboy1]

@Lutemann

( Isn't i possible to post links ? ) Look at Ana Vidovic - Asturias here at youtube

I don't like the way she is playing asturias ( Look I'm the fastest even if it sounds ugly, I'm the best. )

@ 0:30 ONLY " p i m " move! The rest of the hand is static.

In your video @ 2:36 I have seen your hand jumping up and down every time you play a string. I think this is the most important movement you should focus on and get rid of it!!! This costs speed and gets your hand nervous

[Lutemann]

@gimpybo

You are right. My hand shouldn't be bouncing. the reason it is is that I haven't played the guitar for years.

[GodsAthiest]

@Lutemann I read this and just needed to reply! I think people forget what's important: The music!!!! If you look up te definition of the word technique, it says: The method by which you do something'. Some people forget that there's no 'good' or 'bad' in that definition. Sure, there are more efficient ways, but the critics tend to be people who are too wrapped up in the technique. Every movement has a pro and con. I think gimpyboy1 is forgetting this. The golden rule: If it sounds good, it is.

[gimpyboy1]

@Lutemann

Ana Vidovic Estudio 11 Villa-Lobos @ youtube

look at the little finger when ana vidovic is playing "p i m a m i" @ 1,39

The hand is static again.

[mateuszlaw]

I think the video is very useful! Could you please tell me what should bo going on with "m" finger in "p i a" combination?

[mateuszlaw]

Very useful. much more confidence in my right hand now!

[SoullessOpeth]

I hate people who play without long nails, they don't know all the sound quality they're missing.

[Lutemann]

Segovia had short nails.

[SoullessOpeth]

I mean people who play with absolutely NO nails. Segovia had his nails just a bit passing his finger tips, but what am I arguing. Every teacher at my institute has long nails and they play absolutely well. Waste of time :D

[tipsjr]

wow you told him

[gimpyboy1]

@Lutemann

What do you mean by short nails? Do you mean he played with his skin only and not with the nail?

[Euskapeuskey]

@SoullessOpeth good players have a good sound even without nails :)

[GuitarSpeller]

Thanks for posting this. Great video. What kind of motion would you do for an i-m-a-m-i (lets say on the top three strings or on just one string)? I think the interesting point is the a-m where the fingers reverse their order of play.

[dscutsinger]

well that makes sense. You are a math teacher, not a guitarist.. Do you play any pieces or just do technique?? I have a Masters Degree in Classical Guitar, and a lot of this stuff is a no no... I think you may be misleading some students

[Lutemann]

Just because you have a masters degree in guitar doesn't mean you know anything. There are no-nos, but there are also different ways to be successful on the guitar. What you see as inefficient might just be a different way of playing. This is essentially the technique that Barrueco and many other fine players use.

[dynhamik]

Oh so true. I wish people understood that there are different ways to play the same pieces. There really is no RIGHT way, as long as the outcome is the same.

[g9gib]

dscutsinger: there are many, MANY different methods of learning as the user "lutemann" right. People learn in many different ways audio or visual learning are just some of the examples. A piece of paper does not mean much to me. I to have learnt arppegio through this method and by slowing things down and breaking it into step by step praciticing day by day. This method helps people and there is nothing wrong with that. Your attitude is very puretannical.

[Lutemann]

Very well put. There are certainly several schools of guitar teaching that are quite successful. Some do not like the concept of working on motion (as I suggest) preferring the motion to happen naturally if they work slowly. Others use the planting method to get essentially the same effect.

[bagabagspapabisaya]

u didnt answer back,,loser!!! lol

[arodfan18324]

@dscutsinger

If you have a Masters Degree in Classical Guitar well then I am Mickey Mouse. It is real easy for one to lay claim that they are a master in something, yet have no proof to show for it. If you are so qualified, well then let me ask you how come you have no videos of your own and went out of your way to look for online guitar lessons? ....That is the beauty of the anonymity provided by the internet, people like you can lay claims to things that they are not....

-Mickey the Mouse

[Cherry1947]

This is an extremely poor way of executing an arpeggio or broken chords.

The right technique requires imparting stability to the right hand by relying on the planting technique where the thumb is planted on a string providing stability to the entire right hand. The right technique is elaborated in the new guitar book by Romero (nephew of Angel Romero) or one of the older books by Shearer or Noad.

[Lutemann]

I studied with Shearer for seven years, so I know a little about what he was teaching. Planting can useful, but only in the beginning stages. i was trying to show the basic motion of the fingers when playing arpeggios. BTW, many very fine players learned without planting and never play at all.

