[ex_caeruleus]

Originally Posted by Sergii

What do you mean by the second knuckle?

The first knuckles are the knuckles where you fingers start, where your fingers meet the palm.

The second knuckle is the middle knuckle.

[Sergii]

Ah ok. Don't most good guitarists play picado from the first knuckle though?

[57paf]

Sergii:
You can get more power if you use your 1st knuckle, but that requires more control.
Ultimately, what you want is short, explosive movements of your fingers without them flailing around too much. Or as you noted, an economy of motion.
Rather than trying to focus on which knuckle, perhaps a better visualization exercise is trying to visualize the tips of your fingers only moving a short distance, but try to improve how quickly you can "snap" your fingertips to develop a crisp and loud stroke.

[ivanmax]

There are many ways to accomplish the same thing regarding technique. Nails, no nails. 1st knuckle, 2nd knuckle. It doesn't matter. You just have to be comfortable with the way you do it. Try not to get bogged down with other peoples ideas of how to perform techniques. Do it your way and you will be relaxed and it will feel natural.

[francisco57]

[quote=MarcChrys;378]If you check out Mininocurro on Youtube,

Yes. Grisha has an unbelievable velocity and a good tone producing tehnique. However, we talk about flamenco and picado - and Grisha is not a flamenco player. He is famous to play flamenco pieces with classic emotion and classic finger style. So we can find Grisha's straightened right hand i-m technique at all classic guitar players. But please let's not call it 'picado'. It's just normal 'apoyando' . when we talk about 'picado' we do mean the right hand finger techniue used by Paco or Vicente or all spanish flamenco players. This picado is some kind of "picking" the string and producing a percussive tone, best explained by Gerardo Nunez or Oscar Herrero. "picado" is used tirando and apoyando, and the guitar player has to plug the string by movement of the middle knuckle and bended finger tips while the wrist is near to the golpeador - and NOT with stiff fingers from the 1st knuckle like the classics. Why that? Because of the sound! If one plays like Grisha or lets say Elliot or John, pulling the string down to the soundboard, the apoyando sounds well, warm and dark like 'dubudubudu', with soft tone and no 'attack'. BUT: picking according to Flamenco Guitar Tradition will make the guitar sound a brilliant and punchy attackful prickling 'takatakata'- that's flamenco!

[Alatriste]

Originally Posted by steve

For the picado technique, are there any member out there that use the skin of the fingers rather than the nail, if that's possible? Or does the string always roll off the skin and hit the nail to play picado? Does using the skin give less contro ald make the picado slower?

Actually you don't use your nails to strike the string. You use the pad (meat) of your finger and then let the string roll off of the nail. A suggestion made by some instructors is to play with no nails. Then when you are comfortable with the technique, grow the nails.

[johnmsandoval]

To Steve;
The strings roll off the skin and hit the nail for picado - at least that is the method I find best for me.
I played Flamenco guitar for thirty consecutive years - Mexico City, San Antonio Texas, Austin Texas, Spain, Madrid, Cordova, Sevilla, San Lucar de Barrameda and Granada etcetera.
This is the first time that I explain this to anybody because acoustic guitar finger nails are a very personal thing!
On my left hand I cut my finger nails down to the skin for maximum comfort on the strings.
On my right hand I cut my finger nails to where (open hand facing your face) I can barely see the edge of the nails, barley sticking out above the skin line.
Then I paint them with super glue (twice) and burnish the edges with an emory stick.
My picado rings out clear and melodic without finger board noises, and my rasgueado is not hampered by my short nails.
Sometimes I have to add a piece of tissue paper over the nails, so the super glue is thicker.
On my right thumb, I trim the edge of my thumb nail where it rests upon the string and leave the nail kind of long for efficiency on the Arzopua. ( only plucking the strings with the tip of the long thumb nail ) ( not too long )
(I have never ever suffered any allergic reactions as a result of me using super glue on my nails)
But you have to personally make sure you are not allergic to super glue!
This has been a secret process for me all these years, works wonders for me.
Maybe it will work for you too!
The treatment lasts sufficiently long - I have never lost a nail while playing.
Certainly do not recommend false nails - that's when the nail flys off while you are playing.

Good Luck have fun with your guitar and your thirst!
Juan Manuel Sandoval
Flamenco Guitarist
Austin Texas

[johnmsandoval]

To; Falceta webmaster;

I would like to post this message titled < treatment for acoustic guitar picado finger nails >
on the front Falceta page to assist guitarists who are in need of this finger nail treatment.
Thank you Cezar

John M Sandoval
Austin Texas