can't play when fingers contact top

capilano-gypsy

so i've tried both ways, with my hand completely free (raphael fays style) of the top and my fingers brushing lightly on the top.

I just can't seem to play with my fingers contacting the top. the main problem is that when playing, my fingers are sort of hooked to the high strings (which is supposed to be by watching fapy videos) but this causes a very unnatural tension in the fingers and i can't relax this way.

i feel like i could progress much faster if i could play this way. or should i just forget it and play it raphael style?

djangology

you should definitely forget it and play Raphael Fays style. it wont take as long as you think... just put some effort into changing and you will be happy that you did.

capilano-gypsy

thanks for the reply!

i'll stick to raphael style, then.

wish me luck.

djangology

i spent many moons practicing my arpeggios with floating hand technique and it eventually worked out really well...

MichaelHorowitz

If brushing your fingers on the top is causing tension, then you definitely should try the completely free Fays right hand. However, it might be worth putting some time into figuring out why your hand is getting tense. It shouldn't be a problem. But there might be something unique about your psychology that is causing a problem. We're all a little different!

Good luck!

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capilano-gypsy

well, i have given it a little more trying and i think i've come to a conclusion.

so i'm trying to imitate fapy's right hand i saw on the clip of "on the path of django", where he plays nuages. his fingers never seem to leave the top of the guitar.

this is where my problem lies: when i play, i HAVE to have my hand leave the top in order to get a good amount of gravity to fall through. if my hand stays on the top, i can't get the right "fall" from the right hand. maybe my hands just aren't big enough to get enough height while leaving my hand on the top.

btw, the first joints of my fingers are getting quite beat up. i look like a bum... er... gypsy! thanks for the advice. learning this style is a lot of fun.

MichaelHorowitz

capilano-gypsy wrote:

this is where my problem lies: when i play, i HAVE to have my hand leave the top in order to get a good amount of gravity to fall through. if my hand stays on the top, i can't get the right "fall" from the right hand. maybe my hands just aren't big enough to get enough height while leaving my hand on the top.

That makes sense...If your fingers can't stretch enough to get the required clearance then just keep them off the top.

capilano-gypsy wrote:

btw, the first joints of my fingers are getting quite beat up. i look like a bum... er... gypsy! thanks for the advice. learning this style is a lot of fun.

That means you're doing it correctly!


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djangology

btw, the first joints of my fingers are getting quite beat up. i look like a bum... er... gypsy! thanks for the advice. learning this style is a lot of fun.

yeah, when I play my fingers are so close that my fingers barely rub the strings and my first fingernail will sometimes hit... on good days I can play without brushing the strings... on bad days my fingers will get rubbed a bit because I am coming to close to the strings...