Flamenco guitar lesson - 4 stroke rasgueado eami

[wowuser123123]

i have a question. i see al flamenco plays with long nails...would i have to grow out my nails inorder for me to play this style of guitar?

[theBabystache]

I was wondering. This is a question for the experienced folk. Could you do the rasgueado the opposite way? As in you start with index then middle, ring and last pinky? Is there any effect on doing this change.

[hersoveela]

@theBabystache What you suggest is physically very difficult. The reason why some people are good at what they do and make it look easy is that find the easiest way to do something and then refine it into an art form. There is more information about rasgueados at the website. The easiest and most effective way is eami or ieam. You will notice that ieam is just eami shifted along one finger and played with the accent on 'i' instead of the more 'e'.

[frankzy89version2]

this is hard for the 1st timer..

[Daveworldmusic28]

cool.

[IcedHide]

this kind of hard?

[shabutie]

i do cocaine!!

[magicbrowny420]

Rockso?

[AkiraSamuray]

only jedis can play that

[V19torrent]

you wanna cut your finger nails?

[AkiraSamuray]

He need long nails, so he can pick the strings with the nails, is the classical guitar technique

[6969692]

ok ur technique at the beginning was really cool lol

[cssNuramoN]

WTH?! :O its magic

[klemice]

wow you're using your little finger too

nice, i cut my nails on my right little finger

[foxthex]

he's darth vader! o.O

[registrationviainter]

lol

[freakguitar1]

ROFL HAHAHAH XD

[jonnyasprin]

lol,i could feel the force.

[MajorAssplay]

LOL!!!! HAHAHA

for a second there I was like... wtf haha

and then came the pohhhhhhhh hguuhhh

nice flamenco tho dude :)

[PICLex]

I've heard that some people hold the fingers against the thumb or in the palm to build tension for the stroke. You don't seem to do this, can you say why??

Thanks.

[boltonjack]

i think that the extra tension is bad technique, it strains the tendons and joints- not 100% sure but generally any extra tension in your playing is bad.

[PICLex]

Yeah i agree. Gustaf-Martinez teaches the tension technique, but it doesnt sit right with me. Rasgueado's feel really nice when there is no tension.

[mracousticman]

I thought he was? He seems to come down with some zip. Must be painful to do it with tension though after a while.

[royalewcheese345]

what chord are you playing. oh and your lessons are great!

[Shnobster]

hes playing E

[Harmonicsdude]

Real dirty fretboard!

[kikombo]

Thanks for sharing the vidos and the lessons.

[Alexaunder]

Hi Sal thanks for the video. By the way i just wanted to ask you something. Does e a m i function similar to i e a m? or are they functioned with different finger techniques?

[hersoveela]

Each has it's own use but is played in a similar way. There is no difference in technique. You can read more on the lessons page at the website.

Sal

[Alexaunder]

Thanks for the Info about your Website. I downloaded some of your Ebooks and they really helped me out much. By the way i saw another of your Flamenco Videos called: Alzapur (Thumb Triplets). And i was wondering:

Does the "Thumb" make a 'rest stroke' and then (only moves) down to make a downward stroke.

Or does the "Thumb" make a rest stroke and then the whole hand turns to make a downward stroke?

[hersoveela]

The "Thumb" makes a 'rest stroke' and then (only moves) down to make a downward stroke. You would not get a very fast or smooth alzapur if the whole hand moved down and then up again with each strum. It only strums across two or three strings after the thumb rest stroke.

Sal

[Alexaunder]

Thank you so much again for your help. I've been interested in Flamenco for quite some time now. I'm just a Beginner trying to learn the first steps into playing Flamenco. I really look forward to playing like you someday.

I'll comment you on YouTube if i need any help regarding the Right hand techniques.

Many thanks from the Philippines.

[samirberardo]

I'm also impressed with your attention with your "students". Unfortunately I can't find or even addord a teacher, but I'll struggle and try not to bother too much. Thanks a lot again, and congratulations for the great work and initiative for teaching people all around (I'm from Brazil, far away from you for sure), with even asking no fee.

[samirberardo]

Hi.

I've just dropped about here, when I thought "YouTube should have some useful lessons for flamenco guitar". And I found yours. I'm amazed with their clarity and effectiveness. I had never really attempted to learn flamenco techniques, although I love flamenco music. Now I feel highly encouraged. Thank you very much.

[crimsonxzr20]

Waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah! i can't do it! PLEASE TEACH ME SAL! I'M HOPELESS! :'(

[hersoveela]

Maybe this is not for you. If you have trouble after this visual demonstration, there is nothing more I can realistically add to help you improve, except to say play each stroke slowly and relax between each stroke. Leave it for a day or two and then try again. Failing this, show this video to your teacher. No teacher? Why not? Don't struggle on your own.

Sal

[crimsonxzr20]

Oh ok Sal i'll just try leaving it for a couple of days, then i'll give it another go. but can i ask you something? how do you get your fingers to work so fast? i mean to say is that how can i make my fingers quickly move to make a complete rotation? should i just keep practicing everyday using the e a m i moving my fingers slowly? will my fingers generally improve the finger speed on this technique? i really don't know how you made your fingers so AMAZINGLY FAST to make a complete rotation. :)

[hersoveela]

Download and read the ebooks from my website

Rasgueado secrets

Finger robotics

Getting rid of tension and lots of slow practice is the secret to fast rasgueados. Also read the previous comments by cyrusbrooks and on this page and my replies. These videos are only a guide. Much as I appreciate your problems, I feel I cannot help you much more than I already have with the general advice given here. The rest is up to you. Please direct further technical questions to your guitar teacher.

