Right hand
- Alternate with all combinations of right-hand fingers evenly and with economy of movement at a wide range of tempi, refining the technique of apoyando and tirando strokes and incorporating the apoyando stroke with judgement and subtlety
- Play with fully independent thumb movement and full control of a range of damping techniques
- Further develop the thumb apoyando
- Adapt right-hand shapes and positions to a range of special techniques
- Refine the balance of sound between thumb and fingers in a variety of arpeggio patterns at a wide range of tempi, controlling the dynamic level of the thumb and individual fingers to achieve the intended musical effect
- Sound five and six notes simultaneously and roll five- and six-note chords with rhythmic and dynamic expression
- Highlight individual notes within a chord
- Incorporate thumb strokes into rasgueado technique
- Play with a smooth and even tremolo technique
- Play with a consistent, refined sound across a full range of dynamics and tone colours
Ask learners to play scales apoyando and tirando over the full range of the instrument:
- fitting an increasing number of scale degrees into each beat, i.e. 4, 5, 6, and so on, while the beat remains constant
- with speed bursts that contain a larger proportion of shorter notes
Make sure all combinations of right-hand fingers are used and tone quality and projection are not compromised by speed.
Ask learners to play a range of tirando scales alternating with p and i, including two-octave scales that start with p and i and change to m and i for the upper octave.
This type of fingering can generate considerable power and speed without having to modify the basic hand position. It is particularly useful for passages that suddenly jump to a lower register.
Show learners how to play staccato scales, incorporating left-hand staccato, i.e. releasing the left-hand finger early on the note, immediately prior to a change of string.
Discuss with learners which note or notes in a melodic passage would benefit from being played apoyando.
Encourage learners to play apoyando scales and exercises with dynamic gradation so as to prevent the rest stroke becoming unduly synonymous with heaviness.
Explore the role of the first joint in controlling dynamics.
Ask learners to play the following arpeggio, slowly at first. After the thumb has played the first note staccato, it should touch (but not play) the sixth and fourth strings in turn during the course of the arpeggio without interrupting the flow of quavers.
Show learners how to damp open bass strings with the back of the thumb. This technique is used in situations where the rapidity of a passage makes it difficult to damp in the usual way.
Ask learners to play three consecutive apoyando notes with the thumb on the open sixth string (leaving the thumb resting against the fifth string after the last note). Follow by three notes on the open first string, played tirando with a, m and i. Repeat the exercise, sounding the bass and treble notes simultaneously.
This exercise can also be played as a chord, i.e. with ima playing the top three strings tirando at the same time as the thumb plays the bottom E apoyando.
Ask learners to play simple scales and single line melodies with artificial harmonics, striking the string with both a and p. When playing with a on the bass strings, adjust the angle of the wrist so that the nail does not scrape against the string winding
Learners should understand the physics of string vibration with regard to harmonics, e.g. node, antinode.
Teach learners to play thumb scales étouffé (or ‘pizzicato’). Ask them to listen carefully for any unevenness in muting caused by the little-finger side of the hand failing to stay in line with the bridge saddle.
This technique is usually played apoyando though it is worth practising it tirando as well.
Ask learners to revisit a range of right-hand arpeggio exercises (and explore new ones), bringing out internal voices, i.e. notes played by the index or middle fingers.
Choose a piece containing a mixture of textures, e.g. scales and arpeggios, and discuss with learners how to achieve continuity of voicing and tone colour when changing from one texture to another.
Ask learners to choose a simple five-note chord and to plant ima on the top three strings with p on string 5. Show them how to push the thumb through the fifth and fourth strings in a single, rapid movement, releasing ima at the same time.
Show learners how to roll a five-note chord (ppima) evenly so that the highest note is ‘on the beat’, i.e. with the others leading up to it in a slight crescendo. Repeat with the lowest note ‘on the beat’, i.e. with the others falling away from it in a slight decrescendo.
These two exercises can be used for playing and rolling six-note chords. When rolling five- and six-note chords, make sure the notes played by the fingers are released at the same rate as those played by the thumb, regardless of the overall speed of the arpeggiation.
Ask learners to choose a simple four-note chord and plant pima on the top four strings. Show them how to bring out the upper and lower notes by applying extra weight to p and a respectively, prior to sounding the chord.
This technique becomes more important as the demands of polyphony increase and should eventually be extended to include the index and middle fingers.
Show learners how to strum a six-note chord with the back of the thumbnail in an upward direction on the first beat of a three-beat figure. Then make a downstroke with the thumb on the third beat. Finally, add a downward strum with the back of i or m on the second beat. Gradually turn all three actions into a fast triplet.
A four-beat version of this pattern can be made by adding an extra downstroke played by m or a, thus:
p (up), a (down), i (down), p (down). This can be gradually turned into a fast semiquaver figure. Experiment with different groupings as an extension activity.
Ask learners to extend their tremolo technique by playing triplet patterns with all possible finger combinations, i.e. pmi, pim, pam, pma, pai, pia. Also experiment with flamenco-style quintuplet patterns, e.g. piami, and quadruplet patterns in which the fingers play continuously, e.g. imam, mami, the thumb playing at the same time as the first note of the group.
These, and the more conventional tremolo fingerings, can also be played with dotted rhythms and incorporating speed bursts.
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