How do you avoid playing wrong strings?

[guzhenglover]

Hi fellow guzheng lovers

Just wondering what people think about this one - how do you make sure that your fingers play the desired strings without hitting/touching their neighbouring strings, esp. in really fast passages? In fact, how do you go about "targeting" the correct strings in the first instance so that your playing is crisp clear without touching or mistakenly playing the wrong strings?

I know practice makes perfect, and I am practising. I should also say that I think my fingers are pretty nimble as I play the piano. The problem I am trying to overcome is not the speed or dexterity but just trying to avoid touching the wrong strings, which can either result in wrong notes or undesirable noises. Maybe having long and thick fingers doesn't help?

[dsouthwood]

I had this problem when I started. My left hand fingers (without picks) were always touching the strings adjoining the one I was plucking and creating an unpleasant buzz, partly because I was a beginner, and partly because my fingers are thicker than most players (most players being Asian women). And of course it is the fingernail that touches the next string over, making the buzz very obvious. Now I am able to pluck with my left hand without the buzz, mostly I guess because I am using just the tip of the finger to pluck the string. Short fingernails are vital for this, of course. This just came with practice I think, although I'm sure that I was consciously trying to keep my fingers out from between the strings and just hit the top surface of the string I was plucking. At any rate, I am living proof that this particular problem can be solved.

Hitting the wrong strings was also a problem I had. The solution is to look ahead. When you are in the process of plucking a string, you no longer have to be looking at that string. Your fingers are there. As soon as your fingers are on target, you should be looking ahead to the next string. When I started my lessons, the thing that impressed me most about my teacher was that as she watched me play, she could tell which string I was looking at--that freaked me out--and tell me which string I *should* be looking at. But of course, because she is that perceptive, she can jump on a mistake and correct it long before it can become a habit. Great teacher.

One solution to the thick finger problem might be to use picks on both hands, which some players do. I don't, because I like the difference in the sound the strings make when plucked with a pick or a bare finger, and using all picks would effectively cut the number of plucking effects I can get in half. Also, it might make pressing the strings on the left more difficult. Many players do use picks on both hands, though, so it must work for them.

[guzhenglover]

Thanks for your comment, dsouthwood. So please let me just get this right - you are wearing picks on your RH but not your LH, right? And was your problem before touching the adjoining string with a pick rather than with a fingernail. or with both? I don't seem to have a problem touching the unwanted string with my fingernail, but more a problem with the pick.

Did you have to do a lot of slow practice with practising a fast passage + learning to look ahead? I guess so, as that's what I am having to do, too. This seems very time consuming but necessary for confidence building. Does your teacher comment on how a changed hand position/shape might help in fixing this problem i.e. the problem of plucking the wrong strings?

My teacher hasn't felt the need to have me play with picks on both hands, though she was taught to do that herself. She's leaving the option open and for me to decide, as there are obviously pros and cons. So I think she's pretty liberal on this point.

What fast pieces would you be able to give as examples of the above problems, if I may ask?

[dsouthwood]

I wear picks only on my right hand. The problem I was having with my left was that when I plucked a string, my finger went too far down between the strings. When I plucked one of the low strings and then the next higher string, the lower was still vibrating enough that when my finger touched it, it buzzed. I was not plucking with my fingernails; that's just the part of my finger that the other string buzzed against. That ended when I learned not to let my finger go as much between the strings when plucking. This was a problem only with my left hand because of thick fingers.

With my right hand, there would be a very slight buzz when I plucked a string that was already vibrating, but that was because I was bringing the pick to the string too slowly. When I plucked more quickly, that problem was solved.

In playing octaves, fifths, etc., it just takes lots of exercises to train your fingers to hold the correct distance while moving from string to string.

After three years, I still have trouble with fast passages, but that's just me. I'm getting better, but I don't have the dexterity that some people do. Fortunately, Chinese music has many love songs.

[guzhenglover]

Thanks for that, dsouthwood, that sounds very clear. I haven't had any problem with my LF fingers, and the problem seems to occur sometimes in my RH when I either accidentally touch a string that I don't want (which either causes a full sound or noise), or pluck the wrong strings because in fast passages it can sometimes be difficult to lose track of where you are and not anticipating enough to the next string. But I guess there is no quick-fix, and a solution to this can only come from sheer hard work and really mastering the moves, incl. anticipation and correct hand movements.

[dsouthwood]

The advice I've seen other places is to concentrate on accuracy first, and the speed will come later. Slowing the entire piece down will let you keep the distinction between quarter, sixteenth, etc. notes while letting you concentrate on accuracy. Cutting down the number of variables might be of benefit.

[davidmdahl]

Slow practice is indeed an important practice technique. Sometimes I use a metronome as well to help me keep the beat steady. It is too easy to speed up in the easy fun parts and slow down in more difficult sections.

I also use what a master teacher called "chunking", which is a way to practice playing fast in a controlled way. In a difficult section, choose a small group of notes (maybe four) to play up-to-speed. After a short pause play the next few notes up-to-speed, and so on throughout the section. When the smaller groups are manageable, add notes to each group until the section is easy.

By the way, practice does not necessarily make perfect. It is too easy to practice in a lazy way that actually reinforces mistakes. Only perfect practice makes perfect!

Best wishes,

David