Lesson number 25-ish

Played badly. Actually, I played the basic technique exercises well - 4 note arpeggios, 6 note, triplets across all strings. Smooth, quite fast, good rhythm. Then my teacher pulled out an old exercise we haven't done for a long time, one that switches the picking: 6-5-4-5-3-5-4-5...5-4-3-4-2-4-3-4. First I forgot the chord progression, then my fingers fall apart. After that, it's all downhill. Play Bulerias. It’s not terrible but the compas is poor. And my technique creeps as the glare of my teacher intensifies: I start playing my thumb strokes from my thumb instead of from my wrist; my three finger rasgueado sometimes becomes a 2 finger rasgueado. He reminds me: sit in front of a mirror, watch your technique. If it still sounds good that’s not so bad but it’s undermining your attack and therefore your flamenco feel.
However, I don’t like the mirror. I don’t like watching myself. You should never see yourself as others do, you should live in your own mind. Watching your self is what narcissistic actors do and the greedily ambitious young politician as they climb the slippery pole. But I’ll do it, for the sake of my technique, for the sake of flamenco, and remember these points:
1. Play your thumb from your wrist not your thumb. Your thumb should stay in front of your first finger always.
2. Play the rasgueado slowly and deliberately until you’re certain you have the rhythm. Keep the count, feel the count. Be aggressive to internalise it. Then speed up. Drop it into your practising regularly. For the rest of your life.
3. Remember: in Bulerias everything starts on 12. Apart from when it starts on 11. And apart from when it starts on 1. And apparently apart from when it starts on 4, the half compass that I hear about but like the young boy fearful of kissing a girl for the first time am frightened of.
So, back to the mirror….