Speed technique and fingers

Lazy808

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Hello! I was wondering if anyone had advice for playing single lines with speed? I am a former bass player and want to play jazz fusion, flamenco and country lines. The thumb onlystyle doent work for me. I want to play clean arpeggios and fusion lines. I am working on a technique combined with flamenco and bass technique though. Any videos or suggestions ?
 
You might check out Richard Durrant on YouTube. He's a fantastic fingerstyle player on guitar and ukulele. Jonathan Lewis is another who plays this style. And you might also enjoy watching Wilfried Welti.
I hope this helps, I don't know where else to direct you.
 
I can't do this, but I can tell you how. :)

From everything I've heard and read, here's the procedure. Play the beginning of a song slowly. If (when) you mess up, go back to the beginning. Keep practicing one section at a time until you can play it perfectly. Then move on to the next section. As you learn to play perfectly, you'll eventually speed up. That probably won't work for everyone, but that's the universal advice I always see.
 
Hello! I was wondering if anyone had advice for playing single lines with speed? I am a former bass player and want to play jazz fusion, flamenco and country lines. The thumb onlystyle doent work for me. I want to play clean arpeggios and fusion lines. I am working on a technique combined with flamenco and bass technique though. Any videos or suggestions ?

In flamenco guitar, picado is the act of playing melodic passages using mainly the index and middle fingers in an alternating fashion. In classical guitar terminology picado is known as "rest stroke" where the finger, after striking the string to make the sound, rests on the next upper string. Two key values attached to picado are tone and speed. To generate a full tone that projects well, the finger has to first push on the string toward the soundboard and then release it to make the note. The ideal spot for a good picado tone is the left corner of the right hand fingertip where the nail meets the flesh.
As for speed, primarily it is important to be economical in terms of finger movement. Picado has to be played with as little motion as possible. A good way to practise picado for speed is to play each note staccato, muting the string with the next finger right after the first one strikes.
It is quite difficult to achieve speed by practising scales while incrementally raising the tempo on the metronome. No matter how long and persistently you practise your scales with the metronome, slowly going faster and faster, you will plateau at some point on the speed scale. Speed is not a natural outcome of hours you put into your practice. If that were the case, all the classical players who do 5-6 hours of practice per day would be playing scales at lightning speed. But we all know that's not the case. The player has to aim for speed via a different mind set and practice routine. The operative term here is "speed burst." Try to play multiple notes one after the other like a "twitch" regarding them as one beat.

Here is a short video I did that demonstrates a piece that utilises the technique of picado on a ukulele. Please note the absolute economy of motion and a totally relaxed right hand!

Hope this helps a little!

Mike
 
In flamenco guitar, picado is the act of playing melodic passages using mainly the index and middle fingers in an alternating fashion. In classical guitar terminology picado is known as "rest stroke" where the finger, after striking the string to make the sound, rests on the next upper string. Two key values attached to picado are tone and speed. To generate a full tone that projects well, the finger has to first push on the string toward the soundboard and then release it to make the note. The ideal spot for a good picado tone is the left corner of the right hand fingertip where the nail meets the flesh.
As for speed, primarily it is important to be economical in terms of finger movement. Picado has to be played with as little motion as possible. A good way to practise picado for speed is to play each note staccato, muting the string with the next finger right after the first one strikes.
It is quite difficult to achieve speed by practising scales while incrementally raising the tempo on the metronome. No matter how long and persistently you practise your scales with the metronome, slowly going faster and faster, you will plateau at some point on the speed scale. Speed is not a natural outcome of hours you put into your practice. If that were the case, all the classical players who do 5-6 hours of practice per day would be playing scales at lightning speed. But we all know that's not the case. The player has to aim for speed via a different mind set and practice routine. The operative term here is "speed burst." Try to play multiple notes one after the other like a "twitch" regarding them as one beat.

Here is a short video I did that demonstrates a piece that utilises the technique of picado on a ukulele. Please note the absolute economy of motion and a totally relaxed right hand!

Hope this helps a little!

Mike

Impressive video. If you click on the gear icon, bottom right, you can slow down the video and see what his fingers are doing.
 
There will probably be several speed plateaus to bust through. When you practice faster passages, try mixing up the rhythm a bit. For example, if it’s a run of eigth notes, play then straight, then play swing em (first note longer, second note shorter), then swing em but pretend it’s offset by an eigth. (First note short, second note longer).

Full disclosure, I haven’t had great success with this on the uke, but it’s worked for me a heap of woodwinds, so I can’t see why it wouldn’t work well here, too.

