Group 1
Improve your tremolo!
Tremolo is one of the defining techniques for classical guitar! Although not used very often in the repertoire, some of the most iconic pieces employ it to create a beautiful singing melody above an accompaniment pattern.
Fellow Participants in Group 1:
Eric Phillips
Blaise Laflamme
peter hancock
Nora Torres-Nagel
joosje
Emma
Rachel Holmes
Bill Young
Carlos Calderon
Brett Gilbert
Robert
Some tonebase productions to get you started
- 8 Steps To A Perfect Tremolo Course by Stephanie Jones
- Scott Tennant - On Tremolo
- Scott Tennant - Recuerdos de la Alhambra
- Thomas Viloteau - On Tremolo
- Artyom Dervoed - Tremolo
How to get the most out of this course
- Start by watching the introduction video and practice the exercises given in the video.
- Write a post with your experiences with tremolo.
- At the same time, start practicing the first eight bars of "Recuerdos de la Alhambra". If you are new to the piece, begin with a chord reduction as presented in Scott's workbook on Recuerdos.
- Share two videos per week and help your course partners through feedback on their submissions!
Zoom Check-In: Friday, May 20th at 8 pm CET (11 am PT)
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Eric Phillips I think you would prefer this approach... right?
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Eric Phillips haha! the bad news is you have to build it yourself!
You know what... yesterday I was talking with my girlfriend about this tremolo workshop while taking a walk and this morning she had this video in her feed... we've been spied on!! 
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Blaise Laflamme genious
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Blaise Laflamme jajajajaja I hope my tremolo will sound better than this after......how long?????
. Absolutely lovely your contribution !
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Blaise Laflamme jajaja this video is great! And the guy looks super relaxed playing the tremolo
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Blaise Laflamme You led me down a rabbit hole with this guy, 7M subscribers (!) and he has some really crazy/interesting stuff on the piano.
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I submit now 3 recording of today. i could not yet hear the last submission after friday, but I hope to do it tomorrow.
About my videos.... I do not see ALWAYS the relaxation....special the i finger...although I do not realise when I play...I also realise in the video. Otherwise I fell confortable with the exercises, I usually play 3-4 spots of 15 minutes each per day, and I practice the relaxation also with other arpegios.
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Nora Torres-Nagel wonderful submission , Nora. You’re getting there. It definitely looks relaxed, especially in the first video. Maybe you could also ‘try a longer period of touch before hitting the string’ as Martin advised me (as well as Blaise and Emma), but your tone is already beautiful, round and consistent.
In the punctuated part you go faster and then the finger movements are smaller. And less visible to the eye . But, maybe you can feel the relaxation.. The sound is still good.
As for the fragment: great control, the melody line is much stronger now and very even in sound, though a bit articulated. -
Nora Torres-Nagel bravo Nora , wow you made all these videos. Big big improvement. You are right, the i finger is the rebel of the group, but then you realised and it started relaxing, especially in the Pima. Then the last video, when you played… how was the experience? Does it feel different to when you played it before learning about “relaxing tremolo”
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joosje thanks for your analyis joosje.I will try that of a longer period of touch...I have never done that. As soon as I accelerate a little I can not follow the relaxation although my hand is relax. The point of the articulation bothers me....I think is more legato then before but still far a way of I would like. In your submission at 98 MM your tremolo sounds very even and legato...i do not know how to reach that...But definitevely I am feeling myself more sure with the tremolo, more consistent than before....
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Emma thanks Emma. Yes, I feel my tremolo more consistent and the melody is more clear. With the rythm also I have a better feeling but still not completely incorporated. The legato is still failing....I will try a longer touch... Gracias for looking the videos and your commentaries
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Nora Torres-Nagel Thanks for the videos. Overall, it looks and sounds good to me (and as others mentioned, sometimes one finger, especially i, is a bit less "relaxed", but I think this is normal during our exercises and work in progress, and it is good to feel that by yourself while doing these exercises and then try to correct that during the next beats...). Seems that these days of our workshop are really fruitful.
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Nora Torres-Nagel congratulations Nora, you made a huge improvement there! Sorry for getting back so late to you, but you have built up a solid awareness of the tension and relaxation of your hand! Keep it up, and keep it slow below the point where your hand starts to tense up!
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Martin thanks Martin. Indeed my tremolo is better ! these exercises have helped me qite a lot and together with other exercises I continue doing them. I want to send a video of Recuerdos soon to my practice diary. Gracias Martin for your dedication!
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peter hancock good job Peter. I think you could even go much slower. As Martin commented to all of us. We tend to go too fast.
one of my eye opening discoveries from his (Martin’s) videos was that his fingers are always working together: as in: when i attacks the string the other fingers move inwards with it. And they bounce back together as well.one other observation: your fingers are curved but mostly the two upper joints It could help you if you could move the finger from its base joint.
keep going
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joosje Thanks really appreciate your analysis. I have been working on the fingers for a long time.
I am beginning to think that if I grew some flinger nails that would because I for long time(52 years) was not allowed tom have long nails being a surgeon because they would tear my surgical gloves. Do you think that would help?
Peter
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peter hancock hello, I can not see the full relaxation yet, I see that the finger stays in too long after the stroke. As for me, this is a new skill, hard to internalise, maybe you could go slower to get used to the new skill. The rhythm is good and your sound is strong and with no nails, congratulations. Thank you for posting! Good job!
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Emma Emma Thanks--- Been working on it. I believe I do not understand the relaxation part.
You have giving me a better understanding. I think you mean that I hold my finger tucked in my palm too long. I should be actively be moving it out toward the string. Is that correct?
Peter
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peter hancock very good Peter! This is a difficult story. Your hand looks a little in tension....may be playing slower could help to feel yourself more relax. Try also with a bit longer nails, not too long just 2 mm for instance...We will get it !
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peter hancock yes, as I understand it, relaxation is actively bringing back or bouncing back the finger once it has hit the string to the initial position , instead of leaving it tucked it in the palm.. this bouncing back can be followed by the other fingers in an involuntary way, and it is ok. Check the video that Martin send to Brett, he explains this thing there. The initial position is the relaxed position, that is why this bouncing back is called relaxation. But it is an active movement, I was confused with this too.
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Nora Torres-Nagel Thanks so much .yes I am letting grow.
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Emma Thanks so much I am practicing what you said. I watch my self play using zoom.
MS Torres-Nagel says I should let them grow. I will trey to that.
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Martin Hi Martin. I don't really understand what you are saying I should do.
- Am I playing the first 8 measures of Recuerdos at 70bpm (sixteenth notes)? If so, that's a big step up from what I'm doing now.
- Am I supposed to do it at that speed, relaxing after each finger stroke? That seems impossible.
- Am I supposed to do all finger combinations at that speed? I can do pami at that speed (without relaxing after each stroke), but none of the other combinations can I do at even 1/4th of that speed.
Sorry for all the questions!
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Eric Phillips It sounds even Eric! and your ami stay on the 2.string, you are not touching the 1. E for instance. Do you note an improvement ? I can not see your relaxation but...at that speed...I was doing it at 75 and also don't see the relaxation although I was confortable , my fingers were OK. Have you played "Recuerdos" or other tremolo in the second string before? just to compare. I must say ..I feel myself more consistent with my tremolo...and it sounds louder....
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Nora Torres-Nagel Thank you, Nora. At this speed, I am not even trying to relax in between each stroke. Is that even possible? Maybe all the very slow practice with relaxation after every stroke made my fingers more relaxed, even at this speed. I'm not sure. I don't notice any different feeling in my fingers. I've never played any tremolo piece, first or second string.
End of the Year Challenge: Finish Strong!
