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WHAT ABOUT THE RIGHTHAND?
  • PARDON MY DEXTERPHILIA, OR IS THAT SINISTERPHOBIA? ANYWAY, WE'RE TALKING THE PICKING HAND. THERE‘S A LOT THAT PEOPLE TEND TO OVERLOOK IN THEIR SEARCH FOR DEXTERITY.


  • THIS IS THE WILD CARD IN THE PLAYER'S HAND, SO TO SPEAK. THIS IS BECAUSE DEXTERITY WITHOUT RHYTHM AND A SENSE OF TONE IS AN EMPTY THING INDEED.


  • AS YOUR CLOCK, OR TIMEKEEPER, THERE IS NO POINT TOO EARLY OR LATE IN YOUR DEVELOPMENT TO INTEGRATE THE METRONOMIC FUNCTION OF THE RIGHT HAND. WHETHER YOU ARE DOING SCALES OR THE 1234 PERMUTATIONS, ALWAYS COUNT THEM OUT IN TIME. THIS IS THE BEST SYSTEMATIC APPROACH TO DEVELOPING CONTROLLED, ACCURATE AND MUSICAL VELOCITY.


  • COUNT EACH NOTE ALOUD IN TIME WITH THE METRONOME. A QUARTER NOTE IS EQUAL TO ONE BEAT, SO WE COUNT QUARTERS "ONE," "TWO," "THREE," "FOUR."


  • WE CAN DOUBLE OUR VELOCITY ON THE SAME EXERCISE BY COUNTING AND PLAYING EIGHT NOTES WHICH ARE TWO PER BEAT, AS, "ONE AND TWO AND THREE AND FOUR AND."


  • TRIPLETS ARE COUNTED "ONE TWO THREE TWO TWO THREE THREE TWO THREE FOUR TWO THREE IN A FOUR BEAT PER MEASURE METER.


  • SIXTEENTH NOTES ARE FOUR TO THE BEAT, AND ARE COUNTED TRIPLETS ARE COUNTED "ONE EE-AH-NA TWO EE-AH-NA THREE EE-AH-NA FOUR EE-AH-NA IN A FOUR BEAT PER MEASURE METER


  • THERE IS NO "RIGHT" WAY HERE. ONLY AN ENORMOUS SOURCE OF POSSIBILITY WHICH THE PLAYER PARTICIPATES IN ACCORDING TO THEIR NATURE.


  • IT IS THE SOURCE OF THE PLAYER'S "FEEL." TECHNIQUE WILL FOCUS ON MINIMIZING MOVEMENT, BUT IT IS A MEANS, NOT AN END TO YOUR PROCESS OF DEVELOPING YOUR VOICE.


  • VIRTUOSITY PROVIDES NO DIVIDING LINE. THERE ARE PROBABLY MORE VIRTUOSOS IN NY AND LA THAN THERE ARE IMPROVISERS, BUT THAT SAYS MORE ABOUT AN IMPOVERISHMENT OF EDUCATION THAT ANYTHING ELSE.


  • WHEREAS CHARLIE PARKER WAS DOUBTLESS A VIRTUOSO, MILES DAVIS WAS AT BEST COMPETENT BY THOSE STANDERDS. BOTH PARTIIPATED IN WHAT COLERIDGE TERMED THE "GENIAL," OR IF ONE PREFERS IT -THE "CREATIVE" SPIRIT.


  • TOWARDS THAT END, WITH ALL THE PERMUTATIONS OF THE 1234 EXERCISE BELOW, YOU CAN EMPLOY A TREMOLO.


  • KEEP YOUR UP DOWN PICKING FROM THE FOREARM, AND MINIMIZE THE LARGER MOVEMENTS OF THE HAND.


  • DONE PROPERLY, THERE WILL BE ALMOST NO VISIBLE UP DOWN MOVEMENT OF THE PICKING HAND. SEE, THEORETICALLY, THE RIGHT HAND ONLY NEEDS TO MOVE A LITTLE MORE THAN THE DIAMETER OF THE STRING ITSELF BEFORE IT COMES BACK FOR ANOTHER STROKE.


  • FOR THE LOVE OF GOD, DON'T TURN THIS THING INTO SOME INTERMINABLE, MALEVOLENT FLIGHT OF THE BUMBLE BEE, THOUGH. COUNT IT AND PUT FEELING INTO IT. THAT‘S THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN A MUSICIAN AND A TONE GENERATOR.


  • NOTICE THAT AS YOU GET BETTER AT THE TREMOLO EXERCISE, THAT YOU WILL BEGIN TO APPREHEND HOW GIVING THE STRING A LITTLE MORE ROOM TO "BREATH" WITH THE PICK AT SLIGHTLY GREATER DISTANCES, PROVIDES THE PLAYER WITH A GREATER PALETTE OF TONES.