Sorry Wayne, I was going to add a subtitle, but someone phoned, and
then I forgot, so here is my second effort.
Alan
If you are in the situation I was when beginning to play again, it
is more a question of getting your hands back into a supple enough
state to be able to do lute exercises.
In my experience, students tend to use ten times the amount of pressure and
energy than required, so when I see talk of finger strengtheners I get
worried. The great classical guitarist, David Russell, taught me an
invaluable lesson in this regard. Put your left hand index finger on any
note, say
Rob
Yes I knew I would receive this message. That is why I have never
mentioned it before; but I was careful to say it has nothing to do
with strength, but everything to do with suppleness, and control. It
seems to make the joints more flexible. I have naturally very
unsupple fingers,
Thanks to Rob David for saying it so clearly - I agree absolutely.
Two more related things:
1. It's easy to forget about the LH thumb, where it is, how much
tension it has in it - but it's very important.
2. You could think of the stopping hand as being irrelevant to the
sound, just needed
Excellent advice, David. Paul Galbraith told me to feel different surfaces
gently with my fingertips - clothes, tables, guitar (lute) case - before
plucking the string. It awakens the fingers to the subtleties of touch.
Left and right hand shape the tone together
100 per cent right on.
Rob
Rob
Had I wanted to do a Schuman on you, I would have suggested this
contraption,
http://tinyurl.com/2uv88o
However, I was addressing Alan Hoyle, who is no beginner in a hurry
to make progress, but apparently in a similar state to how I was,
struggling not to go backwards.
In some
