Group 2
Breaking Your Scale Speed Limits with Eduardo Inestal!
Virtuosity and speed go hand in hand when it comes to freeing your musical expressiveness from technical limitations. One key element in classical guitar performance is the ability to play fast scales with ease. Together, we will explore exercises that will enable you to push your speed limits and improve your scale skills while retaining relaxation in both hands and gaining a richer tool set to express your musical ideas.
- Sign-Up Period: August 11 - 14
- Course Period: August 15 - 26
- Class Size: 4 Groups á 10 Participants
- Optional check-In via Zoom: August 23, 11 am PST
Assignment for the first week:
Play the first exercise (Slow) while paying attention to the following:
- Keep the tempo
- Always alternate i-m
- Be "lazy” (move your fingers, both right and left hand, and yourself as less as possible) to keep the relaxation
Do the same with the 2nd exercise (Faster tempo)
Once you control this exercise, you can gradually choose your tempo, increasing the bpm. Pay attention not to lose your relaxation!
Have fun!
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Exercise No. 3 by Eduardo
Goals:
1) keep the tempo
2) Be as "lazy" as possible (move your fingers (an also your body) as less as possible).
3) increase the tempo gradually.
Start with 50 bmp and speed it up till 100 bpm Submit 2 videos with both tempos (slow and fast)
scales group 2
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martin Eduardo Inestal
Here is the slow version of the 3rd exercise. The most difficult part in this exercise is when shifting positions in the LH.
https://youtu.be/uDSrUAmi3Cs -
Raul Guzman Vidal Definetly descending scales are harder than ascending. We can find here the same Issue with the 4 finger. Try to play slower to control it a bit more,, actually, to control it completely. You should decide how it moves the 4 finger, not the other way around :)
I think that is the main Problem you have to focus on, rather than speed. Remember speed is a consequence of the relaxation. If any part of us is not relax... we are not going to achieve this speed!
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Dear friends, here is a recording of yesterday's Zoom class for everybody who couldn't attend!
scales group 2
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Here is Eduardo's final video for his (more than) Two Week Intensive!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8EBsPbGViOM
scales group 2
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Eduardo Inestal martin Hi Eduardo, Thank you again for your wonderful lessons on Scale speed! It was such a great pleasure working with you!
I was wondering what the daily routine should be. Should we be doing each of the 4 exercises in sequence each day to build and maintain speed and precision, or do something else?
Also, do you use the "heavy metal" left hand finger position on the fret board routinely in your scale playing where applicable in the repertoire, or is this for exercise only?
Hope to see you again soon for other Tonebase lessons!!
Best, Barney
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martin Eduardo Inestal I wanted to also ask if you feel "preparation" of putting multiple left hand fingers on fret board at same time is important for maximizing speed, or can it hurt "syncronization" between left and right hand "both" moving precisely at same time?
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Barney It is always good to have the first finger on the board in order to have stability (Imaging it as a train what never leaves the rails), for both, ascendending and descending scales. So, answering your question, yes, if it is possible, i like to have my 1st finger on the board. (not always is possible).
Regarding the Routine... sure, you can do it everyday in the order i show you (its going to take like 10 min). It is very effective... of course there are more exs. but with that ones, you cover up pretty everthing.
Hope to see you soon too!
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Martin Eduardo Inestal Thank you for all your recommendations in this course and for pointing the areas in my playing that need improvement. I will be looking forward to seeing you in other courses in the future. ¡Muchas gracias!
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For Week 1, please look at this exercise after watching the assignment video!
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Is there a way to use a metronome for this exercise? (The changes to uneven groupings makes this very difficult).
On left hand fingering, when you move up to the 5th fret (A-F), you use fingers 1 and 2. It seems more natural and efficient for me to use fingers 2 and 3 for that position. Is that any problem for your objectives here?
Thanks!!
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Hi Barney, The only way to use metronome for this exercise is you play one note each beat. Aprox Bpm: 120 for the Slow one, 300 for the second (quite crazy :)
Regarding Fingering Left Hand, you can choose whatever works for you better, but remember to be relaxed!
