Sound Production

1. APOYANDO

  • Place your index finger on the first string, pull it back a little and, after plucking, your finger should end up on the second string (lean on it). 
  • Then, the same must be done with the middle finger. 
  • To obtain a strong and clear sound, it is important not to bend the phalanges of the fingers.
  • A common mistake is playing with an overlap, so to speak, "with a running start" - when a finger makes a sound, not by pulling the string, but by striking it from the air.
  • It is necessary to ensure that the sound production comes exactly from the adjacent string.
  • When you play Apoyando with your thumb, pulling the sixth string, the finger slides down to the fifth string.
  • The movement of the thumb is recommended to be done by stroking the string a little, not by pushing it. 
  • A common mistake is the blockage of the arm frame down. You need to make sure that the arm remains in place. The movement is produced only by the thumb.

2. TIRANDO

  • Starting with double sounds. Put the thumb and index finger on the third and first strings.
  • Further, observing the “Cross”, which we studied when setting our hands, we will simultaneously pluck both strings, so that the fingers spread in different directions - up and down, and are not connected after plucking. 
  • This movement is as if we are twisting the cap of a bottle. It is necessary to ensure that the hand remains in place, and does not bounce off the strings.
  • We will use the same principle when playing chords.
  • To play "Tirando" in an arpeggio, we recommend placing your thumb on the third string and your index and middle fingers on the second and first strings respectively.
  • When playing single sounds, we recommend keeping the thumb rest next to the string you pluck.

There are two main ways to produce sound:

  1. Apoyando
  2. Tirando