El Frances, Very good exercises. Took me a bit to get use to seeing the left hand fingers labeled as one would the right. The little finger exercise is similar with the same result in mind of exercising the little finger more than the others and teaching fingers do work independent of the others. It would be nice if you could do a demo sound clip. I think it is important for one to hear even exercises.

MINIMIZING MOVEMENT! I cannot believe I overlooked this most important aspect of guitar playing, especially important in flamenco. Bad habits picking up fingers unnecessarily on single notes played using chords may come from reading tab or music when one doesn't have a teacher to demonstrate. This is where video has been a great thing. The lure of fast picato and visions of fingers flashing with lightening speed as being the ultimate in flamenco, do much detriment to one learning proper flamenco technique. Faster and more accurate playing comes from minimizing movement. I have been working on a Diego del Gastor siguiriyas falseta that Diego had learned the basics of from Pepe Naranjo. The left hand hardly does more than hold simple chords. Most left hand movement is done with the 4th finger. The right hand thumb gets a work out. My point is if someone was watching a video of the left hand without sound, it would look like the player was doing nothing and would probably be laughed at. Turn on the audio and everything changes. Since I had to learn this one by listening, I had to be my own teacher and figure out how to minimize movement. To figure it out my fingers were jumping around finding the notes then I noticed chord formations and started never moving a finger until it was necessary. I was amazed what little left hand movement was required to play this complex sounding falseta.

In reference to my above post here is a thumb exercise. It teaches the thumb a circular motion and remember to use rest stroke. Hold simple chords with the left hand. Play with all thumb.

-------------------------------------0---------------------------------------
-----------------------------0----0----0-----0------------------------------
---------------------1----1---1-----------1----1----1----------------------
------------2-----2---2----------------------------2---2-----2-------------
----2----2----2--------------------------------------------2----2-----2-----
--0---0--------------------------------------------------------------0---0----

Notice an E chord can be held for the entire exercise. Use a barre F. Go up the scale with barres. Use an Am and start descent on 5th string. Use minor barres. Use Dm and start on 4th string. Repeat parts to make it fun. Play even or put your own phrasing to it. Use a metronome or throw it out the window. Doesn't matter. The idea is to get your thumb moving using a circular motion resulting it good rest strokes and controlled accurate playing. An accurate controlled thumb is crucial in flamenco, especially old school and gypsy style. Relax and have fun!

Hey there!
I'll try to make a recording of the exercises and possibly a video, if it's of any help
Just a little patience...

Sore Finger Treatment

Beginning guitar players invariably develop sore left-hand fingertips from holding down strings and sometimes sore right-hand thumb and/or fingers from picking strings with both flesh and fingernails. Those problems tend to diminish over time as the skin develops protective calluses, but even then dry calluses sometimes crack and become painful, fragile capillaries within the skin can be damaged and hurt, small blood vessels beneath the skin can rupture and hurt, and repeated irritation of nerve-endings within the skin can cause pain. Those conditions generally self-resolve without treatment if someone doesn't play guitar for a while, but often don't improve or become worse otherwise. I don't know of an instant "fix" for those conditions, but I have found a way to significantly shorten the body's self-healing time.

Damaged tissue repair is critically dependent upon blood flow, both to supply nutrients needed to repair or replace damaged cells and to flush-out damaged cells and other waste products. Magnesium is an electrolyte that dilates blood vessels and increases blood flow. It also reduces inflammation, relieves pain, is critical to the proper use of calcium in cells, and has other beneficial effects. It can be absorbed through the digestive tract, but many foods, medications, and medical conditions interfere with digestive tract absorption. Fortunately it also is absorbed through the skin and that delivery method provides a way to apply it directly into sore finger tissue where it is needed.

Epsom Salt is an inexpensive mineral compound that is available in most pharmacies worldwide without prescription. Its major components are magnesium and sulfate (sulfates flush toxins, improve the absorption of nutrients, and have other benefits). The magnesium and sulfate in Epson Salt are both readily absorbed into skin. To reduce sore-finger healing time, dissolve a heaping tablespoon of Epsom Salt in a small bowl of warm water and put your sore fingers in the water while you listen to your favorite flamenco recordings for about twenty minutes. Repeat that two or three times a day for a couple days and you will be surprised how quickly your fingers return to normal.

-Bob

Music Booklet Clips

A few of the popular flamenco tutorial booklets have nice spiral bindings, so pages lay flat when they are opened on a music stand. Unfortunately, most instead have the so-called "Perfect Bindings" used with mass-marketed paperback books. Those booklets won't stay fully open unless they are clamped open in some way. Most shops that sell music stands sell clips for that purpose, but none that I have seen work very well. Some aren't large enough. Others don't have strong enough springs.

I found a very inexpensive solution to that problem in the "Kitchen Gadgets & Tools" department at Wal-Mart. The clip below is sold as a plastic-freezer-bag clip, but a couple of them are perfectly suited to holding music booklets open on a music stand.



They cost me 79 cents each.

-Bob

Hola Amigos
I am not sure if this will help anyone but I will try.
The truth is that when I started as a boy I never practiced in any kind of organised way. I just played the guitar as much as I could possibly. So I guess in a way I am saying that one thing that helps is if we are in a position to be able to play a lot.
However I know that many have said that over practice can make things worse. So I remember that in fact I played very simple things over and over again.
I had no teacher but I loved the sound obsessively so I would play three chords of Soleá with rajeo endlessly.
The same with all palos. I think it took me maybe three years or more before I even started to think about falsetas.
Another thing that I notice now and for some time is that although sometimes I do want to be alone most of the time I prefer that María José is with me. She marks the compás with palmas or she makes pitos to mark some points of the compás more softly. Also sometimes that she is just there is enough.
So flamenco in company of others seems good.
So I guess I am saying in conclusion, play a lot but play what you can and enjoy and if some falsetas come with time that’s great but so is three chords in good company.
Saludos


Tomás

TomasJimenez wrote:Hola Amigos
I am not sure if this will help anyone but I will try.
The truth is that when I started as a boy I never practiced in any kind of organised way. I just played the guitar as much as I could possibly. So I guess in a way I am saying that one thing that helps is if we are in a position to be able to play a lot.

I strongly agree. I started a discussion tread about that a long time ago, but became busy and didn't finish what I initially intended to write until today. See: http://www.oldschoolflamenco.com/flamenco-f6/optimum-guitar-practice-session-length-t219.html

-Bob

Great tips. Having practiced for several hours in a stretch I developed a sharp pain on my left side, by the arm pit on the side of the breast (I'm male). Has anything like this occurred to anyone?

I haven't had that happen, but I think many different things could cause it. Did the pain go away when you stopped playing?

Lucas

I have discovered the secret to rapid guitar-playing improvement. Despite what you may have thought, it is only necessary to follow one very simple rule. That rule is to practice at least an hour on every day that has an English name that ends in the letter 'y'. Follow that one simple rule and you will be surprised how rapidly your playing will improve.

-Bob