Week 1: Left-Hand Mastery with Arturo
Elevate Your Technique with Two Expert-Led Weeks
Week 1: Left-Hand Mastery with Arturo
Discover the keys to left-hand relaxation and efficiency. Arturo will guide you through:
- Understanding hand anatomy and mastering optimal movement.
- The foundational concept of position "zero."
- Tackling technical challenges in notorious "uncomfortable" passages with practical solutions.
- Daily exercises designed to enhance left-hand awareness and precision.
Week 2: Right-Hand Excellence with Ema
Transform your right-hand technique with Ema's expert guidance. You’ll focus on:
- Building finger independence and fluidity for effortless right-hand movement.
- Practicing Giuliani’s arpeggio studies to improve control and precision.
- Integrating essential preparation techniques into your practice for lasting progress.
This is your opportunity to refine your playing with focused, actionable insights from top-tier instructors!
Course Period: January 20th - January 31st - No Signup needed!
Take Your Playing to the Next Level with Personalized 90-Day Coaching
If you’re ready to truly elevate your skills, consider taking the next step with tonebase Coaching. Participants in our coaching program get the chance to work one-on-one with Arturo or Ema over a transformative 90-day period, diving deeper into their technique and artistry. Don’t miss this opportunity to accelerate your progress!
Assignments
Exercises:
1. Observe how does it feel to have a relaxed hand.
2. Apply this using the position zero principle while changing between two chords.
3. Choose any excerpt of a piece you are working right now (1 or 2 bars) and try to analyze where is the structural pattern and where would it be suitable to relax.
Let me know how it goes!
Exercise for "purposeful relaxation":
1. Read the above pictured segment of the first four chords of Quadrivial Quandary by Andrew York.
2. Practice it first in steps by (1) relaxing then (2) shifting to the next chord.
3. Apply a relaxation that drives your fingers into the next chord.
Let me know how it goes :)
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Hello Arturo. I've been using this technique since your last TWI. It's incredibly useful and I've already seen the benefits of less left hand tension - thank you
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Ron Thanks Arturo. When I participated in your last TWI I used the arpeggio section of Villa-Lobos prelude no. 4. What I've found challenging is going from very slow, relaxed practice, first playing as chords then as arpeggios, to a reasonable performance tempo. I would love to know what approach you suggest to achieving this
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Arturo Castro Nogueras Many thanks Arturo. I will try to record a short video either later today or tomorrow
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Arturo Castro Nogueras Hi Arturo - here's my video
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Ron thanks for sharing. That looks very good! I think if you add the arpeggios you already have it at a very nice tempo. Maybe practicing it with a metronome and trying to push up the tempo a bit, always trying to maintain certain relaxation, will give you the desired outcome.
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Hi Ron , I am so glad it has helped you. Do you have any difficult passages you are practicing that you would like that we work together?
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Arturo Castro Nogueras Thanks Arturo. When I participated in your last TWI I used the arpeggio section of Villa-Lobos prelude no. 4. What I've found challenging is going from very slow, relaxed practice, first playing as chords then as arpeggios, to a reasonable performance tempo. I would love to know what approach you suggest to achieving this
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Hi Arturo, thank you for your video, will give this a try. I have had an issue with the transition in the following piece if you would like to use it as an example thank you: It has left me with some left hand thumb stress.
Andantino
From Méthode complète pour Guitare, Op.59 by Matteo Carcassi
Bars 13 to 14
Cheers
PaulW
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Paul Thanks for your message. Let's work on it together. Can you post a picture of the Andantino in question, or tell me the key so I can find it? There are several of them.
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Arturo Castro Nogueras Hi Arturo, I've replied to the email with more details. A minor to A major. Cheers
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Paul I can't find it. would mind posting a photo of said section? Also, which email?
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Arturo Castro Nogueras
Gidday Arturo . Below is the full name and attached is a section of the piece including bars 13 and 14. Tricky fingering holding e on 4th string, 2nd finger and using 3rd and 4th fingers to then play d and B, 16th notes at tempo-
.Andantino in A Minor, Op.59 by Matteo Carcassi
Classical Era, Key Change from A minor to A major.Cheers
Paul
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Paul
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Arturo Castro Nogueras Thank you so much for this. Will have a good look when I come off nightshirts tomorrow. Holding the 2nd finger on e 4th is what I find makes the transition difficult but will relook at with your advice. Cheers
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Paul you're welcome. Remember this is about observing your hand without tension. Try to place that 2nd with the 4th, without pressing the strings. Just placing them in position.
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Paul Which edition of this piece are you using? It is different than the one that appears in the old (but undated) bilingual (French/German) edition of Carcassi's 'Methode Complete' published by Schott (available through IMSLP). (I believe the first edition would have been in French only, but I may be wrong about this.) In any event, in the Schott edition, the 'E' on the 4th string that is causing such difficulty here is actually an octave lower, i.e. it is played as the open 6th string. I suspect you are using a later edition, and that the note in question does not originate with Carcassi. Needless to say, the technical problem you raise here is an important one, as fingerings of this kind appear throughout the repertoire. (And it is very interesting to see Arturo Castro Nogueras 's approach to difficulties of this particular kind.) But if you want to perform the piece, you would (in my view, at least) be entirely justified in playing the E an octave lower.
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Arturo Castro Nogueras Hi Arturo, thanks again, have starting practicing it like this again, and yes it takes the stress out. Cheers
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David Krupka Hello David thank you very much for providing this detailed information. I have now tried playing it with the low E 6th string, and it eliminates the other transition problem completely.
I will still follow Arturo's valuable advice as I think it will be good for progressing my skills and applying to other situations too.
I'm new to TB and really appreciate the feedback and help from both of you. Cheers
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Hello Arturo. Here is a small excerpt from a piece I am working on that might work to illustrate what you are teaching. Note that I am playing a different fingering for the first chord.
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Eric Phillips
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Very interesting. I do find it beneficial because I am developing Duputren's Contracture on my left hand. which does bother me while I am playing, but when I take a break I notice the stiffness even more. I then have to do some stretching exercises to get it working again. for the
Thanks for addressing this. I will be more conscious of my hand relaxation.
P. Hancock
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peter hancock Thanks! I'm glad it's helping. Let me know if you have any specific segments or excerpts you would like some help with.
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Hi Arturo, This is a 2 measure excerpt from a transcription of Schumann's Winterzeit II op.68.39.
It is a chordal passage that can be pretty challenging for me. I think I understand the basis of what you are saying though I think I have difficulty fully relaxing before moving to the next chord.
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End of the Year Challenge: Finish Strong!
