Keyes and other methods for right hand
Posted: Thu Jan 28, 2021 12:28 am
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.
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.