Warm-up

This exercise combines a few techniques to warm up both hands. It starts with the chords D, A, G and F sharp in arpeggios and picado and ends with a variation of this idea using the chords B minor, A, G and F sharp. In the last four measures, a transposed soleá falseta of Niño Ricardo. Notice that all the slurs are on the first two notes of the triplet.

(click here to listen to the audio file)

Fret

This exercise will quickly tire your fretting hand. The suggested fingering keeps the index, middle and ring fingers on the same strings as much as possible. Try to use rest strokes, and move the barre up one fret to repeat the exercise in a loop.

Pluck

This exercise strengthens thumb, index and middle. Play everything in rest strokes, letting thumb and fingers rest on the following string and alternating index and middle at all times. Keep your fingertips very close to the strings. This includes the thumb, because it is the base for all the other fingerstrokes and should not be subordinate to them. In this sense, the exercise can be simplified by playing a single bass note for each measure.

(click here to listen to the audio file)

The same pattern in sixteenths (2/4).

Alzapúa

This exercise also works for arpeggios. Alzapúa basically consists of a rest stroke followed by a downstroke and an upstroke that brush several strings, although many falsetas start with the downstroke. To get started, use a twisting motion by rotating the two bones in your forearm (it's like turning a key in a lock). Click here for a study of this technique. Your hand has to be relaxed enough to feel the centrifugal force from the twisting movement. When you've got the idea, do as much of the work as you can with your thumb, keeing your index finger on the first string (I use my ring finger).

When alzapúa is used for sixteenth notes, the ternary mechanism (plant-brush-brush) contrasts with the binary structure, creating the offset pattern seen below. Notice that in each measure, the planted thumbstroke happens at a different rhythmic moment: beat one, first and fourth notes; beat two, third note; beat three, second note. The exercise can be simplified by playing in triplets so that each planted thumbstroke falls on the beat.

(click here to listen to the audio file)

Scales
Diatonic / With slurs / Blues-pentatonic / Chromatic / Dim. 7th / Octave tritone

The following scales and arpeggios are based on patterns of 48 and the division of this number by its common denominators 2, 3, 4 and 6, which allows us to play each pattern in eighths, triplets, sixteenths and sextuplets, as seen below. Logically, the patterns can be reduced to just 12 notes, six ascending and six descending. Notice the symbol indicating that the last beat in each measure is accented.

Eighth notes = 2 notes per beat x 3 beats x 8 measures = 48 notes

Triplets = 3 notes per beat x 4 beats x 4 measures = 48 notes

Sixteenths = 4 notes per beat x 3 beats x 4 measures = 48 notes

Sextuplets = 6 notes per beat x 4 beats x 2 measures = 48 notes

Using this arrangement, we can play the following patterns in triplets and sixteenths. In order to make the two rhythms clearer, you can accent the last beat in each measure. Strike the note a little harder and follow with a very slight pause, for a rubato effect. The patterns are completely systematic, so you can concentrate fully on the rhythm, as the descent starts in the third measure in both triplets and sixteenths. You can reverse all of the patterns, playing them descending and then ascending.

Diatonic (E minor)

Changing notes creates different diatonic scales. For example, changing the C to C sharp will give you D major, using no sharps or flats yields C major, etc.

Diatonic with slurs

As above, you can alter the notes of the scale.

Blues/pentatonic

You can apply this to the other "blues boxes" up the fretboard:

Chromatic

You can start at almost any fret on the sixth string:

Diminished 7th

You can add slurs (pull-offs) when there are three notes on one string (the first three, for example). Also, the descent can be fingered higher up on the fretboard.

Tritone octave

At the first, fifth and seventh beats, you can see the three left-hand fingerings that correspond to the different string sets used. This exercise can be played p-p-i. As with the preceding pattern, you can finger the descent higher up on the fretboard.

You have probably gathered by now that it is not too hard to apply the idea to many other patterns. Just play any interesting pattern in sixteenths or triplets over a three- or four-beat rhythm, respectively, changing direction when you reach the third measure. You might have to start the descent one note higher in the pattern in order to create a loop.

Picado

These exercices are designed to strengthen your picado technique, especially the movement of the fingers to a new string.

I recommend starting with Exercises 1 and 2 when you want to work on picado because the muted strings focus your attention on precise striking-hand technique. For Exercise 1, play eighth notes on each muted string, alternating your index and middle fingers and repeating the pattern in a loop. Make sure that you always alternate index and middle, use rest strokes and keep your thumb on one of the bass strings. Notice the difference between starting the pattern i-m and m-i and that it's awkward to move to a lower-pitched string with the middle finger (use rest strokes). When you can play the pattern quickly and starting with either finger, do the same with triplets, as seen in Exercise 2. If Exercise 3 is too difficult, you need to go back to Exercises 1 and 2 and look at the rest strokes.

Exercises 1 and 2

For Exercise 3, start the looped pattern with your index finger and notice that the new string always falls on the middle finger in the ascent and on the index in the descent. Now play the same pattern but starting with your middle finger. It's probably going to feel very awkward, particularly in the descent, where it's very important to make use of rest strokes. Although we normally avoid the awkward fingering, there are parts of certain falsetas in which there is no other alternative. The rest of these exercises are meant to be played with the two fingerings (i-m, m-i) in order to concentrate on the way that the fingers "lay" on different sets of strings. Remember to keep your thumb on one of the bass strings.

Exercise 3

The descent is particularly difficult when using the awkward fingering. Exercise 4 loops the pattern in a way that repeats the same fingering for each new cycle, and Exercise 5 alternates the two fingerings.

Exercise 4

Exercise 5

Exercise 6 places the above pattern on different sets of strings. Each measure can be looped for practice on a particular set of strings.

Exercise 6

Exercise 7 distributes the same 12-note pattern in sixteenths (4x3=12, 3x4=12).

Exercise 7

Exercise 8 is a variation that is offset in such a way that every other beat is one note lower in the scale (beats 1, 3, 5, etc.)

Exercise 8

You don't have to limit these patterns to the C major scale: with F sharp, it would be G major (granaínas); with B flat, it would be F major (por medio), etc.

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