Micro Study 23 – Right Hand Basics 4

Micro study 23 – right hand basics 4, is part of a new series – #6stringinspiration – of short and sweet studies that target very specific ideas. These are for those who have very little time and want huge gains from tight focused practice ideas.

Micro Study 23 – Right Hand Basics 4

This is a right hand exercise for basic planting, execution and tone; and thumb independence. This time it is working the RH in finger sets, first up:

P M A

KEY Strategy

Planting

This is a level 2 basic micro study, part of a daily warm up routine, that covers the mechanics of using the right hand effectively to play arpeggios. This one works the triplet combinations, forward and reverse, of the P M A fingers. And is the sister lesson to micro study 22

Micro Study 22 – P I M

Planting is key to getting this successful. Planting is the pads of the skin touching the string first, then you stroke back across the nails – thus moving the string and producing tone. It is key to gaining security on the strings, that way you always know where you’re fingers are playing.

Check out Micro study 19 for a closer look into planting

micro study 19

Note: there is some nail clicking in the video above which is the result poor planting (a lack of concentration on my part) – not hitting the pads; & nails that are too long which kept getting in the way of certain fingers planting cleanly. Being aware of when you are, or in this case, aren’t making a good sound is crucial for classical guitar.

Other Info

Note: This study uses the open strings on purpose, by cutting back on coordination and thus complexity, you are able to concentrate on getting the stroke into your nervous system properly. Thus making it a natural part of your technique. Coordination is a skill set unto itself and should be practiced as such.

Secret

Arm Movement & Wrist adjustment

The key to playing across strings with only 3 fingers is movement: the RH arm needs to move forwards and back freely over the bout of the guitar. This allows the hand access to the bass and treble strings respectively as it moves. Remember to angle the RH as you move up, and then get it back in line as you move down. The wrist now needs to tilt a little more, so that the fingers are inline with the strings, to get the angles correct for the M A fingers. Keep in mind each human is different, vastly different physiology, so you need to experiment to find your optimum settings.