--- John Scott <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:
> I feel like I'm having to unlearn all my 'good'
> guitar habits!
Yes, its a different approach. Ironically, though,
throughout the guitar's history, much right hand
technique shared a lot in common with the lute
technique you're learning now. It was largely due to
Segovia's efforts in the early 20th century that we
arrived at the modern, largely counter-intuitive, way
of playing classical guitar. (Then again, the modern,
nylon-strung instrument is quite different than
guitars of ages past.) In other words, if you
seriously pursue thumb-under, you will find that
you'll re-think the way you play Sor or Giuliani -
probably for the better.
> I'm just wondering - do any of the sources give a
> reason for this kind
> of thumb technique, or is it just some odd quirk in
> the evolution of
> playing?
>
Thumb-under playing was derived from playing with a
plectrum. Instead of up-and-down strokes, you now
have index ("up") and thumb ("down"). You also have
the other fingers for playing chords on non-adjacent
strings and seperate voice-lines. When I was first
dealing with thumb-under, I would occasionally take
time out and actually try playing my pieces with a
pick. This seemed to help when I would go back to
thumb-under fingerstyle.
Another thing that really helped my was to imagine
reaching out and shaking hands with someone. Your
forearm will actually be coming in nearly
perpendicular to the bridge. (I seem to remember
Poulton recommending placing the pinky on the bridge,
which would make this impossible. This works for
later music, but for the "classic" thumb-under
position, it would be better to place your picky a
little behind the rose, almost parallel to the
strings.) Again, this is exactly how you would use a
pick. Most of your playing motion actually comes from
the forearm, but, like anything, you don't want to
overdo it. A big pitfall is to bend your wrist too
much, like playing classical fingerstyle. In that
school, the idea is to position the fingers
perpendicular to the strings to assist in playing
arpeggios. Note that you rarely have arpeggios in
renaissance music! This is music mostly of lines and
thumb-under is perfect for it.
It is very awkward at first, but very much worth it of
the beautiful tone and speed. Yes, speed! Once you
get the hang of it, you'll be able to play scales much
smoother and faster than the m-i alternation of
classical guitar. How cool is _that_?
I would definately recommend a couple of lessons with
a teacher, even if you have to travel far. It would
be worth the effort to avoid years of frustration.
Good luck!
Chris
P.S. By the way, I'm playing mostly baroque music
nowadays and almost never use thumb-under anymore.
Learning it helped my with many aspects of my playing
in all styles, however.
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