Carlevaro - Technique
This discussion thread is dedicated to Carlevaro's technical aspect of his work.
How to Get Started
Maestro Carlevaro introduced his technical ideas to his students by using the technical Cuadernos accompanied by the School of Guitar book.
- School of Guitar: Exposition of Instrumental Theory
- Didactic Serie for Guitar, Cuaderno #1 - Diatonic Scales
- Didactic Serie for Guitar, Cuaderno #2 - Right Hand Technique
- Didactic Serie for Guitar, Cuaderno #3 - Left Hand Technique
- Didactic Serie for Guitar, Cuaderno #4 - Left Hand Technique (Conclusion)
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For years, every time I've done exercises like Giuliani's 120 right-hand exercises, I've always had left-hand pain in my thumb joint from the counter pressure of holding the chords for so long. After watching Alfredo Escande's lessons and working on the lessons I actually laughed since I realized I'd been doing it to myself for no reason. For the last few days, I've been playing some of the first forms from Cuaderno 2 without my thumb even touching the guitar just to reinforce the body and left arm position. This is really helpful, especially considering I have some wear on my hands and need to be a little more cautious.
I wondered what Carlevaro thought about planting the right thumb on the strings while playing only with the fingers. I might have missed it but I didn't see anything on the topic in the right-hand chapter.
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Steve Price Hi Steve, great to hear that you were able to apply so quickly Alfredo's lesson on the left-hand thumb regarding the lack of pressure needed to hold down the strings. As you get more into Carlevaro's technique, you will see he continues return to the ARM and how it is used to get "maximum results with minimum effort." One suggestion regarding the arpeggio exercises in Cuaderno 2, pay close attention to the movement of the left arm when lifting off the strings to shift positions. Even though these are RH exercises, the left hand/arm movement is important here.
You asked about planting the Right Thumb on the strings for stability while playing the other strings with i, m, or a. From what I know of Carlevaro's technique, this would be fine as a point of stability or for dampening. For example, when I play scales, I plant my R thumb on the sixth string. However, I am sure Carlevaro would also say that you need to be able to play without planting your thumb since there will be times when the lower strings notes need to be sustained. I would add that Carlevaro might say that planting of the thumb should not be the basis for a system of technique but used sparingly when there is a particular need.
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Dale Needles said:
I would add that Carlevaro might say that planting of the thumb should not be the basis for a system of technique but used sparingly when there is a particular need.Great! It's a pleasure to read your ideas about Carlevaro's SoG! Steve Price , I guess that the main idea about RH stability is the placement of the forearm. If your forearm is well put you don't need to rest the thumb on any string if you are not using it. Just leave it free!
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Steve Price I also don't think Carlevaro is against this idea while he's not specifically recommending it in his system, I've seen nothing in his books about planting a finger specifically for hand stability. OTOH I personally plant my thumb for multiple reasons, right hand stability could be an apparent result, while using the thumb fixation I also tend to rest stroke using the skin instead of the nail and also create an opposed sound layer to contain the bass voicing on its own. Planting the thumb also helps me to restrict some unwanted resulting harmonics in the bass.
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Tips of the Week - As I mentioned in my previous "Tip of the Week" post, focusing on the first set of arpeggios exercises using toque 1 (free stroke) in Cuaderno 2, is a good way to start delving into Carlevaro's school of technique. And, while the focus is primarily on creating flexibility and dexterity of fingers i, m, a, it is also a good series of exercises for the RH thumb. My tip this week is that when focusing on Carlevaro's thumb stroke, pay close attention to where the power of the thumb comes from. As Carlevaro says in the School of Guitar, "The thumb must not function by flexing one or both its joints. Instead, the movement should originate at its base and through fijacion (fixation) make use of the muscular aggregate (Muscular Aggregate, a concept which refers to the use of the totality of its muscles)." (Carlevaro, pg 30).
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For those who are exploring Cuaderno No. 2 on the RH, here is an exercise that I practice which utilizes different Carlevaro "toques" (strokes).
This is Formula 227, which uses toque 1 (free stroke) for the little tremelo, toque 5 for bringing out the first string and toque 4 for the chords.
