Arpeggios: Right Hand Exercises, Vol. 4, Damping Studies

About This Lesson

Damping Studies help guitarists develop extraordinary right hand technique. These two-part damping arpeggio exercises should be practiced as daily studies along with Accentuation, Joint Action and Hemiola Studies. Together, this combination will provide a well-rounded program for impeccable technique. Developing advanced damping skills will instill virtuoso right hand technique. The skill learned is twofold. First, it ingrains an instinctive flex-relax finger technique and, second, it trains the hand to plant each fingertip directly onto the string at the precise location. Together, these two damping technique skills create a “magnet-like’ technique whereas fingertips are always resting on strings or hovering just above the string in a natural, relaxed state. Damping should be undetectable during legato passages—and, of course, should be more deliberate or exaggerated for staccato passages. This takes practice and patience. Repetitive damping studies will allow you to control and contour your arpeggios and scales more easily (think of it as “grabbing” the string with your fingertip versus “swiping” at it), and it is recommended that you learn the technique slowly and precisely. Dampen each note with precision and consistency. This is important.