These exercises and demonstrations will help you to develop ease of motion, efficiency, coordination, tone, control over dynamics and color, melodic connection, and harmonic balance, while preventing injury. Techniques for each hand are discussed in isolation and then combined, with exercises drawn from the “Chaconne” by S.L. Weiss, which is also included in its entirety.
Whether you are a classical or improvising player, you will find a clear, concise outline of the basic hand position and timing, with dozens of illustrative photographs and detailed descriptions. The online audio recordings demonstrate the techniques and their effects.
You will learn to:
• Play with healthy, comfortable posture that gives you a free range of motion, closely examining relationship between your body, arms, hands, and fingers
• Shape, hone, maintain, and repair your fingernails to provide the best sound, whether you use real or fake nails; and create your own fake nails from ping-pong balls
• Use right-hand techniques, such as alternation, string crossing, arpeggio patterns, and tremolo
• Play with a variety of articulations, tone colors, and dynamics
• Play left-hand techniques such as: barres, slurs (hammer on and pull off), and vibrato
• Warm up, practice, and perform
