One-Finger Plucking (Flamenco) tips?

**Matthew_84** · #1 06-09-2011, 01:29 PM

Hey all,

I'm interested in mastering the technique of plucking with one-finger like a pick with down and up-strokes, like Geddy Lee has done recently or Robert Trujillo. I'm thinking of doing up-strokes only at high speeds, as I am fairly quick with just my index doing down-strokes, and I love the tone I get out it.

The up-strokes however don't sound as "thuddy" as the down-stokes do, instead they sound kind of "whooshy". I do realize this is going to take a lot of work and practice on my part and that I have to work at it a lot to learn what works for me.

But I just wanted to know if anyone out there, that does this technique, has any tips that could work for others, like finger nail maintenance, hand position, curvature of knuckles, finger angles, where the finger plucks, etc. Really I would just like someone's revelation that they made about the technique as they were learning it. It would just put me in the right direction.

Much appreciated,

Matt

samurai1993 · #2 06-09-2011, 11:50 PM

I play some Rush tribute on my band, and because of that have used the flamenco thingy a lot... it's a really straightforward technique when you get used to it, and very comfortable to use when you are singing and playing at the same time.

My two cents:
- When I cut my finger nails, I left my index and my middle around 0.5 to 1 or 1.5 milimeter, so that a little of nail goes over the tip of my finger. You have to try what suits you best, in my case if they grow longer, my finger gets stuck on the string.

-Most do the flamenco thing with just their index... I tend to alternate between index and middle, just to don't get tired.

-Prepare for some blisters :P

-Personally I do the thing near to the bridge pickup, almost over it, for some extra definition. Also the string it's "easier" at that point. My bass also helps with this, having the 70's jazz bass pickup spacing, the extra growl helps to get a "little" more out of this technique.

Hopes this may help you!

**Matthew_84** · #3 06-10-2011, 04:15 AM

Thank you very much. I also would like to learn to do it with my middle finger as well, but just wanted to start with my index where it seems to be easier. This way I will have at least figured out the technique.

And the funny thing was that the couple times I have tried it, I hated the sound it made when it hit my nail so I actually trimmed my nail right down, but I just realized that my EQ was setup to be extra bright which surely didn't help. I'll fart around with it tonight, lower my treble a bit and if the sound off of the nail is okay, then I'll grow the sucker out. Thanks again

TOOL460002 · #4 06-10-2011, 04:27 AM

+1 to playing closer to the bridge. The tension there is going to help consistency (and a compressor couldn't hurt). As long as your nail isn't long that should sound even. Just don't hit it so hard on the down stroke until you can play as hard up and down. The up stroke is new to you, and the down should be strong and easy. Use the up stroke as a baseline for how hard to go down. As you get stronger going up, go harder down. Going full force now will definitely sound uneven, as your muscles aren't equal yet.

**Matthew_84** · #5 06-10-2011, 04:41 AM

Ahh, that makes a lot of sense. And yes, they are very uneven.

So I do have a question regarding the strokes. Clearly the upstroke is all nail, how about the downstroke, does some finger tip get in there as well, or do you guys only hit the string with your nail on both strokes?

**Matthew_84** · #6 06-10-2011, 10:06 AM

And does anyone do this technique without their nails, and instead just the tips of their fingers? I really do love and prefer the sound of flesh rather than the nail, I know I can change the EQ to suit, but the index finger all-flesh downstroke is a perfect "thud", and would like to get that on the ups, maybe that will come as I strengthen my upstrokes

**Matthew_84** · #7 06-10-2011, 11:58 PM

Thanks again for your help guys. I had a very successful night working on this technique and thought I'd post what I did in case anyone is interested.

First, I tried to hit the upstroke with my nail. I hated the sound, and I love the thumpy sound of my downstroke so I wasn't about to mess with my EQ. So I cut my nail down as far down as I could with it still being comfortable, which left about 3/16" of flesh from my tip to nail.

It became really easy to get only flesh on the upstokes. My thumb remained doing the floating thumb technique, my index finger became straight (maybe a slight bend), and I curved my other three fingers into a loose fist so those tendons and muscles wouldn't move around and waste energy.

Then I had to work on the evenness in strokes (and Tool, your advice was right on). My upstrokes were weaker than my down, but not too much. I've spent so much energy over the years rushing my finger back to a plucking position - essentially an upstroke - that it wasn't too far off. I just laid off a bit on the downs and pushed it a bit harder on the ups. After a fairly quick amount of time I couldn't hear a difference between the two.

And I spent the rest of the night just playing to a metronome doing 1/16ths at 40 BPM, and trying different riffs and changing from string to string. It's still really hard. I alternated fingers before so I have to completely rewrite my technique, which is why for the first week or so I'm going to refrain from playing familiar things like songs, scales, and even chords. And I won't play that stuff again until this technique becomes somewhat automatic.

But I really love this technique so far and recommend it to anyone to at least try, I feel like it's the best of both worlds, the speed of a pick but the sound of fingers. I tried playing some songs that were a little too fast when I was alternating fingers and I was playing so quick that I had a hard time slowing down.

So now it's back to the metronome and working on getting this right.

Thanks again guys

samurai1993 · #8 06-12-2011, 02:03 PM

Have fun with it. I remember pissing of some friends that tried to play the trooper on bass... them being Iron Maiden fans they looked at me with anger that I could easily nail the thing this way, while they were struggling playing with the traditional fingering (Also I give them the advice to play it 3 fingers)... And I think the nail thing has been one of my worst pun attempts ever

Try some Animate by Rush, lots of fun playing and singing that one

**Matthew_84** · #9 06-12-2011, 07:19 PM

Yeah, it's actually pretty amazing how easily I'm nailing (I'm guilty too) some songs that have been such a challenge for a while. YYZ suddenly seems do-able, which is something I'd never thought I'd say.

I'm having a hard time moving up to strings if that pluck is an upstroke (I'm really trying to alternate evenly to be the most efficient), but I'll get it soon. Still working at slow speeds just to get used to it. But every once in a while I try some hard song, which is great because it shows me what I need to work on.

I do have a question regarding switching to the middle finger. Do you ever use both during a song or do you just use your index for the first half of a gig and the middle for the second half?

samurai1993 · #10 06-12-2011, 10:30 PM

Well, I have developed the technique more for rhythmic parts, think of Earthshine, or, again, Animate, so maybe I'm not much of a help about the hard stuff.

Talking about switching, let's take Animate (Yeah, I love the damn song, and being the first one in which Geddy used the technique AFAIK, is more or less iconic in this tread

). In this one the strategy was pretty simple, I play the chorus with the index, and strophes with the middle. Why I say was? Because in the practic I'm a bit lazy, which traduces that I switch when one of them gets tired

At the end the thing is just natural, and you can switch without missing a beat. More than planning an strategy, just let it flow. Taking YYZ, it would be just weird to change finger in middle of the main riff, but the little pause between each time the riff is repeated is a more than appropiate place for doing so.

**Matthew_84** · #11 06-13-2011, 07:54 PM

That's a good strategy actually. I noticed yesterday that my finger was getting tired after an hour or so, which never happened when I've alternated fingers even if I played for 3x longer. Which is really odd because I'm doing at least half of the work now. I just attributed it to the fact that now I'm putting resistance on my upstrokes which could exercise it more. And I thought that as I work at it, it will get stronger and may not get tired as easily, but maybe not. How long have you been doing this technique for?