Group 1
Increase Legato Playing in Both Hands in Two Weeks with TY!
Every instrument has its limitations and weaknesses. Playing legato is one of the hardest things to master on the guitar. Every note is so fragile: if your right hand accidentally touches the string or your left hand leaves the string in-between notes, the note will be stopped. Let’s explore and discuss the techniques and experiences on the details of how to maintain the notes with your left hand clean shifting, shifting motion, fingertip motion, exercises, and right hand training processes of free strokes for perfect legato playing.
Fellow Participants in Group 1:
TY Legato Group 1
PETER
KHIEM NGUYEN
VALDIR FERREIRA
DAVE MCLELLAN
NORA TORRES-NAGEL
BILL YOUNG
DON
BARNEY
STEVE PRICE
EDWIN CANO
RODRIGO ESPARZA JR
RAMA
CHARLES COTTRELL
Assignments:
Share a video where you demonstrate the three exercises as presented by TY. As a bonus, add measures 1-10 by Carcassi op.60 no.1
- Release the String, don't pluck it!
- Spider Exercise!
- Left Hand Shifting / Change Fret Exercises
- Carcassi Op.60 No.1 Measure 1-10
Watch TY's Lesson on Carcassi op.60 no.1 here!
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 where you had big issues with legato!
- Share two videos per week and help your course partners through feedback on their submissions!
Zoom Check-In: Sunday, July 24th 3pm EST / 12 noon PST
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Hi TY, thanks for the lessons. This is my first time I am posting my videos on-line, hopefully my upload works. comments and recommendations from everyone will be highly appreciated. The left hand pinky reach sometimes short, than it should, working on it. Here are the videos
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Rama
Rama:
Hi! Try to play free strokes on I M A fingers, I love your tone very much!
Spider, fingers staying longer before leaving their spots, we want to hold them until the next finger plays the same string, So the note never break from each other.
Perfect shifting exercise!
Great tone and the consistency of sound! Rhythm is great! Some small places need to be muted, the over ringing notes when we shifting to another string within the same voice.
I really enjoyed your playing!
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TY Zhang Thanks. I will. Muting adjacent string while playing is a challenge that needs working.
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Here is the link for the Zoom Check-In with TY on Sunday, July 24th 3pm EST / 12 noon PST!
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TY Zhang Sorry for the late submission guys(life stuff getting in the way) and hope the poor camera angle still allows you to see enough and TY can hopefully provide some expert advice. I see and hear some problems, but let me know your thoughts.
When I've played the Carcassi Etude No. 1 Op.60, it was mostly using Rest Strokes for the scales, so this a big change for me, but certainly a valuable exercise for free stroke and legato.
I'm also very interested to know if TY uses this free stroke position and motion in his standard playing technique when using free strokes to achieve good tone.
TY - Also, when you play Tremolo (AMI) , has does your free stroke position and motion differ, if any, from your demonstration here for free strokes. I'm wondering how this may affect the tone quality in Tremolo.
Thanks for your help, TY!!
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Barney
Barney,
I love your movement, form, and sound.
For your question, I use more rest strokes for basses on the thumb, and more free strokes for trebles on I M A fingers.
We could talk about tremolo too in the zoom meeting!
Spider, I hear the 3rd finger 1st string note is stoped when you land the 4th finger on 2nd string. Maybe the 4th finger needs to standing up to give clearance to the 1st string. Sometimes fingers could stay longer before they leave. Mostly ring finger or little finger.
Shifting, try to place little finger (4) on the fret firmly while move the other 1 2 3 fingers, we want a firm finger on the fretboard always, as a pivot point.
I loved how you worked on the mute and keeping the line clean! In general I would encourage the little finger be more stand up, left hand! Thanks Barney!
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TY Zhang Thank you very much for your detailed response. It is much appreciated!
With the poor camera angle, were you able to tell if my Free Stroke was being done as you described? - that is pushing into the soundboard from finger directly above the string played from the knuckle joint, and releasing toward palm; (this would be a small motion with the wrist higher and finger directly above string being played. The release springs back naturally by itself to default position) . Am I doing it correctly?