Sal

[crimsonxzr20]

How long does it take to master that kind of strumming technique? I'm AMAZED at your finger techniques! YOU ROCK MAN!

[cyrusbrooks]

This is wonderful. How do you do it without creating lots of tension? My pinky e a m i don't want to operate so independently. Like when I flick e, then a is already starting to move. To keep a there it starts to tense up. How do we do it. Also is the wrist supposed to be perpendicular to the fingerboard? Mine is about 70 degrees, instead of 90.

[hersoveela]

If you start with the line of the knuckles roughly parallel with the stings you should aim for 90 degrees. But don't get too pedantic about angles. In reality, each finger naturally strikes the strings at a slightly different angle.

[cyrusbrooks]

Yah, good, thanks. And what do you think about the tension point?

[hersoveela]

E and a are joined together by 2 bands of muscle. a will naturally follow the movements of e. You job is to train your fingers to relax between every stroke so they can learn to move independently. This is explained in great detail on my website. Go to the lessons page, find the '4 stroke-eami' lesson and click on the 'more info' link. On the '4 stroke-eami' page download the ebooks and read the one called 'finger robotics.

Sal

[cyrusbrooks]

Great, and I'm reading secrets of rasgueado too. Brilliant. Next question, if that's ok, I flick e, then relax, but the e has caused my a to move down a little bit, so I have to move it back a little before I flick a, and same with the rest of the fingers. Is that a problem? Otherwise I am also stopping and relaxing between each stroke/flick.

[hersoveela]

The a will want to follow the e. Let it. This is a natural reaction. What we are trying to get the fingers to do when we play rasgueados is UNNATURAL. Your job is to train the a finger to stop reacting as it does every time you strike down with the e. It's not magic but it does take time to control this reaction effectively through practice. Eventually the bands of muscle that binds the e and a fingers together like Siamese twins will loosen up and your fingers will begin to cooperate.

Sal

[ouzox]

Using jedipowers?

[cocksnap444]

Sal,

Thanks for another great video. I'm having trouble playing this continuously (meaning: it doesn't sound like it is 'rolling' when I play, it sounds a little spaced apart). Do you have any tips that may have helped you to learn this?

Thanks

[hersoveela]

Put the starting accent on different fingers. For example if you are practicing this eami rasgueado consider this. eami has 4 strokes and you naturally tend to put the accent always in the e (the starting finger). Try thinking of it in terms of triplets or blocks of 3 notes instead of 4. So the accents will be like this. EamIeaMieAmiEamI...etc. This will train the fingers not to always think of the i finger as the last, and therefore, hopefully prevent a pause or space between each sequence.

Sal

[cocksnap444]

Excellent, thanks

[thekev506]

i really struggle with this, it's a really good video to show you how to do it, but my right hand just doesnt seem to want to

[IcyScythe]

Is it possible to hit the low E with this technique?

[hersoveela]

I suppose you can if you lifted the thumb higher. But I rarely do. As you can see I use the low E string to rest my thumb on.

[Knucklesmd]

for an extremely short clip with no orration it's actually quite helpful. Sometimes i wish the teacher would just shut up and show me already, hahaha. thanx

[hersoveela]

I have seen many guitar teaching video clips with much talking, an enthusiastic smile but very little in the way of actual substance. My basic approach is that a picture is worth a thousand words. It also crosses language barriers.

[EllE1300]

what chords would you play with that?

[pinballkingpin]

I will do that, right now just learning from juan serrano's basic techniques.I guess there's always a chance of picking up bad habits without an actual teacher,thanks.

[pinballkingpin]

ON the 2nd stroke with the ring finger, my pinky goes way up instead of pointing straight down. How can I correct it besides going slower?

[hersoveela]

Ask your guitar teacher. Tell your pinky to do stop doing that. It's your finger. learn to control it.

[Tacomonday]

is the long pinky nail necesary?

[hersoveela]

Not really. You could have it shorter. I don't normaly have it this long. But it does have to be longer than the other fingernails to compensate for the short finger length.

[fekman77]

nice one.. thanks for the lessons.

do you have a flamenco guitar?

[hersoveela]

I donlt know, but it's not your standard Classical guitar. The luthier who fixed it up said it was but it had no identification on it to tell me who made it or when or where.

[hippyhair417]

damn that is awesome

[PALOPIN]

GENIAL

[susanatomatoes]

haha thanks this was helpful

[koddetrien]

thank you

[tawfikakkad]

u know what is the problem ? the problem is that i really cant find a way or words to thank u :) i have been trying a lot to learn this 4 stroks rasqueado but it was useless, so thank u a lot :)

Dr

[iraqsport]

thx

[bodylove30]

you are carzy man( very nice thnxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx­xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

[alligatooor]

awesome,thanks

[BlakeAflatoxin]

Never seen lessons like this!

What a YouTube treat, Thank you sir.

[pabloelloquito]

cool. thanks for the demo.

[iraqizizou]

useful MAN!