I looked at a few other lessons on tremolo before I came to yours. I had already subscribed about half way through before you brought it up. My next 2 guitar purchases will be a requinto and then a Taylor nylon string. I'm currently practicing on a 1/2 size that I restrung with a requinto set.
Thanks for the great program. I have been playing classical tremolo for several months but still not good (slow) even I played almost every day (and right hand got tired). People told me i need a few years to learn this skill. Hopefully this video can help me a bit. Thanks.
@@coolinva Planting is when you take the finger that is next to strike the string and just place it in the right position to strike the string. This will dampen the string. Hold it for just a moment and then follow through and sound the note. The idea behind this is to practice getting the correct placement. This will make your tremelo sound clean and musical.
YES!!!!!!!! Don’t worry you can always keep playing rock guitar! What’s great about nylon string guitar is you can play all kinds of music from all over the world including rock music, but you can “be the band”… learning these techniques will only make you a better guitarist overall
@@TheVersatileGuitarist Thanx for your comments! For the moment I'm collecting (classical) pieces that I like, and that aren't too difficult, to do fingerstyle. That's how I did run into you. I'm Dutch by the way. For the moment I only have electric guitars and that's where I play them on. That might not be ideal but IMO it can be done. But that might not be the case with that flamenco stuff. I've once arranged (and also stole a bid) a chord and melody version of Stairway to heaven, but your piece is the real deal! I may take something from it.
I would love to see the reaction of Jimmy Page with that tremelo intro of 'Stairway to Heaven'. He would be like click off the video, walk away-nothing to see here. 😅
Scot, I wish you would mention that tremolo is an advanced technique that should be preceded by a systematic approach to RH development, especially arpeggiation of many different patterns first to create RH finger independence. And sitting in the classical position with guitar neck at a 45 degree angle is certainly a better foundation for both hands. Even your LH looks uncomfortable in some of the positions you are demonstrating. I'm sorry if this comes across as snarky--you can probably tell I am a classical guitarist--can't help myself!
Fantastic video. I was thinking about trying this out. I wonder if this would work with my pinky and holding a pick. I already taught myself that in a country piece I wrote. It's kinda hard. I admit I haven't practiced finger style in a long time. If you take it slow and are persistent it will work out.
@TheVersatileGuitarist Pianists use both pinkies to play the piano. I use my pinky pretty much the same on my fretting hand as the other fingers on my left hand. Like Johnny Winters, I bend whole and half step bends with my pinky. Although I wasn't playing flamenco guitar, I was nevertheless using it equally a long time when I was keeping on top of my finger picking game. The fact that I play a huge number of Jazz chords and lines only goes to prove that if the left fretting hand pinky is that strong, then I don't see why the right pinky could not be as strong. The physical makeup of the human body could allow you to do that if you were determined enough to. Only in your mind do you think it's not strong enough. I play finger style without a pick also, but I don't use my pinky then. I have never tried to learn flamenco guitar, probably because nobody showed me how. I really appreciate this video. Thanks
There’s got to be a reason why virtually no one plays with the right hand pinky… Only one I’ve ever heard of is a guitarist by the last name of Entwistle
@TheVersatileGuitarist I'm not sure what genre of music he plays, but I was playing that country instrumental I wrote for a couple of years. I think that Carl Verheyen and Jimmy Brown probably do. I don't know. The reason I did was because I hold the pick about one sixteenth of an inch from the tip at maximum opposing angle. But more importantly, I was able to cut half notes down to a quarter with a quarter rest with my thumb on the alternating bass lines. This made it sound more like two guitarists. I got so wrapped up in just picking the guitar that I had lost sight of the importance of that particular chapter of my hobby. Actually, my guitar that I had been stuck with only had twenty-one frets, and I became very agitated. Part of the higher string rhythm required the high D note on the twenty-second fret.
Check out my last video (blue bossa improvisation loop) where I run through all the essential scale shapes. You can also get some scale guidance in part 2 of my How to Play Moorea by the gipsy kings lesson. I’ve filmed a video about flamenco chords that will be released soon!
