Josef Mazan

Backlash, sometimes called lash, play, or slop, is a clearance or lost motion in a mechanism caused by gaps between the parts. (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Backlash_(engineering)

I propose a small experiment that will allow us to better understand the mechanism of finger movement of the right hand when playing the guitar. Let us place the fingers of the right hand on a tabletop. Set the metronome to a tempo of 160. On each drumbeat, we drum four times with the fingers im on the tabletop.

How is it that the tempo can be maintained without problems even for a longer period?

· the fingers perform a binary movement (only back-and-forth motion), unlike the circular movement that is necessary in normal guitar stroke
· the wrist and the entire palm are resting on the table. It therefore cannot bounce. The bouncing of the right hand is a problem that players of plucked string instruments have been dealing with for centuries. In the Renaissance, players found their period solution by resting the little finger on the soundboard.
· pianists use precisely this type of stroke. That is one of the reasons for their fantastic technique. It is also possible thanks to the fact that the production of tone by the hammer touching the string is carried out for them by the piano mechanism. We guitarists, however, create the entire stroke ourselves with our fingers.

Now let us take the guitar in hand. Just as in the experiment on the table, we place the entire palm on the soundboard of the instrument. If you are worried about the French polish, place a soft leather (deerskin) under the hand so that there is no direct contact of the hand with the lacquer.

We set the metronome and begin drumming with the fingers, now above the strings. We find that no tone is produced, perhaps a slight vibration of the strings similar to the tambora technique.

So let us try gradually bending the fingers at the last two joints. At approximately the moment when the last segment of the finger m is perpendicular to the string, a certain tone begins to sound, at a dynamic of piano pianissimo.

This tone arises from the string „sticking“ to the finger. We know a similar effect from the so-called mute legato of the left-hand fingers. Mostly it is a mistake, but there are pieces where this weakest legato is welcome (e.g., Štěpán Rak: Song for David).

Anyone familiar with flamenco playing technique will certainly notice that the angle of the fingers in this „stroke“ is very similar to picado playing. If you do not know this technique, the flamenco guitarist Graf-Martinez explains it well in his books.

When playing without follow-through, which is what we are now doing, it is essential to press the string somewhat downward. It bends, the contact of the finger with the string is prolonged. This is important for working with tone color. However, I have also noted that an effect of relaxation of the right-hand fingers occurs. It looks as if the rebound from the pressed string makes this movement easier.

Now let us try adding a little of the circular movement as we know it from playing without follow-through, tirando. It can be seen how little of this movement is enough for the string to begin to sound at a stronger dynamic, from the original ppp up to piano and above.

Thus we gain a weak dynamic, and at the same time control over the circular movement of the tirando stroke. Now we know how much energy is needed to make the string sound. Here is the key to speeding up the stroke.

I realized that I was unnecessarily exaggerating the circular movement. I do get a strong tone, but at the cost of increased tension in the muscle groups. There is no time to relax the finger that is not currently playing. The dead-stroke exercise helps me optimize the stroke.

The subtlety of the free-play principle is difficult to describe in words. It is an insight into motor skills and muscle memory. Words are not enough for it.

Placing the wrist on the soundboard is excellent for practicing passage runs, apoyando as well as tirando. However, using this hand position in a solo public performance is problematic. Perhaps for reasons of style, but especially because of the limitation of thumb movement: from such a low angle its free movement is not possible, especially jumps across several strings cannot be played. So it is only a practice method.

Another exercise: we play on the g string, now from the normal hand position. The wrist no longer touches the soundboard. We combine the figueta stroke (pi) and the tirando stroke with the smallest possible circular movement. The fingers im learn from the fingers pi, which have a greater potential for relaxation: the muscle groups of the thumb and index finger are anatomically better separated.

We try to eliminate the bouncing of the hand, now that we have the wrist arched and it does not touch the soundboard. This can be helped by the tension of muscle groups, namely those that do not directly participate in the stroke.

We increase the number of repetitions. 3× figueta, 3× im, 4× figueta, 4× im … and then 10× figueta and 10× im. All at tempo, with the metronome, without interruption. We choose the tempo according to our abilities.

Result: better ability to play in pianissimo. We know how to better relax the hand during the im stroke, whether apoyando or tirando. Refinement and speeding up of the stroke. And that is certainly worth including this few-minute exercise in daily practice.