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Dale Needles yeah! definitely a great one I remember working on many years ago... I'll bring it back to my routine tomorrow, thanks Dale!
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Barney Blaise Laflamme Moyses Lopes Since, Blaise, Moyes and I have all had experience studying with the Maestro directly or one of his students, I thought we could give some advice to Barney as he begins to explore Carlevaro's School of Guitar. As you are doing Barney, starting with the School of Guitar book is a great first step and will provide some theoretical as well as practical guidance to your journey. Also, be sure to check out the Alfredo Escande Tonebase workshops and Carlevaro's Masterclass Youtube video. They can help you as well as you try to understand some of Carlevaro's terminology and concepts. Regarding the RH approach, I would focus initially on what Carlevaro's calls Toque 1 (free stroke) and applying that to the first set of exercises in Cuaderno No 2. As Carlevaro states in the School of Guitar, "it is preferable to begin by playing the formulae with toque No. 1 (libre)." Regarding the LH, Cuaderno No. 3, which focuses on "translations" or shifting, he states, "it is important to realize that all the work involves the development of what has been referred to as total translations, which must be performed by working the entire arm-hand complex." He demonstrates this in the Masterclass video. Also, regarding studying his school of technique on one's own, of course, having guidance is important, but Carlevaro also puts much stock in being both student and teacher simultaneously and finding one's own path forward. Hopefully his wisdom and insight through his teachings and writings will help guide us all on our journeys.
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Dale Needles Blaise Laflamme Moyses Lopes Thanks Dale for your great advice. I will post future questions/comments in the SoG section and appreciate all you guys' support as I explore this.
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I agree with Dale Needles , Alfredo Escande Tonebase's workshops and Carlevaro's Masterclass are great places to start. I'll try to share with you the way I started, maybe it can be useful.
I started my studies with Cuadernos before SoG, and I remember my technical routine clearly. My teacher introduced me to the 4 Cuadernos and chose arpeggios and elasticity from Cuaderno 2, displacement by substitution from Cuaderno 3, and simple ascending legato from Cuaderno 4. I organized the work so as not to stress my hands, then put the formulas in the following order (Book.Formula):
2.1
3.1
2.2
3.2
2.3
3.3
2.4
3.4
2.5
3.5
2.6
3.6
2.7
3.7
2.8
3.8
2.9
4.1
2.10
4.2
2.11
4.3
2.12
4.4
2.198
4.5
2.198 bis
4.6
2.199
4.7
2.199 bis
4.8
2.200
4.9
2.200 bisOf course, this is a bit big to study in a single session, so I divided it into Plan A and Plan B, studying alternately. In this way, I acquired the proposed gestures. Nowadays I would organize a bit differently because gestures have been acquired yet, I'm in a kind of maintenance mode.
Looking forward to your questions, Barney !
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Moyses Lopes Dale Needles Blaise Laflamme Thank you very much Moyses for this information. This list is quite overwhelming.
How do you guys suggest breaking it down into small chunks that make sense, and that would be very manageable for a beginner studying Carlevaro technique, and doing it without supervision? What is "Plan A" and Plan "B", and would that be appropriate for me to start this?
Also, since I've been playing guitar for many years and my "traditional" technique has been internalized, how difficult will these changes be (I'm not a kid anymore...haha)? and how long should the transition take, given my history?
I appreciate your great advice and support, thanks!!
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Barney about your first question: To break down my exercise lists I start at the beginning and study till the time I have (30 minutes, for example). Then, count the pieces of exercises you do and break the list with this. Another way is to make a mark when you stop and resume the next day. I usually work based on the time I have available.
Second question: maybe it would be helpful don't think you are substituting one technique for another. Think like you are polishing your technique, you will find some different ways to do things you always did. It's like yoga, you don't learn to move differently, you learn how you can move better, and how to protect the body during movements, and this is for your entire life. That's my point of view. Regards!
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Moyses Lopes Thank you Moyses!! That is very helpful to keep in mind. I'm sure I will have many more questions when I start working on the movements and exercises. Much appreciated!!