Tremolo technique. 3 or4 note.4 note better and more solid. All type easy to play. The secret is strong thumb right hand, the rest of the fingers will follow naturally.
Nails help with volume and gripping the strings, but you can play with no nails or very short nails. In fact, very *long* nails are a hindrance to playing tremolo
The old “swinging two bats on the on deck circle” method! Also playing tremolo backwards p-I-m-a can have the same effect. I would say this is better than doing rest strokes because rest strokes can take your hand slightly out of position (for most people).
Hello, Sir! I have just start to learn classic guitar, its my second month. Is it mistake if I also practise tremolo during beginner lessons? ( my level it's - I've learned Spanish romance around 80%, and also 2-3 songs)
Hi! Tremolo is a more advanced technique but fundamentally it is only arpeggio technique applied to a single string. It would be better to work on arpeggios first, but you can practice tremolo in addition to arpeggios as long as you don’t neglect practicing arpeggios! I recommend doing the “classical tremolo“ rather than the flamenco, or other tremolo patterns for now.
the segovia tremolo does not really sound that good in recuerdos... even the most elite players fail to create what I love about the flow of this piece using that tecnique. I have lost my mind on that piece for more than 10 years, so I listened to every possible way to perform it tasting all the ups and downs
Tremolo in not difficult at all. it took me less than a year during the first year of playing guitar. There is no pmi tremolo in flamenco since late 1890s, only arpegio. Ramon Montoya and few predecessors substituted it with 5ts. There are more advanced tecnics of tremolo in flamenco. I can play not only flamenco in 5, but also in 6, and an infinite one (e.g. Oracion de Manolo Sanlucar), which is the most difficult, but essentially it is just picado in 2. The main key if you only start playing tremolo: start with pami + play slowly and evenly + however try playing p-a as nearly one sound. thats all falks) beleive me youll start playing fast in 2 weeks and 5ts after a month. good luck
Segovia avoids the 'washing up' clanging which...sorry...even you have. The a nail is not moving fast enough and clangs on the already vibrating string. John Williams practised the crap out of this, most really good players cannot hear it or move up to the bridge. Which gives a very unmusical sound to what is a sentimental melody. Paco de Lucia spent his childhood on this. If practised slowly in tempo but quickly in strike, it will improve finger speed on all playing.
A lot of what you describe is also about warming up/loosen up the right hand for 30minutes before performance level tremolo can be played to that degree of accuracy . These are just lessons.
Scott - this is truly a superb primer on tremolo. Thank you a sharp and crisp presentation. Btw - a while back ago I found this video of a very peculiar (but intuitively sensible) technique for practicing tremolo: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-8HYK3Qp_o-U.html. Who’d ever thought…?
Fantastic and very educational except for the reference to Segovia. Segovia's greatness for me has been totally destroyed after I learned that he was a prominent supporter of Franco and the Fascists in the Spanish Civil War. When I found this out, I was very disppointed to say the least. This is totally inexcusable for me, regardless of how great Segovia was in guitar history.
Stairway to Heaven wasn’t written that way. Why are you butchering a classic song. Misirlou was written that way so it sounds super cool that way but not stairway to Heaven. This style is found in Spanish style music not Rock ‘n’ roll. I’ve been playing guitar since 1974. Tremolo with sound good and some parts of Hotel California because it has that Spanish style to it but not stairway to Heaven. I have my own instrumental version of this song and play the way it was recorded. if a song is meant to be played that way it sounds better if it’s played that Way don’t take this personal it’s just my opinion but I don’t like it I think you’re going overboard with tremolo. Have a great day👎😖🎸
Hahahahahahhahahahahaha are you serious??? This video is about the tremolo technique. What’s the point in playing something exactly the way it was recorded? Just listen to the album then. I’m going overboard with tremolo in my video about the tremolo technique, OK…
Oh and I guess you don’t know that Miserlou is a cover of an old Greek song that Dick Dale played with tremolo (unlike the original)… Looks like Dick Dale is overdoing it!