The two picado videos you posted are just the best.. So clearly explained and de mystifying .. Masterful playing as well .. Astounding ..So thank you so much.. Great book and enjoying the new trio cd.. So.., best to you and looking forward for more uploads ..
Super duper helpful. I’m gonna learn this technique on the bass guitar. Otherwise I’ve been a legato daug on the electric but have begun using a pick for alternative picking on the steel string acoustic. This technique is just great to add on with the bass. Thank you so much dear soul ✌🏽☺️💙💚❤️🖖🏽🌈☺️
one the best videos around this subject. thanks. could you please make a video about fast picado across strings? it would be very helpful for many players.
Hi Juanito, thanks for this helpful video, I'd like to ask you, if your picados would sound different in a negra guitar, like Rosewood, as played in a blanca.It seems to me that the blanca you're playing has more of a faster response. What do you think about it? Regards.
HI Juanito. My picado is pretty developed for the beginner-intermediate level. However, it seems I hit a plateau in my development, and I don't think it has to do with my right hand. I get a feeling my left hand is the culprit here and is not syncing with the right hand properly. Both of my hands are quite fast and accurate, however I can't seem to get that crisp and uniform sound when playing scales at a higher tempo. My question is specifically about *prepared playing* and *continuous contact*. We know that in picado one must play staccato in a 'walking' type fashion, in order to prepare the finger for the next stroke. I was wondering if the similar principles apply to the fretting hand, if there are any. So far what I have been doing for ascending passages: The notes in brackets are planted by the left hand simultaneously. So after I play the 7th fret on E string, I plant the pinky on the 8th string and at the same time, my index finger relocates from 5th fret on E string, to the 5th fret on the A string. After the 8th fret is plucked on the E string, the index finger is already planted on the next consecutive note, 5th fret on A string, making the string-switching transition sound smooth. D----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------(5)------------7--- A---------------------------------------------------------(5)--------------7----------------(8)----------------------------- E-------------5-------------7-------------(8)------------------------------------------------------------------------------- I have been doing similar with descending passages although it feels a little more tricky: D---------9-------------7--------------(5)------------------------------------------------------------------------------- A---------------------------------------------------(8)------------7-----------(5)---------------------------------------- E------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------(8)-----------7-----------5---- Is this a correct way to practice? Could you give me some advice or pinpoint me to some literature regarding this subject matter? Thanks ;)
Very impressive - I have a couple of questions if you have time to answer 1) do you use high tension strings? 2) is picado very different on a classical guitar? 3) I occasionally hit (and cause a sound from) one of the other strings especially near the base when i try to add speed to a scale run, is there a proper way of muting them?
Bret Jackson Hey Bret! Thanks for the feedback, and glad you find it helpful! Thanks for subscribing. Have not posted much lately, but am ramping up to do a series of new videos this fall! All best!
No probs I have always wanted to achieve picado. I only recently learned what it was actually called! I'm sure I will get it after practising. I'm also getting to grips with tremelo too but my third finger (next to my pinkie) is a bit weaker and likes to stick out a bit from my index and middle finger. I guess that's natural as people use their index and middle fingers alot more for things in general. If you have the time do you think you could let me know if it would be a good idea to strengthen this third finger? That would make sense to me? I can get tremelo on the second string for a while now but before long my third finger hits the top string! I'll get it in the end. Cheers 😀
Thank you so much for this great video. Please give me clarification about the following: Do you continue to consciously maintain a staccato approach when actually playing (fast picados) or is it used only to practice (at a slower speed)?
it sounds staccato only at slower tempos.. the point in doing it that way is to make your alternate finger rapidly get in the string to strike it.. of course in faster tempos it dissapears cause the notes are faster than an there is no time for the silence created.. also if you are playing a slow picado in a song you will not play it stacatto , you must respet the notes value
Saludos maestro desde Ajijic Jalisco Mexico. Y con excelentes recursos de tu persona y tu amigo ruso en su visita acá y su programa en la radio Oficial de Jalisco
Hola, Señor! Mil gracias por el lindo mensaje. Como pasa el tiempo, verdad!?! Si, muy lindos recuerdos de una visita muy especial. Ojalá se repita. Un gran saludo!
