everyone is better than me

Jangle_Jamie · April 2

I would love to have some professional guidance/instruction sometime. I'm looking forward to Django In The Bay next month - hoping there might be a workshop I can attend. Failing that, I'll just join in with some jams.

The sun's out here in Scotland :) Spring is here. Thanks for the discussions!!! I need to sit down and actually learn some stuff like I did years ago.

wim · April 2

projection originates primarily from your shoulder

I'm in no position to argue with Antoine Boyer, but this claim makes no sense to me. The best players (including Antoine) seem to just relax the shoulder-to-elbow part of the arm on the lower bout of the guitar. That upper joint only really moves when moving the right hand position is being altered, e.g. changing the timbre or temporarily switching for a tremolo effect.

pdg · April 2

It may be as simple as feeling the weight of the upper arm, rather than subtly holding tension in it.

Why not ask Antoine directly? He responds to emails.

voutoreenie · April 2

https://www.djangobooks.com/forum/discussion/comment/120673#Comment_120673

@Buco - THIS EXACTLY ^

I probably should have explained far better...but the way I interpreted what Antoine meant is that having a free arm that isn't anchored at the elbow allows the power from the base (i.e. shoulder) to move all the way down your arm.

Also, this may have been specific to me because at that point, I was very much locking my arm right above the elbow to the guitar and what that lead to was far more inconsistency in attack than if I were to separate my arm a bit more from the guitar body. I feel like it's almost easier for me to show than describe, would be happy to jump on a video call with you if you'd like; just PM me.

Again, I have to stress to that my wingspan factored into this and what's been more of a challenge for me to overcome probably isn't for most other players.

voutoreenie · April 2

Sorry for double posting but also wanted to mention that although Antoine speaks fantastic English, there were certainly times where both of us were doing our best to clarify what we were trying to say/convey to each other. And as @pdg says, he's very responsive and super cool to communicate with - just email the address on his website if you have questions, he responds directly.

Buco · 5:39AM

https://www.djangobooks.com/forum/discussion/comment/120671#Comment_120671

you're not convincing me. I dare you to post something where you suck.

I feel like it's almost easier for me to show than describe, would be happy to jump on a video call with you if you'd like; just PM me.

Don't mind if I do...and thanks!

What I just did is made my right arm limp, hanging next to the guitar, then I brought it up to the playing position using only enough muscle to bring it there, then I kept it just like that and started picking. At first I thought there's something there. But then I tightened my upper arm and played like that and I definitely don't do that. So maybe I'm already doing what he's describing. But it could be that I could relax everything even more.

I've made a lot of progress playing relaxed. My own big aha moment was when I realized that if I want the right hand/wrist/arm to be relaxed, I need to relax everything on the left. Sort of what they teach in classical guitar technique, use the very minimum amount of pressure that you need in order to sound a note, everything else is wasted and creates tension. Once I started doing that, everything changed for the better. That's what I would suggest to just about everyone to go over and review. You may not play using a handshake grip in your left hand but you might use more pressure than absolutely necessary. And that is creating extra tension in your right hand.

Lastly, maybe it's two different things, picking and projection, but in my view the picking comes from wrist flexion and then the wrist will pronate/supinate. Like a motion of the key locking and unlocking the door. You move the lower arm, elbow to wrist, to change the arm height when changing strings or if you want to play closer to the bridge or the neck. Projection comes from the weight of the relaxed hand when playing s rest stroke. Yes, in order to do that everything needs to be relaxed, starting at the shoulder so in that sense you can say projection comes from the shoulder. Maybe that's what Antoine has in mind, or something along those lines.

lucky · 9:56AM

https://www.djangobooks.com/forum/discussion/comment/120671#Comment_120671

So far Django in the Bay hasn't organised a workshop programme but sometimes one of the acts will run a workshop during the weekend, best keep an eye on their FB page for announcements. The jams are mainly friendly.