Week in review (update for w/e 3/29)

Hi,

Sorry to hear about your thumb.
I was wondering. Can we really (and efficiently) work out of the right hand only? Don't we lose anything in synchronization between the 2 hands that would make working only right hand useless in the long run? If we can efficiently work the right hand technique with no left hand, this is hope for when one can get injured like you just have.

Cheers,

Big Fab

The way I look at it is that anything I can't do with my right hand by itself, I probably can't do with my right hand while I'm also using my left hand. I don't believe it's ideal, but I think it can be of some benefit relative to the alternative of not playing anything at all.

More so with classical guitar than electric, I have seen hand-isolating exercises to develop finger picking skill for the right hand and legato skills for the left hand.

In general, I believe the most efficient and effective is to work both hands together, for obvious reasons.

Okay, so this week is easy. In a nutshell I haven't done anything. I opted against doing some RH-only stuff because, knowing myself, I couldn't sit there with the guitar and resist the temptation to start using my left hand. The good news is that I've figured out that the original source of the trouble/injury is not guitar playing.

I'll pick up the guitar and have a test run with it tomorrow, then hopefully returning to my daily routine.

Keep us posted. Glad to hear that the guitar playing wasn't the source of your problem. A week off every now and then is probably a good thing. I'll be away from home for a couple of weeks in May and won't have a guitar around. It will probably do me good to take a little time off. I have to be careful not to let a short lay-off turn into a long one. That's when I start doing the 2 steps forward and 3 steps back dance.

I think I mentioned that I started a practice log after you talked about yours. Nothing fancy - just an old fashion composition book. I jot down what I did, how much time I spent and what I should do during the next practice session. I logged in almost 9 hrs. of practice time over the 5 days that I practiced. My goal is to get in a minimum of 4 hrs. per week. So, I'm doing well in that regard.

I've been working on "9th Chord Blues". I thought it would be much easier than it sounds and looks like on paper. I'm hoping to have it down pat this coming week. I worked some more on measures 11 & 12 of "Getting Funky" which is still giving me problems. I also have been working on a finger style Piedmont Blues study. Piedmont Blues is also known as Ragtime Blues (at least I think they are the same thing). It's most notable feature is a steady alternating bass line. I'm doing it using a thumb pick.

I started on "More Minor Blues" yesterday and made a big mistake. I have arthritis in the base of my left thumb which makes playing full barre chords almost impossible because of the pain. I usually try to find alternative voicings or other work arounds to find a suitable substitute, but yesterday I tried to tough it out and play the full barre chords which are part of the study. Today the joint is on fire, so I'm going to take it easy for a couple of days. Note to self - stay away from stuff that is painful.  

I've really been neglecting BRYCU and need to include that at least twice a week. I plan to slow down and spend more time on each study. There's a lot of good information in each lesson that I tend to gloss over in my desire to get straight to the good stuff.

Phil

Actually, the biggest drawback is not being able to take advantage of the economy of effort when changing certain chords and doing runs where you barre with the index finger and play the run with the other fingers. Because I have small hands, it's the position I have to have my thumb in behind the neck when I barre which causes the problem. My hands are so small that I can't even do the Hendrix type thumb over the 6th string, so I have to make do with what I'm capable of doing or take up the harmonica. I really did consider that option, and have not totally discounted it if things get worse.

A few months ago I ran across a guy who gives on-line lessons and he says he rarely plays full barre chords, he tends to play chords with  3 or 4 strings. He doesn't have any physical problem playing full barre chords - he simply prefers the sound of 3-4 string chords. Says they sound "cleaner" to him. Needless to say, I instantly gravitated to that guy. For you kids who are fans of uncovering logical fallacies, that's called confirmation bias.

In addition to the above, I have a limited range of motion in my left middle finger due to severing the tendon when I was 5 years old. It had to be tied which shortened the range at the extremes. However, I have no problem in fingering single notes. It causes minor problems in fingering certain chords, but I've learned to work around it. 

I'm not seeking any sympathy here or expect to be cut any slack on the recorded studies I upload. On the contrary, I hope this inspires people who may have some kind of problem with their hands to carry on and find a way to work around their problem. Remember, the legendary jazz guitarist, Django Rheinhardt, only had 2 fully functional fingers on his fretting hand.

Phil

 Those damn strings do have a mind of their own. Mine like to go right between 2 adjacent strings and deaden both of them. This is actually quite helpful, because I can hit the wrong string and get the exact same sound as if I had hit the right string.

Phil

Good to hear you're getting back at it! Looking forward to your recording, too. It is always fun to move on to new challenges, and that is what helps you improve.

Bruce

Amen and +1 to that!

Bruce