Hello Slim, it's for me the first time that someone give me the secret of the sound that Markos Vamvakaris produced. I know that I have to pay more atttention to the right way to hold the pick. I'm learning to play trichordo, a Tzouras, for 3 years now, each day I play about 20 minutes. That's not much, but I take my time. Thanks a lot ! Tsourapoulos Filippos.
You also roll up the thumb...that way the pick is not squeezed but free to lilt for speed. And the pick is cut sharp at the end to a needle point...not rounded.
I think it does matter how you hold the pick. If the grip is not correct you can get problems like the pick sliding to odd angles or the tip of the index finger catching on the strings. Tip of plectrum (aimed at strings) and tip of index finger (curled inwards to hand) hopefully at a near 90 degree angle to each other. I get what you're saying about the Vamvakaris 3 note technique but you have to explain that this is for playing taximia, otherwise people will be baffled. I think of this 3 note sequence as down, down up with a stress on the second down, not starting on the up as you do. The way one visualises note groupings, in my experience, can make a hell of a difference to success. Kales penies!
+john short Yes of course, how one holds the pick is important, and I think your words describe it exactly right. Hiotis has one of the fastest right hands I've ever seen, and he holds it exactly as you describe. As for your other comment, that's kind of splitting hairs--I mean, it would look and sound the same in either case, but perhaps you could be right about your way of describing it being more intuitive for some students.
D A D tuning. The trichordo is preferred if you like older Greek music. The tetrachordo is more common in modern Greek music. I prefer the trichordo (3 courses)
