Comments on: alzapúa http://miguelbengoa.com Retraining and relearning to play guitar Tue, 15 Nov 2011 12:45:42 +0000 hourly 1 By: Kym http://miguelbengoa.com/technique/alzapua/#comment-172 Kym Tue, 17 Mar 2009 05:24:37 +0000 http://miguelbengoa.com/wordpress/technical-exercises/alzapua/#comment-172 Hi Miguel, Great site for beginners like myself! Some problem opening the acrobat files from this page though. Maybe you could check it out? Cheers, Kym Hi Miguel,

Great site for beginners like myself! Some problem opening the acrobat files from this page though. Maybe you could check it out?

Cheers, Kym

]]> By: Logik http://miguelbengoa.com/technique/alzapua/#comment-171 Logik Sun, 15 Jun 2008 16:49:26 +0000 http://miguelbengoa.com/wordpress/technical-exercises/alzapua/#comment-171 Thanks Miguel. I had another look at the videos and you are right, I was doing the basic alzapúa wrong. I was doing the broad movements involving the whole lower arm for chords only; my strokes on a single string were very 'local' with only the thumb. Whereas you come from an inch up and rotate the arm to strike the string downward. I guess this looked so implausible at first (how to not hit the neighbouring stings on the way?) that I didn't "get" what was happening. Definitely awkward but I can see now how it's possible with practice. Exercise 1B again and again :-) I think I also understand now how the upstroke (for double alzapúa) works: it doesn't come 'out of the air' but starts from resting on the lower (more treble) string and makes the previous sweep back in the opposite direction. Gracias! [BTW, you seem to have embedded the videos in the post now, but they don't show up for me, neither in Firefox nor in Opera.] Thanks Miguel. I had another look at the videos and you are right, I was doing the basic alzapúa wrong. I was doing the broad movements involving the whole lower arm for chords only; my strokes on a single string were very ‘local’ with only the thumb. Whereas you come from an inch up and rotate the arm to strike the string downward.

I guess this looked so implausible at first (how to not hit the neighbouring stings on the way?) that I didn’t “get” what was happening.

Definitely awkward but I can see now how it’s possible with practice. Exercise 1B again and again :-)

I think I also understand now how the upstroke (for double alzapúa) works: it doesn’t come ‘out of the air’ but starts from resting on the lower (more treble) string and makes the previous sweep back in the opposite direction.

Gracias!

[BTW, you seem to have embedded the videos in the post now, but they don't show up for me, neither in Firefox nor in Opera.]

]]> By: miguel http://miguelbengoa.com/technique/alzapua/#comment-170 miguel Sun, 15 Jun 2008 06:16:04 +0000 http://miguelbengoa.com/wordpress/technical-exercises/alzapua/#comment-170 Hi, The answer to all of your questions is "yes". The single notes of the double alzapúa are played just like the single notes in the normal alzapúa: in my case with a straight thumb which hits the string at a slightly more perpendicular angle that usual thumb strokes. For me, there is a very slight rotation from the elbow rather than the wrist - rather like screwing in a corkscrew. What does seem apparent from your post is that you might not have not fully mastered the single alzapúa. Most teachers would recommend that we thoroughly master simple techniques before going onto more complex ones and I could not agree more. I still practise very basic stuff and very very slowly (such as pami and pima arpeggios) before going onto more complex combinations. I hope that helps and thank you for your contribution. Miguel Hi,

The answer to all of your questions is “yes”. The single notes of the double alzapúa are played just like the single notes in the normal alzapúa: in my case with a straight thumb which hits the string at a slightly more perpendicular angle that usual thumb strokes.

For me, there is a very slight rotation from the elbow rather than the wrist – rather like screwing in a corkscrew.

What does seem apparent from your post is that you might not have not fully mastered the single alzapúa. Most teachers would recommend that we thoroughly master simple techniques before going onto more complex ones and I could not agree more. I still practise very basic stuff and very very slowly (such as pami and pima arpeggios) before going onto more complex combinations.

I hope that helps and thank you for your contribution.

Miguel

]]> By: Logik http://miguelbengoa.com/technique/alzapua/#comment-169 Logik Sun, 15 Jun 2008 00:28:55 +0000 http://miguelbengoa.com/wordpress/technical-exercises/alzapua/#comment-169 Thanks! The tabs and videos help a lot. On the 'demo' video: am I right that you play a single downstroke on the A-string, coming to rest on the D-string, and then a down-up combo chord [and repeat]? About the single notes in the Double alzapúa exercise: these are played in plectrum-style without rotation of the wrist/arm, right? Rotating the wrist doesn't seem to give enough precision for that. Thanks!

The tabs and videos help a lot.

On the ‘demo’ video: am I right that you play a single downstroke on the A-string, coming to rest on the D-string, and then a down-up combo chord [and repeat]?

About the single notes in the Double alzapúa exercise: these are played in plectrum-style without rotation of the wrist/arm, right? Rotating the wrist doesn’t seem to give enough precision for that.

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