A Complete Right-Hand Technique
Thoughts & Experiences
To fingerstyle guitarists of all persuasions,
but classical players in particular: A revolution in right-hand
guitar technique is underway, and you can either be left behind
on the ash pile of the past or be at the forefront of this development
and enhance your capability by at least 20%.
The movement of which I speak is the use of the right-hand little
finger (c), the leading force of which is retired University
of Texas professor Charles "Chuck" Postlewate, who
has spent more than two decades developing c, a process
that to date has resulted in a right-hand technique book, three
collections of repertoire pieces, and a number of articles.
My own interest and involvement in using c dates back
to 1981, when I first met Lenny Breau and came to ghost write
his Guitar Player Magazine instructional columns, which
ran from 1981 until his death in 1984. During our first official
column development and information gathering session, Lenny demonstrated
how he used the little finger for chords and a tremolo-like exercise
he had devised. I immediately saw the value of using c,
and began using it in my own playing, albeit initially only for
five-note chords.
After learning that Chuck Postlewate used c, in 1984 I
asked him to write an article for Guitar Player detailing
its use in classical playing. Chuck credits our initial conversation
as being instrumental in encouraging him to continue and expand
his work regarding the right-hand little finger.
In 2005, Chuck asked me to contribute to Mel Bay's Contemporary
Anthology Of Solo Guitar Music For Five Fingers for which
he served as both editor and contributing composer. This collection,
released in late 2009, features works by a number of well-known
composers and is ground breaking in that it is the first anthology
of music requiring a complete right-hand technique.
Since composing the six pieces I contributed to Contemporary
Anthology, c has played an increased role in my own
technique and compositions. In March of 2010, I conducted my
first clinic on the use of c (at the South Bay Guitar
Society's 6th Annual Guitar Festival), which focused on "Ferguson's
Concentrated Right-Hand Workout" and "Chords And Arpeggios
For Balance And Articulation," comprising a total of 18
powerful exercises designed to give players a firm foundation
upon which to base further technical development as well as enable
them to utilize c almost immediately.
Along with Chuck and other players who realize the power of the
right-hand little finger, I believe its use to be the single
most important technical development in recent classical guitar
history, one that will in all likelihood permanently change how
the instrument is played and taught.
Frequently Asked Questions:
Why should I use c, when most music
is written for four-finger technique?
Because you are distributing the workload,
thereby increasing your efficiency. Using only four fingers is
akin to fielding a basketball team with only four players. Take
that short but strong and fast player off the bench and put him/her
into the game! Once endowed with this awareness, you will begin
to realize the absurdity of having c hang there unused,
even when you witness the playing of an otherwise fine guitarist.
Once you develop a modicum of facility with c, you will
begin to see ways to use it. In addition, more and more music
is being written for five-finger technique. Historically, it
has been composers who have placed new demands on performers
and thus raised the technical level of a given instrument.
The music of Villa-Lobos has many five-note
chords. Did he play with five-finger technique?
Heitor Villa-Lobos used and composed for five fingers, which,
in my opinion, makes him both a musical and technical visionary.
If you already play pieces by Villa-Lobos, using five-finger
technique will lead you to rethink how his music should be played,
and also question the propriety of certain passages in existing
recorded performances.
Doesn't c's shortness and weakness
restrict its use?
For a partial answer, see the first
reply. To see for yourself, curve your fingers in playing position
and observe that c is equal or near-equal in length to
the other fingers. If you use a straight-wrist position, as do
most contemporary players, you will need to modify your hand
position very little if at all to accommodate c. And c
is not weak, but in fact one of the strongest fingers. To verify
this, grip your left index finger with the fingers of your right
hand, and squeeze as hard as practical while relaxing c.
Now squeeze again, but include c. The difference is remarkable.
Most important, c is one of the most independent fingers.
One simple confirmation of this is to place your hand palm down
on a flat surface, and raise each finger one at a time as high
as possible.
Should I keep my c nail longer than
normal?
In most cases, this is not necessary.
When I was using c to play only chords, I kept the nail
quite long, but have since shortened it in proportion to my other
nails. An overly long nail will prevent you from allowing the
nail/fingertip junction to seat properly against the string.
My little finger is a bit crooked. Is that
a problem?
Having taught guitar for over three
decades, I have observed that c is the most irregular
of the five fingers. In many cases, the nail-proximate joint
leans a bit toward the ring finger (a). This is not a
problem and may even be an advantage, because it lessens the
span between i and c.
Because of the distance between i
and c, won't c be closer to the bridge and create
a brighter sound in relation to the other fingers?
This can be overcome through both
awareness and slight repositioning of the hand along the string
length.
Can you summarize the advantages of using
c?
The most important advantage is that it is much more independent
than a, which makes it a superior choice in many situations--from
arpeggios to right-hand harmonics. In addition to providing more
fingering options, it also reduces the distance the right-hand
is required to move across the strings. Moreover, it eliminates
the need to arpeggiate five-note chords, excessive repetitions
of the right-hand thumb, and fanciful fingerings that avoid its
use (as in the 89th of Guiliani's 120 Right-Hand Studies and
as is often recommended in treating the middle section of Villa-Lobos'
Prelude No. 2).
Do you give lessons in its use?
Yes. It is a fundamental part of my
teaching. I can be contacted through the link on the homepage
of this website.
Do you use fingerstyle technique on the
CDs to your jazz instruction books?
It varies. I use a pick for some examples and fingers for others.
I officially discarded the pick in about 1994, and have used
it since only for demonstration purposes.
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