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Eduardo Inestal Hi Eduardo, Thanks for your reply! Yes, I expected that was the only way for the metronome to work with this.
I'm also in process of watching and practicing your wonderful Tonebase lesson of Rondena. I love the Spanish Repertoire and hope you will do more of them. (I'm a big fan of Albeniz and Granados).
See you later in the kickoff of this 2 week intensive on Scales!
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Don't forget to tune in to today's live stream with Eduardo!
https://guitar-community.tonebase.co/t/g9hnxj1/eduardo-inestal-breaking-your-scales-speed-limit
scales group 2
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martin Great session today, thanks!! Martin--When and how will we receive the next Scale exercises from Eduardo?
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Barney very soon. I would like to wait a couple of days till the members of the group post their videos, and I will upload here the new link to the next exercise
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Hi Eduardo, Sounds great! I look forward to it. Thanks!
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Hello everyone! I am eager to start my first 2 week intensive course. I have already taken two tonebase tutorials with Eduardo, so I’m looking forward from his teachings in this course. Here is my practice of the first exercise at slow tempo: https://youtu.be/_EN7No48L6s
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Raul Guzman Vidal Hi Raul, Thank you for posting your video and for your kind words.
It sound very good how you do it, but there is a couple of things that we can improve.
1) I would suggest to play (if possible) on a chair, in order to have a better position of your body. Sometimes when we play in a sofa (despite it is confortable) we start to get a bad body position that does not help us to reach this relaxation. In this case, your right arm (and elbow) are a bit too down where they suppoust to be, therefore the RH is making a bit too much of an angle. I ues to say my stundents, that the head of the guitar should be at the same high as the our own head (highest point of the guitar at the same high as our eyes)
The second thing i would like to suggest is not regarding the technik (cause the movements of your RH fingers are great!) but with the intensity. I would like you to play a but more forte, with more intesity, because rest stroke is (usually) to get more energy/intensity in the scales. It sound beautiful as you play but a bit weak. Try to play louder.
I would love to see you again playing this exercice and if possible also to see your LH. Remember, scales involves both hands.
Un abrazo!
P.S. Next time would love to see your dog! :)
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Eduardo Inestal Hi maestro! Thank you for the advice regarding guitar positioning and intensity. Here is a new video making the recommended corrections.
P.S. Please watch the video till the end so you can meet Quincy.
Un abrazo!
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Raul Guzman Vidal Yes!! Much better!!! I love now the power of your playing! that is what I meant. Everythig is great. One thing you can try (should, must): try no to move your index finger sooo much. sometimes it goes to high, what means, it is gonna take more time to go back to tre string, and if we going to play fast, is gonna be a problem.
Next video, I would love to see aswell your LH. Just to be sure everything works correctly!
P.S.:Love Quincy!!!!!
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Eduardo Inestal Here is the first exercise at fast tempo. This time I am trying not to move the fingers so much. Thank you for the observation!
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Raul Guzman Vidal Hi Raul, Very good job!!
I like very much your RH and how it moves. One think you can do to improve coordination is the following: I saw that your LH is not always acurate, so I suggest to work LH alone. Just practise the shifts between the chords (intervals). Once your hand learn the movement is going to sound smoother and legato. But definetly thats the way!! keep working!
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Eduardo Inestal Thank you Eduardo! Definitely there are many things to work on at the same time. The most difficult have been to keep the rh pincky finger relaxed while playing. Here is is the second exercise at fast tempo. This time I have been trying to improve my LH fingers staying closer to the fret board. I have also been repeating the exercise using the metronome at different speeds.
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Raul Guzman Vidal Definetly there is an improvement!! Great job. two things:
1. Sometimes your Rhytm is not accurate. Solution: play with you best friend (always), and no, I dont mean Quincy, but the other one, the one called Metronome :)
2. Your fingers LH are great, and close to the board, until the 3 and 4 have to play, then the leave. It seems as if you would need to take a step back in order to jump loger. No Need, try to control it and to have it not far away. Just a bit closer. just a bit.
Let me see if you can improve that the next days!
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End of the Year Challenge: Finish Strong!
