Keyes and other methods for right hand

[coniglius]

I started going through the Keyes scales yesterday after seeing all of the recommendations here (and them being freely available!). His method for teaching the C scale (and further scales on the fretboard) is great. Coming from a lifetime of guitar-playing (and more recently mandolin/mandola), this is the section I felt that I would probably just "skip over" since I can already more or less just play scales with some proficiency "out of the box" on the zither... but I was pleasantly surprised. The way he goes step by step delineating every finger position for every note ascending and descending is great. Within a half an hour or so I felt like I was able to play the scales much more fluid and naturally and "idiomatically" rather than just using my muscle memory from similar instruments... and that's where my praise for his method ends

After six pages or so of him walking us through every note and fingering on the fretboard with (literally) painful detail, we come to the bass and accompaniment strings section. Since these are the most alien to me, having no idea what the proper technique or positioning was, I was eager for more of his pedantics. I'm a bit frustrated and annoyed to have found that he offers essentially no instruction for playing them. He starts the section with "Have fun with the accompaniment and bass strings" followed by a bunch of notation as though that opening comment was meant to be sarcastic. I'm *slightly* exaggerating: he offers finger numbers below the notes. Maybe I'm missing something?

Is there any instruction for playing the bass and accompaniment that is as pedantic as how Keyes teaches the fretboard? With no live instruction, this would be of great help. I know the basic "initial position" for the right hand and that's about it. I have watched Dave’s video and there are still a lot of unanswered questions. Most importantly for me right now: Do you play with the pads of your fingers, or with your nails?(??) Keyes mentions to "keep your nails short" but doesn't say whether you should be using them to pluck the strings. The tonal quality I hear in most playing makes me believe it’s the nails, but then I’ll read a comment or hear a player that makes me unsure. I’m trying not to make any assumptions from guitar playing. It isn’t mentioned anywhere that I can find as to what the proper way to attack an accompaniment/bass string is: with the pads of your fingers or with the nail? And if with the nail, what is the correct portion of the nail to use and angle of the attack, etc?

I’ve been trying it both ways and can’t really get comfortable spending time practicing until I know I’m working towards a proper technique, so it’s mostly noodling around now. Additionally: What's the proper technique for damping a string after it's played so it doesn't keep ringing when you play another string and so that it doesn't "buzz" when you damp it (I only try to damp with the pads of my fingers, not the nail)?

Thanks in advance for any help.

[kenbloom]

You have hit upon the most challenging part of zither playing. I do not use my nails at all. They would quickly wear through the windings of some of the strings and that would get very expensive very quickly. Since I do need my nails for other instruments, I file them in such a way as to be clear of the zither strings on the side but still have enough for plucking on the guitar. It takes a while to build up calluses on the fingertips and hand position is important. Do not fall into the trap of having the heel of your hand bearing down on the bridge. If you keep your wrist elevated, your fingers will have a much better striking position on the strings. I use a rest stroke with the fingers. If I need to damp, I can do what steel guitar players call "blocking" using the little finger side of the hand to come down and damp the strings, or you can let the individual finger come back and damp a string by releasing the pressure of the afforementioned rest stroke. The fingers basically strike the strings at a 45 degree angle. That's why you need to keep your wrist up. That also keeps the weight of your hand higher and that helps give authority to the finger strikes. I hope this is helpful. It's a little conorted in the explanation. Please ask further questions and I'll do my best to help. Maybe some others can chime in.

Ken Bloom
http://www.boweddulcimer.org

[coniglius]

Thanks Ken. I've just started looking at the Keyes Modern Zither Method and found that, coupled with your advice, it's just what I needed for bass and accompaniment string tuition. So for me, I'm finding that the first few pages of the Scales and Arpeggios book dealing with scales on the fretboard was very good and once I got the hang of it after a few hours, have moved over completely to using the Modern Zither Method book.

[Andy]

Oh man, I would have killed for a Keyes style explanation of the right hand mechanics when I was starting. Getting a grip (tee-hee) of your right hand is gonna take some time and determination. I can tell you that when I play, I pull down and towards myself with the top corner of my finger tip. Evelyn posted a good perspective picture here: https://forum.zither.us/viewtopic.php?f ... t=10#p2096

- Andy

[Carmen]

Hi There!

I am working on an english Online Zither Course at the moment. I hope that It'll launch soon.
First of all, you never play with your fingernails. If you have a look at your handtop (seeing your nails), you play with your rightside of the fingertip. For damping you move back super quickly. But usually if you accompany 3/4 or 4/4 real quickly, you will automatically damp. You actually have to find out if you really need to damp, bc otherwise it will slow you down.

Maybe you want to have a look at my free FB page for some hints. There are coming more each week.
https://www.facebook.com/search/top?q=D ... g%20Zither

If you have any questions, please feel free to ask!

happy zithering,
Carmen