Good luck! And... um ... race ya. :)
 
In flamenco guitar, picado is the act of playing melodic passages using mainly the index and middle fingers in an alternating fashion. In classical guitar terminology picado is known as "rest stroke" where the finger, after striking the string to make the sound, rests on the next upper string. Two key values attached to picado are tone and speed. To generate a full tone that projects well, the finger has to first push on the string toward the soundboard and then release it to make the note. The ideal spot for a good picado tone is the left corner of the right hand fingertip where the nail meets the flesh.
As for speed, primarily it is important to be economical in terms of finger movement. Picado has to be played with as little motion as possible. A good way to practise picado for speed is to play each note staccato, muting the string with the next finger right after the first one strikes.
It is quite difficult to achieve speed by practising scales while incrementally raising the tempo on the metronome. No matter how long and persistently you practise your scales with the metronome, slowly going faster and faster, you will plateau at some point on the speed scale. Speed is not a natural outcome of hours you put into your practice. If that were the case, all the classical players who do 5-6 hours of practice per day would be playing scales at lightning speed. But we all know that's not the case. The player has to aim for speed via a different mind set and practice routine. The operative term here is "speed burst." Try to play multiple notes one after the other like a "twitch" regarding them as one beat.

Here is a short video I did that demonstrates a piece that utilises the technique of picado on a ukulele. Please note the absolute economy of motion and a totally relaxed right hand!

Hope this helps a little!

Mike

Very nice. Notice how relaxed he is while playing. I agree that practicing scales and Hanon like exercises endlessly is not the answer to speed. I practice scales but only a few minutes maybe 2-3 days a week.
Try to remember that speed is only one piece of the puzzle. Focus on being musical and not mechanical.
The late saxophonist Paul Desmond was known for playing in a slow relaxed manner. For those not familiar with him, he was the saxophonist in Dave Brubeck's Quartet. He composed the jazz standard Take Five. Paul was asked from time to time in interviews about his approach. Paul came up during the Charlie Parker era. Most every saxophonist tried to mimic Charlie's rapid fire style. Paul felt that the jazz world didn't need another Charlie Parker impersonator. He focused on something different and his sound and style are instantly recognizable to jazz fans. There was only one Charlie Parker. In his own way Paul was just as unique.
 
Thanks for the advice! Mike i am a fam of your videos! Actually I got some great info on technique from them. I am wondering about positioning of the right hand. I was positioning it like a bass player or classical player draped over the strings at a 90 degree angle. I have been experimenting with the palm resting on the bridge and thump parallel to the strings and the fingers at a bit of an angle. I am trying to get an al dimeola marimba sound. And also trying a thumb pick for fast lines.
 
I like those videos eveyone recommended but I am looking for more jazz or fusion style . Anyone have a recommendations?
 
I like those videos eveyone recommended but I am looking for more jazz or fusion style . Anyone have a recommendations?

What makes jazz sound like jazz is not the speed but the way you play. If you aren't familiar with playing jazz then you will have to start slow. If you are familiar then you will just have to practice. There isn't really much out there to teach anyone how to play fast jazz lines/solos on the uke that I have seen. One bit of advice I picked up from a Joe Pass video is that when using your fingers and not a pick (so pretty much all the time on a uke) make use of the left hand more, more pull offs and hammer ons to get extra notes. I mostly use the index and middle finger of the right hand when playing solos, adding the ring finger for playing triads and using the thumb very rarely, mostly for effect. For me it's the way I can play the fastest and cleanest and keep the notes sounding the same. I also use the middle finger for any tremolo work but that's just me, I think you are best off just trying things until you find something that will work, there is no magic technique on the uke that will help you get more speed in your playing though following the advice above will certainly help, especially about the economy of movement.

John
 
What makes jazz sound like jazz is not the speed but the way you play. If you aren't familiar with playing jazz then you will have to start slow. If you are familiar then you will just have to practice. There isn't really much out there to teach anyone how to play fast jazz lines/solos on the uke that I have seen. One bit of advice I picked up from a Joe Pass video is that when using your fingers and not a pick (so pretty much all the time on a uke) make use of the left hand more, more pull offs and hammer ons to get extra notes. I mostly use the index and middle finger of the right hand when playing solos, adding the ring finger for playing triads and using the thumb very rarely, mostly for effect. For me it's the way I can play the fastest and cleanest and keep the notes sounding the same. I also use the middle finger for any tremolo work but that's just me, I think you are best off just trying things until you find something that will work, there is no magic technique on the uke that will help you get more speed in your playing though following the advice above will certainly help, especially about the economy of movement.

John

Well ....sure I understand that speed does not equate to a particular style or genre. I am more referring toward a technique or right hand style that helps to make clean large intervalic jumps across strings and clean technique. I would like to incorporate fast arpeggios and string jumping into my playing .
 