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Barney I like the movement and hand position, nice tone quality, I think maybe the nails could be more smoother with sandpaper work. The A finger sounds not too smooth maybe! Thank you!
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wow, lots of videos this time! I did not have time to cut video, but I have been working these left hand exercises. I hope to make the check in today, but will probably be late.
Some observations and practice variations:
1. contraction shifts: these are quite challenging and good for me. the squish of 2 and 3 in both directions is really important, most of all to make sure to loosen 2 and 3 during the squish (I don't like the word squeeze - it's all about tension). this is like the 4th chromatic scale in Evangelos Boudounis Book 9, except the contraction is only a whole step between 1 and 4 in both directions, not a 1/2 step. TY's contraction shift it harder and very good exercise.
2. Spider: oh, so much fun! I worked with 3 variations as well:
-- go opposite direction, ascending: 1-4-2-1-3-2-4-3
-- start from string 6, and expand from there.
-- start from middle strings 3+4 and go outward towards 1+6
-- positions IV, VII, X, XIII, and combine the above variations
3. Carcassi: there's SO MUCH MUTING TO DO -- not only overlap of up and down scale notes, but if you really want it clean, have to mute strings 5 and 6 in particular a lot, and also 4. This is much more difficult piece than people claim. I have a bunch of alternate fingerings especially at the end to contribute to legato. hinge bars in several spots.
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Thank you again TY for your very helpful Zoom check in!! Is it possible for you to post the recording of it, so we can review your valuable advice?
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Barney Yes! Thank you! Martin just posted as a pinned comment in here!
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A touch set back from the squeak, I have become a bit over sensitive about it...
Always on the descending section and I goofed up the spider.
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This is a work in progress. Lauro's Andreina. I've been trying some different ways to play it to get more of a legato feel especially the one section I added the notation for.
Still a ways to go, but it's a fun process.
Any feedback is appreciated.-
Steve Price Masterful playing! No comments really, on legato it is perfect!! Next would be working on lyricism, how to make the 8th note lines flow better, making the notes sounds more connected! practice slow and listen to the connections of notes, connect the energy of each strikes on the string, make them lyrical! Thank you!
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TY Zhang Thanks for your feedback and for running this intensive. It's really appreciated.
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TY Zhang sorry was busy during the week. Hope I'm not too late for this. I got 2 parts of the repertoires that I have some challenges with legato. Hopefully get yours and everyone else's advice. Thank you everyone in advance!
Arabesques - The challenge with these couple of measures for me is that while I want to replicate the pedal effect by overringing, it can be difficult to decide when to mute. Also because it is a slow passage, too much muting can also disrupt the melody.
To Zanarkand - the main challenge i have is problably the fingerings which created some breakages in the melody.
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don Hi! Dear Don! So beautiful! On the Bar 39, every time when you shift, you could try to leave a bit later, and when we shift, instead of lifting away the fingertips, try to press harder on the fingertips and push the fretboard away, like kick them away, then jump to the next position. This is a way of thinking in shifting!
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don The 2nd video is such a beautiful piece. Legato is nice! Next I suggest working on the texture of the music, separation between layers of voices, keep the non-melody notes much much less and connect the sound of the melody. Bass still important and can be more stronger in general! Thank you!
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TY Zhang Thanks TY for the tips for the 2 pieces! Will try them out. I tried out the kick, it seems easier when you shift from higher frets to lower frets but less intuitive when you shift from lower frets to higher fret.
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don Those are very nice. You mentioned the challenges of playing legato slowly and I know what you mean. I'll try to keep something flowing but the slightest shift of a finger can kill a fretted note. Faster is easier in this case I think.
That Final Fantasy piece is really pretty. I remember when games had the worst graphics and music, but now that's where many of the best artists, writers, and composers work. Congrats.
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Steve Price Thanks, I do think faster is easier too!
Yes there is such a big talent pool of composers right now. I would love to see some of Joe Hisaishi, Hirozku Sato, Nobu Umetsu, Hiroyuki Sawano getting into more standard repertoire.
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Ty, I did not abandon you but was overly conscious of the Squeak that I started the left hand workout with Carlevaro. I needed to get that cleaned up some. Thanks for the patience.
End of the Year Challenge: Finish Strong!
