Micro Study 30 – Right Hand Rasgueo 3

Micro study 30 – right hand rasgueo 3 is part of the – #6stringinspiration – series 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 30 – Right Hand Rasgueo 3

This is a right hands only exercise, the first of six micro studies for practicing all combinations of rasgueo.

Rasgueo is utilized in the Flamenco guitar tradition, especially when accompanying a dancer-it cuts through all noise. In the classical tradition it has been some what refined and as such there are a variety of finger combinations to practice. This first micro study however deals with getting the right hand fingers moving independently. Be warned, if you haven’t practiced this before you will find this a little tough! So go slow.

Finger Order:

a i a e i p p m p

classical——————————>flamenco

This third level exercise works the right hand in sets of 3 fingers, (triplets) in speed bursts. It starts with the classical fingering choices a i a & e i p and move into the flamenco fingering p m p. The last one in particular can be challenging so work up to it slowly.

(Some of these are going to be quite tough, so be gentle.)

KEY Strategy

Gaining finger independence is a slow process, but it is crucial to playing guitar-any style. This exercise utilizes all of the right hand fingers in a motion that is contrary to normal practice-away from the body. This builds up right hand strength and independence.

Notice in the video that my fingers are now loose and relaxed, and only use the outside nails of each finger.

Other Info

Note: This study uses the right hand only so that maximum concentration can be given to this exercise, which not only improves finger control but also has a bearing on tone production. Practice mindfully.

Secret

Wrist Rotation

Notice in the video how my wrist is rotating the fingers round, especially the last two exercises. The right arm needs to be relaxed in order to facilitate this movement. Be aware that eventually after a certain tempo this is exclusively how this rasgueo is performed. At lower tempos it is possible to cheat this and just use finger movement from the knuckles, the first example is a prime candidate for this.

And Remember: only move the fingers you need to.

Make sure you fingers are moving one combination at a time only. Keep the other fingers hovering above the string as you move. This is very clear on the video above.