Since i am new to ukulele , I was wondering if there were different styles of picking or techniques that make playing in general easier for specific playing styles. In guitar, there is cross picking or rest strokes. Or different hand positions for different styles of playing music.
 
Since i am new to ukulele , I was wondering if there were different styles of picking or techniques that make playing in general easier for specific playing styles. In guitar, there is cross picking or rest strokes. Or different hand positions for different styles of playing music.

There really isn't anything like that for the uke. It is a young instrument so lacks the hundreds of years of history of the guitar as well as the codifying of technique thru the classical genre. I gave you an example of how I play jazz solos, it may or may not work for you. I'm not so interested in speed anymore, there are thousands of younger players out there who will always be able to play faster. You just have to experiment, how to hold your right hand so that you can play fast without loosing control of the uke and in such a way that allows you to easily throw in strums or, in the case of flamenco, rasgueado. Part of getting a clean sound is the left hand too but I'm assuming that as a bass player you have a good handle on moving from string to string cleanly (it's something I still struggle with because I taught my self how to play fast but with no worries about clean, sloppy play just added to the effects). I wish I could offer more. The freedom of the uke is a blessing and a curse. On the plus side there is no one to tell you how wrong you are playing things (using a free stroke when it should have been a rest stroke etc.) but there are also no codified techniques to draw upon as guidance, no nail shape that has been perfected over time, no perfect hand position etc.

John
 
Hi, Lazy808!

Hello! I was wondering if anyone had advice for playing single lines with speed? I am a former bass player and want to play jazz fusion, flamenco and country lines. The thumb onlystyle doent work for me. I want to play clean arpeggios and fusion lines. I am working on a technique combined with flamenco and bass technique though. Any videos or suggestions ?

Alternate thumb picking might help your play.

 
Holy crap! I'll never, ever, come close.

In flamenco guitar, picado is the act of playing melodic passages using mainly the index and middle fingers in an alternating fashion. In classical guitar terminology picado is known as "rest stroke" where the finger, after striking the string to make the sound, rests on the next upper string. Two key values attached to picado are tone and speed. To generate a full tone that projects well, the finger has to first push on the string toward the soundboard and then release it to make the note. The ideal spot for a good picado tone is the left corner of the right hand fingertip where the nail meets the flesh.
As for speed, primarily it is important to be economical in terms of finger movement. Picado has to be played with as little motion as possible. A good way to practise picado for speed is to play each note staccato, muting the string with the next finger right after the first one strikes.
It is quite difficult to achieve speed by practising scales while incrementally raising the tempo on the metronome. No matter how long and persistently you practise your scales with the metronome, slowly going faster and faster, you will plateau at some point on the speed scale. Speed is not a natural outcome of hours you put into your practice. If that were the case, all the classical players who do 5-6 hours of practice per day would be playing scales at lightning speed. But we all know that's not the case. The player has to aim for speed via a different mind set and practice routine. The operative term here is "speed burst." Try to play multiple notes one after the other like a "twitch" regarding them as one beat.

Here is a short video I did that demonstrates a piece that utilises the technique of picado on a ukulele. Please note the absolute economy of motion and a totally relaxed right hand!

Hope this helps a little!

Mike
 
Thanks for the advice! Mike i am a fam of your videos! Actually I got some great info on technique from them. I am wondering about positioning of the right hand. I was positioning it like a bass player or classical player draped over the strings at a 90 degree angle. I have been experimenting with the palm resting on the bridge and thump parallel to the strings and the fingers at a bit of an angle. I am trying to get an al dimeola marimba sound. And also trying a thumb pick for fast lines.
Have you tried just a flat pick with your spare fingers playing the arpeggio. Flat picks are the top when you need speed. Thumb picks are also a good option. Check out "Wingnutz" over in the video section. He gets a great jazzy feel with his playing!
 
If you are not a 'pick' player, and want to build speed using finger-style, then studying some of the classical guitar techniques is probably the best long term plan..

There are some excellent books available that have very in-depth detail on how to gradually build speed.. one of the best is Scott Tennent's 'pumping nylon' If you follow the exercises as part of a practice regime, you will gradually improve.

Note the techniques in this book covers the purely classical technique, where the thumb of the right hand (plucking hand) is in front of the knuckle. This can be directly applied to the uke. There are of course other techniques in use by ukulele players eg Kimo Hussey who fingers lead and the thumb drops behind them....

Flamenco players use a range of techniques to get more percussive actions.. (I'm no expert on flamenco - ask Mike about that)

Overall though the fastest playing is achieved because the hand is relaxed and the movement is as small as possible, fingers moving from the knuckle joint where the fingers connect to the palm.

A good example is here (bit of a famous video) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v7vDdy2ELFw suggest you watch to the end..:)

watch the relaxed right hand and how little movement there is

cheers
Brian
 
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