Michel Giroux Hello Michel,

Thank you for your videos!

You are absolutely right all the first second third and actually also exercises 4-7 meant to help you to prepare you for the legato execution and for the time flexibility for rubato playing.

Exercise 1

It was really nice gradual.

I think it could help you to make it even more secure if you imagine the way of the execution and the graduality before the playing. If you have a very clear imagination of it then you can execute much easier and much more perfectly.

Thank you

Michel Giroux exercise 2

It was very nice I find your bass legato very good. It was almost every perfectly only in some cases you touched the string with your thumb a tiny bit earlier. But actually it was not so audible, so I would say that you did a really great job. 

Just pay attention that your  left-hand fingers never come earlier then it's necessary. Sometimes because of the preparation of the next finger you touch a little bit earlier the string which increase the stopping of the resonance. 

Great job thank you

Michel Giroux exercise 3

It was also very nice thank you!

Alternated stroke is always a beast because we have even more factors which we have to focus on . I believe that the guitar is one of the most difficult instrument. It depends on so many tiny little details that we have to manage at the same time and to be able to focus still on the music is really challenging us. So that is why I try to find metaphor for each movement of each hands and patterns, because if we can compare it with something or with some idea , kinesthetic feeling, or experience of our life it will become easier. And I can tell you, playing the guitar easily it's always just about the right movement. If you find the proper movement then everything will become completely easy and natural it will work by itself.

Your exercise 3 was nice and you handled this delicate issue really good. It happened only a few times that you put your left hand fingers a bit earlier and then as I said it increases a kind of non legato.

My metaphor for legato playing is like you would play the piano with your both hands at the same time. Only the direction of the left hand is different.

Great job thank you

GALAIS Olivier Hi Galais,

Thank you for the videos.

Exercise 1

I found your video really very good. Your acc. and rit. was beautiful gradually. I liked the way how you did it, you did more repetitions to build it up nicely and you were really listening yourself which is very important. 

Thank you excellent job

GALAIS Olivier exercise 2

Really beautiful. It was so nice that you also formulated it musically. Your legato seems very good . The synchronic is nicely there, only a couple of times you touched the string just a tiny bit earlier with your p finger. Pay attention that you are always coming from the air.

Perfect thank you

GALAIS Olivier exercise 3

Your alternated stroke legato is also very good. Try not to put the next finger of the fret notes earlier then it's necessary because that increases sometimes a kind of non-legato. 

Also musically formulated, so I was glad.

Thank you

GALAIS Olivier exercise 5

It was really so beautiful musically. Great job! You chose to play some different musical ideas which I find nice too, that would be the final goal that you can find your own version. So I'm glad that you were brave enough to add some of your own ideas.

Excellent job thank you

GALAIS Olivier exercise 7

Also really very nice. The melody on the top was audible super clear, you could highlight it enough which guides are ear very good.

We could argue about couple of musical solutions, but this is the bottom line that we express something with the music and the rest is taste matter, subjective.

So thank you for it and great job again

GALAIS Olivier about your sound quality.

Yes I can see and hear your problem what you meant. Indeed when you start to play forte it becomes a bit too harsh and kind of metallico. As I see the problem is with the right arm position. When you start to play forte you are sleeping down a bit closer to the bridge. That increase this kind of tongue quality. You become perpendicular with your a finger maybe also with m to the strings and not diagonal. Try to stay always diagonal if you wish for a softer and nicer ton quality. You should also pay attention that you are not sleeping with your right arm when you want to give power. I assume that when you have to play forte you are tensing your right arm a bit too much, and also you used to kind of conducting with it which can increase also this kind of contacting to the strings. Please try to use a mirror and come more close to the sound hole and closer to the threat board actually.

The other problem what you mentioned lack of precision can come also from this tension of the forte. I cannot see exactly the angle of your plucking when you play louder but I assume that probably your fingers starting to move also a bit too big with forte and with tempo. Try to stay always a bit closer to the strings also when you are playing forte and try to prepare always all the fingers really close to the string which they have to pluck.

Also the angle of your wrist doesn't look too relaxed and comfortable, but it's always different for each hand so I wouldn't say that it's a problem. You should know it better how you hear with it.

And please look at yourself because when you are playing more piano then you used to come intentionally higher closer to the guitar hole. So actually naturally you do the good thing. That would be necessary also for forte.

Please let me know if these instructions don't help you, but I hope that they will and you can get a better solution for it.

(Tone quality is also depending on the shape of the nail, but since you have very nice tone during the piano I would say that's not the problem here.)

Good luck!