Hi Juanito, with which part of the body are you fixing your guitar in the right position? Especially when you play Picado in the lower E and A string? When i try to play Picado at the lower strings and i want to keep the same hand position like i have at the higher ones i have problems with the fixation of the guitar with my wrist, so i have to fix the guitar at the lower strings with my thumb of my left hand. But i can't imagine this is the right technique? Thank you ! Greets Nic
Hi Jared! Thanks for you comment and question. It is a little bit hard to answer, because I started playing guitar way before I started using these particular practice tools, and to some degree don't remember exactly.For your reference, at the time I made this video I'd already been playing Flamenco for about 25 years, and had been using the suggestions in this video for about 14 or 15 of those years. I'd say within 2 years of starting to use these tools, my speed was pretty well established. That said I was able to play fairly fast before this, but less stable/consistent and less comfortable. Not sure if you're curious to partly to extrapolate how long it might take you, but in case you are curious, I'd say there are tons of variables, such as how much one practices, and many others (like in my case I was not initially a very fast player, as some people are, which is one reason I"m a fan of these tools. They helped me a lot!), but I'd say working patiently and very consistently (4 to 6 days per week) with these tools 2-3 years is a reasonable estimate to at least be very well on the way to fluid, clear and fast picado. THa said everyone really is different. I've been playing for over 30 years now and I still use these same tools.
That makes sense and gives me hope. I've played guitar for 37 years. I've studied classical guitar through my teen years and college with instructors. I played about 2-5 hours a day, but got frustrated as I had a speed limit. My guitar teacher was fast and tried to help. Out of frustration, I switched to electric guitar with a pick & did the neo-classical Yngwie thing. But now I'm back to playing nylon string guitars and wanting to play fast again. So, this helps. I think that I'd work on picado w/ rest strokes for about 3-4 weeks and give up. So, if it takes me 2-3+ years to play picado fast I'm fine with that...Thank you for your detailed answer.
juanito i am a little confused : some tutorials tell when going up the chromatic scale to keep the fingers on the frets until the next 4 notes are played repeating this all the way up - and when going down to release them once the note is played - i notice you are releasing even as you go up the scale ...what is your take on this [ hopefully i am explaining myself clearly ]
it's just good practice for beginners to not get too sloppy, but not super important. edit: and he is exaggerating it to make it easier for the viewer to see what he's playing.
Hi Luis, I like this for the important reason of removing variables. I feel chromatic is the most basic form of using all 4 left hand fingers, and therefore is an opportunity focus on all the many aspects involved in relaxation, tone, coordination, etc. I always like simplifying things to get the essence of the technique or sequence, and then apply the quality developed in the more simple version to more and more elaborate variations. A simple way to summarize is I find it to be a simpler version, and if I can't achieve all the things I want in the simpler version, not likely they'll be there in the more elaborate variations. By the same token, if you get things feeling and sounding good in chromatic scales it is a great foundation to then bring that same level of quality to other scales and figures. Thanks for watching and hope that helps!
Thanks for the note. That’s great that you discovered that works for you! Certainly not that common, and indeed, I’m a 100% fan, of trusting what feels right. Thanks for the feedback, and all best!
Hey, i have a question. I can play at preety decent speed on one string, but when i play scales, i get stuck for whatever reason. Any advice would be appreaciated :)
Hi there. There are many ways to practice that topic. An effective way to start is with open strings, play 4 notes on each string. Going from 1st string then on each string all the way to the 6th string, then back to the first string. Do this for some days until it is comfortable. Then, do only 3 attacks per string, this will make it so each new string starts on a new finger. In other words, on high E if you start with index finger you;d do index (i) middle (m) index (i) then on the second string it would be middle, index, middle, then on third string back to index, middle, index, 4th string middle, index, middle and so on for the rest of the strings. This is a good way to get the right hand used to the feeling of smoothly switching strings. After that, you can start playing different scales.; chromatic scales, major, minor scales, etc. Hope this helps! Best, J
Thanks Juanito! I have a question...while alternating the index and middle fingers and going up the scale, lets say if the index lands on the second string is ok to repeat, or do you loose speed and the alternating should be kept all throughtout?? thanks!
