Group 3
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 3:
TY Legato Group 3
JegHarDetGuitar
Amy G
Bill Stephens
Stephen Holland
Alex Polonski
Claudio
Eric Phillips
Emma
Oscar Leonardo Molina Sierra
Takato Umeda
Lawrence
Scott Sundsvold
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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TY asked be to share his recording of the Zoom Call with all of you!
By the way, how is everybody doing?
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TY Legato Group 3
New Assignment by TY!
Hi Everybody! This is TY! Since most of you are DONE with the easy exercises I asked for last week, let’s do this for this week: Please choose a short section of your current repertoire that you feel is challenging to achieve legato, practice and record the music, upload the video to the discussion section! Please allow everyone and me to share some of our thoughts and feedback! Wishing you all enjoy the fun of improvement and practice!
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martin I'm getting close. I'm told I can use me phone to record and then send it wirelessly to YouTube.
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Bill Stephens Yes! You can upload it as an unlisted video and share the link here!
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Bill Stephens Let me know if you need any help with that!
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martin Many thanks. I'll report back.
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When is the Zoom check-in?
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Scott Hi Scott! The Check-In is at July 24th! I corrected the date!
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Hi friends! Looking forward to meet and talk with all of you these following two weeks!
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Legato Exercise July 18
I really love those exercises you gave us TY! Here is a video of me playing each one after some practice with them. Let me know what issues you see that I might need to focus on.
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Eric Phillips Hello Eric, thank you for starting early with your first video. I appreciate seeing and hearing your presentation. I feel you effectively addressed the exercises as they were asked for by Ty.
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Eric Phillips Hi Dear Eric, Love your attention into details and the high quality! Try to bounce back the I M A fingers right after the release.
Spider is good now, next, level up to work on the dynamic shapes within each line. For example, feel the decrescendo from 4 to 1 on each line, or feel the relationship of connections between the notes on the same string. (no need for the 2nd way you performed Eric)
Left hand shifting, after the initial pluck, left hand fingertip can release some pressure, just enough to hold the note, not buzz, but relax so much more power off the muscles.
Carcassi, very great legato and clean. Next level is to be lyrical. Try to control the relationship between every two notes, that they are related, (not like two people standing waiting for crossing the street but don't know each other. ) Just an example! It is so enjoyable and comfortable to hear great practicing like you do! Thank you Eric!
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Will update soon! Zoom Check-In: Sunday, July 24th 3pm EST / 12 noon PST
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Legato Exercise July 20
Thank you so much for watching my last video and giving me advice. I did not understand what you wanted me to do with dynamics in the spider exercise. Also, my playing of the Carcassi was horrible today, so I apologize.
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Eric Phillips I can see the change and progress! About accidentally touch the lower strings: when we play trebles with I M A fingers, move wrist more above / towards the strings, let the 3rd joint of fingers be above the strings we are playing, so that the fingers won't move into the lower strings at the after-swing at all. I will record a video for that!
Will do a video of the dynamic of spider as well!
Ohh when our finger tips are relaxed, other fingers' movements can be freer! We can tell visually! I love this attempt in the recordings! The left hand fingertips seems to relaxed after the initial pluck!
The Carcassi sounds very very nice! Lyrical sometimes does not have to be crescendo or decrescendo, it is a sense of connection between left and right (between pitches and notes). I will make a video of this for you too! So good to see you work on these and thank you for the video Dear Eric!
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Eric Phillips On lyrical playing of spider: https://youtu.be/ubhIWeSdf9w
On lyrical playing of Carcassi: https://youtu.be/B2Re04YNxXs
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Stephen Holland
Group 3
First Posting
Carcassi Etude ! OP. 60
First, thank you to instructor TY Zhang for creating this opportunity to improve my Legato. This has long been area of concern for me. Generally, I am told that it needs to improve, but I am not provided with tactics for doing so. Here I have been presented quality instruction that is simple to comprehend. I can see how to apply concepts, especially the “hooking” of the tonal changes between notes.
