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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scales group 2
Please find login information for Eduardo's Zoom Check-in on August 23, 11 am PST here. Feel free to post questions before the Check-In in the forum so Eduardo can prepare those.
https://us06web.zoom.us/j/88539131031
Meeting-ID: 885 3913 1031-
Barney Hi Barney, today I am going to submit another exercise. There is still time for several diferent exercises. Your Idea of a great scale passage were already discussed by Martin and me, and that is going to be the last exercise. Funny, I was thinking about the last scale of Aranjuez (3rd mov.) for ascending, and the long one of Aranjuez 1st mov Exposition (you have both, ascending and descending. But still thinking which one is the best for the whole group.
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Eduardo Inestal Great, Eduardo! I'm sure you will select which Aranjuez scale passages would be best choice for the whole group. Thanks!
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Eduardo Inestal Excellent Zoom call session today, Eduardo!!! Thank you again for all your great advice and kind consideration. It is greatly appreciated!!!
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Barney My pleasure!! It is a great way for all of us to learn and improve!!
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Here is the "slow" version of the exercise. I used some staccato in this one.
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Barney Wow. Terrific Job.
Your RH is technically just perfect. Really. But I want a bit more of precision on the volume (intensity) of the stroke. Sometimes is too week. Also your 4 finger LH could be a bit closer to the board. You are going to increase acuracy and is going to take less time to reach the strings.
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Eduardo Inestal Thanks Eduardo! I'm aware now of the LH 4th finger suggestion, but not sure the way to solve it. It now naturally stays in that position. Any specific suggestions on best way to cure this problem?
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Barney You have to ask yourself if it s a problem. If it feels natural, then all is good! Do you make mistake or miss a note because of the 4th finger? if not, dont worry and let it be. If the answer is yes, try to change it. It seems is not a problem Let see what happen when you speed up and see how reacts.
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This is my current status on a faster version. It is not yet up to the targeted speed.
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Barney on the fast exercise I would say the same as before. Awesome. Pay attention to your 4 finger. Nothing esle to say. You are already a virtuoso.
In order to play faster, increase step by step your metronome and be patient :)
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Eduardo Far from being a "virtuoso", but thanks for your kind words!
What speed on the Metronome is needed to play the scales in Aranjuez to be in time with the orchestra.
Please give me a good sequence of Metronome steps numbers (from my current level) to consider to reach the goal.
Thanks again for your wonderful advice. I appreciate getting it from a real virtuoso, like you!!
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Barney we talked already about that on the zoom session but here again.
1. mov. You should reach 90 bpm in order to have room. We usually play it at 80/84.
3. mov. I play it around 150 /160. Ideally would be to reach 170/180 to play it efforless... but for my is impossible be as that fast...
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Eduardo Inestal Thanks! Please tell me the speeds again for the Aranujez 2nd movement.
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This is the slow version of Descending exercise. I tried to pay more attention to my left hand pinky.
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Barney Terrific Job. No need of vibrato. Remember we try to achive speed. No lyricsm...
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This is a faster version which needs some work. Attention to left hand pinky position not great due to inadequate concentration at this speed. I wanted to post this status as the end of 2 week challenge is quickly approaching.
Hope to see next exercises which involve multiple strings, and repertoire examples to work on.
In addition, it would be great to summarize what the daily routine should be to build and maintain scale sound quality and speed.
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Barney Here, as you mention, is not as perfect as you could play. There are some rhtym impercections and some coordinations problems.
Try to increase the tempo from slow gradually. It seems that is a bit too fast still. You will get there, no doubt, but step by step.
Regarding Daily routine, i will talk about that on the last video. There I will summarize all the concepts together
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Eduardo Inestal Great!!. Thanks once again Eduardo for your guidance on this stuff. I'm really enjoying it!
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Exercise No. 4 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 Is the purpose of the groupings and accents in the long scales ( ie. 4-4-4-6-6,etc) purely to help develop good "independence" of the notes in the scales?
or do you routinely use accents in the long scales of guitar repertoire you play? If so, how do you determine when and where to put the accents?
When does this Intensive Scale Challenge actually end, and what date must we submit our videos by? ( We got exercise #4 today, and there in another session for the next/last exercises, so I just wanted to know how much time we have). It has been such a pleasure and extremely helpful for us to work with you, so I wish it would last longer....
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Barney Very good Question!
Yes, the purpose is both, creating and building independent fingers, but also sometimes is going to help you (specially in long scales) to keep track of the beat. (For ex. last scale of Aranjuez. I try to imagine, and I practise it like that, to make an accent on the first note of each tempo, Which is also going to help the conductor to follow you and start the whole orquestra exactly with your last note).
Barney said:
or do you routinely use accents in the long scales of guitar repertoire you play? If so, how do you determine when and where to put the accents?In that case, the music is going to tell you if you need it, and how you are to group it together. If you decide to make accents, usually you are going to do it on the first note of the bar, or of the group. Also, sometimes the composer writes an accent on the notes.
If you are playing a dance, always accent on the very firtst one, because is going to help you keeping the rhytm of the dance.
Barney said:
When does this Intensive Scale Challenge actually end, and what date must we submit our videos by? ( We got exercise #4 today, and there in another session for the next/last exercises, so I just wanted to know how much time we have). It has been such a pleasure and extremely helpful for us to work with you, so I wish it would last longer....Good question... Actually it should be already over... but I thing I am going to do 3 weeks intensive, instead of 2 :)
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Eduardo Inestal Thank you for your responses to my questions!
Wow--thank you very much for extending the intensive period in order to complete your planned training for this skill. It is very much appreciated!!!
I look forward to the next exercises and summary of your suggested daily routine to improve and maintain Scales technique.
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Eduardo Inestal Here are the slow and fast version of exercise 4. The most challenging part was trying to keep the left hand fingers close to the fretboard during the whole exercise.
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On this longer exercise, I did 3 versions: (1) Slow with accents 4-4-4-6-6, (2) Faster straight thru, (3) Faster- straight with a little dynamics .
The dynamics are barely noticeable on playback, so I guess needs more exaggeration while playing to bring it out.
I can play this scale faster but it would lighter with less intensity. What is the best way to play faster while still keeping it loud?
I look forward to your comments. Thanks!
End of the Year Challenge: Finish Strong!
