Quote:
Originally Posted by Psycho  I've recently started to adapt to the 3 finger technique rather quickly and i'd say well, but have a few things holding me back.
My biggest one is counting beats, as in I always want to count in 3's due to the 3 fingers. I've been using a metronome that emphasizes every first beat for each measure and have been plugging away at it on 4th notes and 8th notes, but sometimes when the speed picks up I can't mentally count that fast and I run into the habit of hitting those counts of 3's.
My other habit is that my ring finger isn't quite as fast as my index and middle, to speed it up should I practice with 3 fingers slowly, work on using the index and ring, or something different?
As always, thanks for your time, you're all without fail helpful.  |
You have a common problem, so here is a simple exercise to address it. Your brain is geatting in the way with a fixation on three, which your finger accomodate, because you will do what you think untill it becomes internalized ( part of your playing thst just does)
So you use three fingers, it makes no difference what one you start with the exercise will show you the way.
For just now lets call the fingers so
forefinger =1
middle finger = &
ring finger =2
So now when you play you can count 1&2&1&2& so on if it is a alternating style or
1&2 1&2 1&2 if it is a following style.
In an alternating style the one of any beat in common 4/4 meters will fall on the first finger because of the use of the middle finger which will always be the & in the technique so that gives the fingers a repeating pattern to check. all that means is you can play reall slow count 1&2& etc and always know what finger is doing what and where it should be if you need to check.
so the exercise to use with this is scales up and down twice..in a cycle of 5ths and 4ths. This will have you cross stringing to start with and will start you on the 1 or the 2 by the nature of the exercise.
So simple C scale
C-D-E-F-G-A-B-C = 1&2&1&2&
so easy going up to work out what finger is doing what.
C-D-E-F-G-A-B-C-D-E-F-G-A-B-C = 1&2&1&2&1&2&1&2
again coming back down it is easy because it is continueous, but the reality is coming down if you were starting a new you have started with the middle finger on C...have look and see that.
C-D-E-F-G-A-B-C-D-E-F-G-A-B-C-D-E-F-G-A-B-C-D-E-F-G-A-B-C
Now going up and down the back up and down will see the second time you go up you are starting on the C with the 2 and at the top you will be starting down with the &. The & remains constant because it ties the technique together allowing you to count 1 and 2 so really that is two things the brain takes in but you play three, but because the & is on the middle finger it has to repeat, so it is actually fours you are counting ( 1 & 2 & ) as represented by this method, so no three to get in the brains way, it is all 1,2 and divisable by 4. that is why it makes no difference what finger you start with, to do the exercise and develop the fluency and internalise it you will start on any finger ( as i have pointed out).
It is your brain telling you it prefers a finger to start on so you make that the object of a problem that does not exist ouside your own thinking. That is true of the 1-2-3 thing it does not exist outside your own thinking in this matter....trips are another thing but you can just use a following style of 1-2-3-1-2-3 because you now accept that you can start on any finger rather than try and use that finger the brain preferes.
Play these exercises across strings , up and down, beyond the sperctum of 8 note scales as well, start on any finger, play, even play a major scale up minor one down, anything really that will allow you to use the technique to its fullest, in that you will find all your finger come up to the same level becase all figers are equal in use, un like a followin style.
On that following style it is the the 1 that is changing fingers because that is truely a 3 into 4 situation. The 1 with fall in the order of the follow, so it will be on the 1st finger, then the 2nd finger, then the 3rd finger, then back to the 1st finger and so on.
This ever changing 1 makes it harder to prove where the fingers are to check if the fingers are in fact fluent in the playing when learning. Understanding all of this post just helps make it happen quicker and better because it frees the mind up (believe it or not, thinking will do that) to concentrate on playing, rather than how to play.
