Hi
My question is on rasguedos, 3 finger rasgueado

Normally 3 finger rasguedo you rest the thumb on 6th string and
or you may not anchor the thumb and do 3 finger rasguedo

I also saw in others anchoring the thumb resting on 6th string and doing 3 finger rasguedos

what i saw in juan martins book confused me

he suggests to res the thumb on rosette of the guitar above the 6thstring

what is the gain?
is it to hit the 6 strings?

is this technique still in use?

Thanks for all

Hola Solendogan,

I am not sure if this will help but I hope so a little.

If you look at all flamenco guitarists everyone is a little different in the way they situate their hands (perhaps especially right hand).

When I teach my students I suggest that they try every possible variation to find out which works best for them.

Specifically resting thumb while playing. Yes many rest on 6th string but many guitars are worn at the sound hole just above the 6th string in such a way that may look more like a patch of constant thumb wearing rather than longer scratches typical of rasgueado.

So as I say to my students try everything and see what suits you best.
I hope that is some help.


Saludos

Tomas

You are correct that the reason Martin rest his thumb on the rosette is to play all 6 strings, otherwise he rest it on the 6th string. Tomas is correct ... you must experiment and see which works best for you.

I very seldom rest my thumb on anything for a rasqueado because it puts my hand in such a position I get cramps. I think with the 3 finger resting and hooking your thumb maybe important if you want the power provided by the extra leverage.

IMO main thing to concentrate on is playing the rasqueado in the correct timing for compas. You can always work on different technique and smoothing it up, but incorrect timing is hard to break.

Thanks Manos and Tomas

I appreciate your information

I have long nails on the thumb
and i find it very hard to rest the thumb on the rosetta
and then hold the hand stable:)

And also do you have to rest it near the soundhole, i guess you can choose any location

I am so used to resting the thumb on 6thstring
i find it harder to do without it, for stability

But i noticed around the 4th and 5th string, it is worn out very quick

What do you suggest ?

is it possible to hold the 4 finger rasguedo apart from resting on 6th string?


thanks for all

When anchoring your thumb on the soundboard, the only things that matter is that it's stable, comfortable, and and doesn't interfere with your attack. Besides, if you need/want to play closer to the bridge, it's kind of silly to only anchor at the rosette.

It's also generally better for the finish of your guitar if you can keep your thumb on the golpeador, especially for French polish. Something to think about if your golpeador doesn't cover the rosette, you may want to change the golpeador (or at least consider it if you're getting a new guitar.

I've watched videos of some players (at least one Encuentros video), where they don't anchor at all, but that takes strength and skill you may not achieve very quickly. Maybe some people never do.

I started by resting the thumb on the 6th string and haven't felt a need to do anything different.

My main problem is that when I'm playing in ensemble I find I hit my rasgueados as hard and loud as I can, and I must learn not to drown out the other players.


Alan

Hi Alan!
Others have granted you with ample and accurate information about your first question on resting the thumb. As a beginner, I can only talk about my very own experience. Personnally, I never rest the thumb on the rosette because I'm too afraid it would cause damage to the wood, since I have a long and very strong thumb nail.

Whatsmore, if I rest my thumb on the rosette, I have to open my hand further to play picado parts and the tension in my fingers makes it hard to keep the position repeatedly.

Finally, let me come back on the rasgueado thing in general since it is one of the most difficult part of flamenco techniques (but which part is easy, right? ). I read in a French method Traite de la guitare flamenca by C.Worms and O.Herrero, that the rasgueado is not played (every time) on the six strings but in the middle. The pinch is given in the middle strings and the movement finishes on the first one. Once one says that, one could think that rasgueados are only a trebble string technique. And then, one hears Sabicas doing rasgueados on the bass strings... Depends on what you want to play!

I have understood very recently another important point, that still needs confirmation from much more epxerienced players : the brightness of a rasgueado is not in the strength you put in your fingers to play it but rather in the velocity with which your fingertips move on the srings. If you add both of that (ie strength and accuracy of position) the result is way brighter and stronger at the same time. I'm still practicing in not putting too much strength in my fingers and it is a challenging thing, because I realized that getting the rasgueado moves is one thing but adjusting the power in playing them is another!