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Barney I totally agree with what Moyses has answered you. I also recommend you to use a mirror, it's possible you're already doing it, but it'll help you a lot to look at you from a teacher point of view and ensure the body and the left + right hands have the expected positions and angles while working exercises or pieces. These different positions will probably feel uncomfortable at first and will also give you a bit of headache, but your current level of technique will certainly help you in figuring out the differences.
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Blaise Laflamme Got it Blaise! I have a small mirror I was using for my right hand tremolo work. I guess I should find a full length one for this work .
Thanks for your advice!
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Barney I own a vertical one since I have fifteen years old and I've been using it everyday of practice. With a larger one you'll cover your whole position, you can quickly use your computer webcam and look at you that way, but a mirror in your practice room/studio is far more convenient IMHO.
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Barney Blaise Laflamme Moyses Lopes I agree with all Moyes and Blaise are suggesting. I would also say that you are an excellent guitarist with such great tone and feel for the repertoire that you post, and by exploring Carlevaro's school of guitar, the goal should be, as Moyes said, all about refinement and learning some new ways of approaching your playing in order to enhance what you have already so excellently achieved.
One thing that I would humbly suggest as a starting point is to try not to incorporate everything at once by to focus on some specific components of Carlevaro's technique. For example, I think someone with your skill level, might want to focus on Carlevaro LH technique related to LH shifts or as he calls them in Spanish, "traslados." This is a key part of Carlevaro's school of guitar and is particularly important in reducing and even eliminating that annoying string noise that all guitarists struggle with.
Therefore, my recommendation would be to practice 30 minutes per day on the three major longitudinal presentation shifts. For example, I suggest working 10 minutes each on the following:
1. Traslado by Substitution: Cuaderno No 3 - Ej. 1 - 8
2. Traslado by Displacement: Cuaderno No 3 - Ej. 26 - 49
3. Traslado by Jump: Cuaderno No 3 - Ej. 69 - 85
When doing these exercises the LH is in longitudinal presentation to the strings and when shifting positions, the arm with a slight movement forward lifts the hand/fingers away from the strings and then shifts positions, and by doing so, eliminates string noise.
Hope this helps!
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Dale Needles Blaise Laflamme Moyses Lopes Thank you Dale for you kind words and encouragement.
I will give this a try, but first I think it would be helpful for me to re-watch Alfredo's Tonebase live stream on Left hand movements, as its been a few months since I saw it. From the Exercise numbers, there appear to be many; but I hav'nt actually looked/tried it yet; so we'll see.
It's nice to know that I'm not entirely on my own here (just in case I have questions). It's much appreciated!!
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Barney Hi Barney, definitely check out Alfredo's Tonebase workshop, also the YT Carlevaro Masterclass, where the Maestro demonstrates the left arm/wrist/hand movements. I agree that there are a lot of exercises, but no need to do all of them every day. These are simply the ones that focus on longitudinal movements in various finger combinations. At the beginning, just pick a few exercises per each of the three types of shifts: substitution, displacement and jump. At first glance, they appear very simple, but the key is training your arm to initiate the lifting off of the strings and making the shift. Once the muscular memory is established, then you can go through these exercises pretty quickly.
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Dale Needles You're a sage, Dale! Great advices, for all of us! Thank you!
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Dale Needles Got it Dale, thanks!!
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Dale Needles Is there a link to a video that shows the LH movement for the shifts that eliminates the noise of the bass strings?
I've still hearing noise, even when attempting lift as you suggest...
thanks!
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Barney Ensure you raise up your fingers before leaving the current position and ensure you're at the next position before pressing again. That seems obvious but the noise is created when the fingers still touch the strings before moving and/or when pressing too early before the next position is reached. Also it could be amplified when the strings are pressed harder than what's actually needed.
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Blaise Laflamme If I simply lift off the strings, and not even move yet , I hear the open string...
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Barney I agree with Blaise. Here is a link to a great series of tutorial videos by Alfredo Escande. Each video ranges between a 3 to 7 minutes and demonstrates a key component of Carlevaro's school of guitar. Videos beginning at number 12 deal with the LH and should be helpful. Let me know what you think and if you have any success. Blaise Laflamme Maybe we should add this link to a list of references.
(234) Abel Carlevaro's School of Guitar by Alfredo Escande (English subtitles) - YouTube
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