[ClassicalGuitarBlog]

I would say that a full sequential planting is usefully for any level of player. But you're right, for the beginner, it's just too much to think about. If they can get the "close to the string" preparation (what you're showing here) down, that's easy to refine into planting technique later as needed. It's certainly better to do it this way vs. trying to plant fingers on the strings and make a huge tension ball of a right hand.

[googenshlagen]

The right technique?

Hmmm....

[unknownkingdom]

Hello. I am also a guitar player with a math degree.

I've played electric for a long time, but only last week I bought a classical guitar. It's my eventual goal to play Rachmaninoff's Prelude in C# Minor. I think this lesson will be very useful for that composition.

Thank you.

[nobo50]

fuck you

[pacoeras]

if you are math teacher, can you upload some math lessons?

ajajaj

[Lutemann]

Do a search for murdick mahtematics

[Desimodontidae]

I think if you've played guitar for any amount of time this is pretty intuitive... even if you don't play classical.

[Lutemann]

Watch folk guitarists play and see if they do this. Most don't or can't. Very little of guitar techique is intuitive.

[Richgoddamnit]

Post a video when you play it fast. I wanna hear how it sounds when you're done.

[Lutemann]

Listen to Manual Barrueco or Jef Carter or Christopher Berg, to name a few of thousands who use these ideas. I'm just a math teacher who made a few guitar videos.

[Richgoddamnit]

Thanks for the tip and thanks for sharing your techniques! :)

[Lutemann]

With many effient arpeggios, such as the tremolo and Pimami, the release is not that important in that one may over-follow through with some fingers. Scott Tennant's very fine tremolo has a "looping" i finger that is not released at all. He does use a ballistic approach to the 'ma' complex in the tremolo.

[paulcroft1944]

Hi and thanks for your courteous response; in my long experience I have found it so difficult to encourage students to "release" their fingers, when the concept has not been explained to them initially and the habit of holding them in has become fixed, that I wouldn't recommend the idea - for however short a time. I prefer the analogy of the release involved with a bow and arrow but, whatever method used, it certainly seems a surprisingly common problem and eludes many teachers observation/help.

[paulcroft1944]

I notice that in a later lesson you do discuss this issue, which makes me wonder even more why you suggest fingers should be held in and not allowed to release naturally and individually in the first place.

[Lutemann]

This is a very subtle concept. In the beginning, I think it's OK to hold the fingers back in order to make sure that basic motion is set. But, as soon as possible, the arpeggios should be felt as a quick flexion and release.

[paulcroft1944]

This is utter rubbish and would be disputed by any half-decent teacher. Pulling your fingers into your hand as suggested is like shutting a book each time you want to turn a page. Learn about extensor and reflexor usage - please!

[mojovengence]

thank you so much for this very helpful

[taleofrevenge]

id love to be able to play arpeggios like yngwie malmsteen

[uncjim]

Hi Luteman,

This is very helpfull. The concept of returning to a consistent beginning position after the arpeggio is complete, while it should seem obvious, is something that I never really tuned into. Thanks for the lesson

[handfulsin]

from 1:00 thats moonlight sonata intro!!

[JOAPY]

It is. But i don't thing he meant to do that.

[mojovengence]

hahahaha no its not, its the last three strings of the guitar.

[guitar564]

I cannot hear what u r saying

[Lutemann]

About the thumb tension. If you turn the guitar around and play that reach with the left hand do you feel the same tension? If not then you might have a problem.

Try flexing the right wrist a bit. This will increase your reach.

[thrrie]

could you briefly talk about nail shaping?

thanks.

[Lutemann]

I wish I could. This is very individual.

[hx3tube]

Hi, Lutemann. What I've learned so far is to develop independence between fingers. Can you explain it a little bit in the context of your technique. Also, when I move my thumb to reach the string, say the sixth string with ima on 123 strings, I can feel huge tension spreading from my thumb to other fingers, horribly blocking the movement of every finger. PS: My hands are quite small.

[realguitarist07]

MAXHENRYPOTATO, you are a douchebag wussy guitar player. Power chords are easy. Anybody can play them. Play like a man! Classical players are amazing.

[MAXHENRYPOTATO]

POWER CHORDS ARE THE BEST

[Lutemann]

Yes they are.

[Lutemann]

This technique is not for everyone.

[johnaiton]

the classical way of fingerpicking seems limited?

I was taught to develop finger independance and never move fingers togther when playing individual notes

and why not use the c finger too?

pimac allows for better variations of arpeggiating

[cujo230]

wow ur not even doing it right

[LordHines420]

wtf is pim

[jeswashburn]

pinky, index, middle. Refering to the fingers of course.

