Wrist movement

a

one way to think about it is, how little do i have to do to get the sound? i think a lot of graceful motion comes from dissolving the "myself" parts that create tension.

BluesBop Harry

a,
I just watched again the youtube video of you playing Valse a Rosenthal...Nice playing!
I think I see what you mean...
I believe you've developed a variation of the traditional technique.
I might be totally wrong and sometimes videos can be misleading.
Here's what I noticed:
Your form kinda looks like Jimmy's, with the extended fingers, but the movement is not at all the same... you're definitely not originating all the motion from the wrist, it is not as loose, more of your arm comes into play.
Your phrasing and sound are really good and you seem to be relaxed but it looks to me really different to the way most gypsies play...sounds fine and seems to work for you though...just not the traditional wrist based approach to picking in this style.
Here's a video of Mozes playing J'attendrai...it takes a little while to start the song but it's worth it.
I'm posting it because you can really see his wrist it's totally relaxed and his arm doesn't move at all, it's pretty much all from the wrist...at least as far as I can tell

a

yes, i was trying to go for a jimmy hand in those videos. but the reason it looks more stiff is because i wasn't too familiar with it at the time, and wasn't as relaxed as jimmy. also i was holding the pick closer to the edge of my thumb, instead of more towards the middle (near the joint). mozes has got the loose thing...his wrist is totally loose and all the movement comes from his arm.

BluesBop Harry

OK a,
I don't agree with you...
I maintain it's the from wrist and you the arm ...
I guess we're just describing the same thing in two different ways.

I guess it's time to let it go and go back to discussing other stuff.
Best,
Enrique.

dennis

i'd say it comes from the wrist as well but of course that doesn't necessarily mean the arm has to be hundred percent locked.... the exact mechanics isn't what is important, the important thing is that you feel as relaxed as possible everywhere.

if the arm has to move a bit so that the wrist can have greater flexibility then i suppose the arm has a role as well..

nym

HI!

I´m still a little bit confused. If I curl my wrist properly and concentrate on initiating the movement from wrist as Michael said, my wrist doesn't move and movement consists of moving elbow. If I want to keep my wrist totally relaxed I have to initate the movement from elbow - bit like strumming but with smaller motion. With former approach I get much more volume. Which one is right?

regards,

Nym

a

try to keep your wrist loose no matter what. for everything...really fast stuff and regular tempo.

it helps to visualize:

the wrist is like a dead fish, a hinge. think about the whipping motion or a lasso.

try practicing la pompe...playing single notes is the same motion. look at footage of 10 year old jimmy rosenberg or mozes, or django.

Bones

Hi a,

I'm trying to visualize this motion. I'm thinking that the description that Michael mentioned of shaking out a lit match (with the wrist slightly bent) has a motion that is actually a twisting or rotation of the forearm, not a "hinging" movement of the wrist. Additionally, it is not a hinging movement of the elbow.

It's kind of hard to describe this in words I guess.

Does that seem like an accurate description?

Thanks

a

maybe hinge is the wrong image because it implies motion in only two directions..

it's kind of like the loosened head of a camera tripod...

a

also, i've heard that the some dutch gypsies say that when you look down at your right hand, you should be able to see the backs of your fingers.. as if you were showing off rings.