The suggestions TY provided in the 7-20-2022 youtube video has already helped me. With these concepts practiced after only 24 hours, I have already applied them to a score Kasi Mambo (Thierry Tiesserand) that I am studying and heard improvement.
First exercise, Pushing of strings inward, not plucking: I have worked with this concept in the past. It is great to be reminded of this. I am not all that aware as to how to apply it consistently. Is this a technique that is always to be used? It will take time.
Second exercise, Moving up and down fretboard: This was a good exercise for me to pursue. I need to work with my left hand with consistency to extract desired tone.
Third exercise, Spider: I find this exercise challenging. It is providing me flexibility to better pursue my tone. I can comprehend that this awareness is happenng. I practiced varying the strength of strokes from note to note.
Carcassi, first ten measures:
I would like to say that I quite capably applied the exercises into a wonderful rendition of the first 10 measures. However, I can see and hear that this was not so. Rather than record again and again, I decided to take what I have learned and move forward, giving myself other opportunities later to practice before recording again.
In the meantime, I am also working with other scores, as noted previously. I desire to apply these concepts and see where I am improving within these other pieces.
Again, many thanks to all …
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Stephen Holland Hi Dear Stephen! Try to play thumb on 6th 5th and 4th strings, each string repeat four times. rest strokes. And for treble strings, I finger for 3rd, m finger for 2nd, and a finger for 1st strings. Four times each slowly as well! Don't strengthen the fingers completely before playing, always relaxed and slightly curved before and after you play the strings!
The spider is quite stretchy for our left hand, try to see if you could maintain fingers on their position (notes) longer, as long as possible until the next finger come replace it.
Shifting, maintain strings at its position, don't pull or push them up or down by the left hand. Left hand thumb, point to middle finger, not too much on the left~!
The etude is pretty good on legato! Try to listen to the volume and quality of each note, try to make them as even and equal as possible the next step!~
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Hello Eric, I appreciate your honest approach in terms of moving forward. I feel I can appreciate your comment that you were trying to maybe make too many changes at once as you played the Etude. I am reminded of a time with very good friends gave me too many tips at one time for my golf game. In order to keep my friends, I had to step away from them and focus on one idea at a time. I kept my friends. I did give up golf. Now, of course you won't give up guitar. You have a good understanding of your skills as you reflect. It is good to ask questions. You also do a good job of seeking further explanations.
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July 22 Legato Exercises
Thank you for the great feedback, TY! I look forward to seeing your video about how you would like me to add dynamics to the spider exercise.
Here is another video I'd love you to watch. I especially want to hear your thoughts about how I am playing the Carcassi. If you think I should not play it this way, please let me know.
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Eric Phillips Working so well! I love the A finger action especially!
Regarding I finger, I suggest bring I finger's contact point slightly forward, meaning towards the left, then the finger would have more room to pluck inside the palm, I am not sure, maybe the I finger is feeling not having much room to pluck and follow through with the current hand position?
Your m and an are so balanced!
And I can hear the pitches in the Carcassi are all connected and more lyrical!
I suggest you try some arpeggio exercises for balance the I finger with the m and a!
Thanks for appreciating the fingerings!!
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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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Thank you, TY, for the thoughtful notes regarding my first entry.
Here i am posting just the Etude. However, I have practiced the three exercises and applied your commentary.
For the Etude, in my practice I worked with playing all notes equally in volume. I did practice the dynamics, but they do not show all that well in this presentation as I was focused on treating note the same.
I can hear that I need to keep my rhythm consistent. I believe that I have practiced the Etude so many times not, that I am hurrying in parts. I need to stop and count, as well as pull out a metronome. So many things to think about when practicing ...
I do feel that my shift is stronger now, and I thank you for focusing me on making a shift as seamless as possible.
Here is the link:
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Stephen Holland Hi Stephen! So much more legato! Try to have a consistent speed with a metronome!
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Close up of right hand https://youtu.be/JbKQh-TF3uQ
End of the Year Challenge: Finish Strong!