[pwargan]

Actually, P is the thumb, I is the pointing finger, M is the middle finger, and A is the index finger. The pinky is rarely used in classical guitar.

[jeswashburn]

Doesn't index finger mean the same as pointing finger?... A actually stands for the Spanish word "Anular" which means ring finger

[pwargan]

You're probably correct, I'm sorry.

[jeswashburn]

dont worry about it. So was I

[jeswashburn]

fuck my english sucks

[tearsforcoldplay]

p-thumb (pulgar)

i-Index (indicio)

m-Missle (medio)

a-Ring (anular)

[Savss]

haha jeswashburn doesn't know crap.. listen, PIMA is referring to the spanish naming of the fingers. P=Pulgar (thumb) I=Indice (Index) M=Medio (Middle) A=Anillar (ring finger). Hope this helps

[ClassicalJoeNo1]

Awesome lessons BTW! 5 stars!

[ClassicalJoeNo1]

I'm playing Estudio de Concierto No.1 by Agustin Barrios Mang. I have videos at my blog. I think this Etude is real a right hand Arpeggios challenge. Finger a and m just can't move together. Do you have any advice on this piece?

[Lutemann]

What is the right hand pattern? Some arpeggio combinations use opposed motion in the 'ma'.

[ClassicalJoeNo1]

Here is a video on YouTube,

watch?v=cFo9eRKeZY0

[Lutemann]

It looks like (at it's worst) aami,amim, amim. Is this right? Two things: don't repeat the 'a' finger, play mami. Also, notice that she doesn't have avery good follow through with 'a' finger in that it extends up too high.

[HolyDoomWitch]

Excuse me,

But you make a good teacher. Somehow I have a feeling that you might know it. Cause if you know it, then you would ignore some really regrettable comments.

-Another teacher of sorts

[Lahed92801]

P= thumb

I= index

M= middle

A= ring finger

in some cases, C = pinky

also, yes, you're not supposed to hang your fingers out... keep them inside.

[6rog9]

Hi, Great Lessons. Question: If I were to play the p,m,i arpeggio with p,m,a, what should the index finger do while m plays? Move with m as one finger?

[Lutemann]

I think you mean the pmi arpeggio with Pam? In any case the 'i' finger is quite independent from the 'm' and can either just hang there or move sympthetically with the 'm' finger - just don't stick it out straight.

[6rog9]

Thanks, I meant the pim played with pma.The 'i' does seem comfortable just hanging there.

[CrazySnake1066]

Thanks for taking the time to post these lessons. They are appreciated. I don't understand the critics who would rather take shots at you than post something of their own. Personally, I have learned something new and I thank you.

[Lutemann]

Thanks for the vote of confidence.

[jasonwaite2]

This is absolutely ridiculous. Are you from Mars. Speed, especially imimimim will never be very great your silly way. The Scott Tenant video demonstrates this very well. Also, check out Jamie Andreas for some good teaching material. I'm sorry but you are just being silly.

[Lutemann]

I've been to a Tennant master class and own his video. good stuff. he says things differently but he plays almost everthing exactly as I suggest in the videos.

[SPANKY1252]

thanks that helped I used to plant all my fingers on the strings at once but its easier to cuntrol this way!

[AndanteLargo]

Thanks Lutemann. Som good advise there. And a very good idea with some lessons on YT. More!

Respect,

Peo

[sbornfeld]

Very nicely explained and illustrated, Kent--Thanks!!

Steve Bornfeld

[GFAJanitor]

I notice he makes a major mistake around minute mark 3:25...striking two strings with the 'a' finger. LOL!!!

[Lutemann]

I can't hear it, but I'm sure I might have hit two strings. Try playing with the guitar on your lap sometime.

[GFAJanitor]

I'm just joking around, the videos are nice. You might check out the videos I have posted. I'd be interested in your opinion on Azabagic's slur advice in the Sor Op. 9

[Lutemann]

I'll have to watch all of his lessons. He's got great technique! Notice when he says the 'mi' in the slur variation should feel sympathetic (he doesn't use that word) It does feel that way, but it really isn't a sympathetic motion - it's very clear that there is an opposed motion. This oppose motion between I and M happens in the mi, pmi, and pami arpeggios. One just can't play them sympathetically although with your reyes closed it certainly feels sympathetic.

[cuarteteo]

For children

[Lutemann]

If only that were true.

[Jitpring]

It appears that some of Kent's rmcg enemies disapprove. Explain.