u/Humbleronaldo

Hello friends, so i taught myself how to play classical guitar during the past 4 years or so, and as a result of course, my technique isn’t the most optimal. In this video I demonstrate how I trained myself to play the free stroke technique, the way i do it is incongruent with the way most pedagogues teach it. Instead of producing the sound from the knuckle joint and bringing my fingers all the way to the back of my palm, I just pluck the string with the middle phalange. Ofc my technique isn’t very optimal or natural, but this is what happens when you’re self taught.

Recently, I began taking lessons with a very competent professor who made me aware of “flaws” in my technique and instructed me on how to practice the “correct” free stroke technique. I definitely noticed that my sound improved with the new technique and that at first my movement was more natural. Here is the catch though, practicing with my old technique I have never experienced pain nor discomfort in my right hand whatsoever even after playing for hours, while the new technique causes me to feel pain and soreness in my phalanges and the tendon in my hand.

My questions to y’all are as follows:

Realistically, can I continue playing with my old technique and still improve enough to be able to play opuses like Regondi etudes, villa lobo etudes with a relative degree of accuracy?

Can I still produce a good enough sound with this technique to play recitals, small concerts, etc at a satisfactory level?

What would you do if you were in my stead?

Thank you in advance, I cannot wait to hear from you my friends.

I want to sell it for a fair price

Hello friends, so last week I was practicing some legato lines and playing electric guitar (which causes me more pain due to steel strings) and kept playing when I felt some pain and not thinking much of it. Now my left pinky which has usually been my strongest finger (to the point that I use it more often than my ring finger) feels quite weak and hurts specifically when I play slurs with it. The video in question shows exactly the kind of lines that accentuate the pain. Also, the second part of Adelita which is really simple but requires some pull offs hurts a bit as well. And of course, no need to even bring up Capricho Arabe. The pain can be described as sharp and it radiates in a straight line down to my forearm at times. I also felt hindered by the weakness in movement 1 from La Catedral.

Has this ever happened to you? What can I do to help myself recover? Also can I continue playing guitar during recovery without worsening my state? Any other advice is welcome

My technique is not the best but I hope I at least captured the essence of the piece.