Warmup Exercises for Tremolo Practice

Arpeggios (40-60 minutes)

A major cause of a rhythmically uneven tremolo is a lack of finger independence between "m" and "a." Unlike "i" and "m," they have little natural independence between them. One must work consciously to develop that independence. One of the best ways to build "m-a" independence is to practice the argeggio patterns "p-m-a-m" and "p-a-m-a."

But it is also important to develop speed and independence between the "i" and "m" fingers. Practicing "p-i-m-i" and "p-m-i-m" are important arpeggios for improving the traditional "p-a-m-i" tremolo and even the reverse "p-i-m-a" tremolo. They are especially important if you choose to play the non-traditional "p-i-m-i" or "p-m-i-m" tremolo patterns.

Therefore, practice these four patterns on open strings in the order shown:

Taking it a step further, some guitarists recommend practicing these patterns not as arpeggios but as actual tremolos:

Personally, I have found that practicing the patterns as arpeggios helps my overall right-hand technique, arpeggio playing, and tremolo more than practicing the patterns as tremolos. But experiment and see what works best for you.

The Daily Arpeggio Practice Procedure

• Initially, for the first week or two, practice the arpeggios only for about 10 minutes to acclimate and strengthen the muscles. Then, to prevent straining your hand, over a period of two to four weeks, gradually work up to a full 30-minute session each day. During your practice session, increase your speed by increments of five beats per minute (BPM) on a linear-scaled digital metronome, or notch by notch on a logarithmic-scaled traditional metronome.
• Begin at 80 beats per minute (BPM) with the tick falling on the thumb AND the third note of the arpeggio pattern. If you can start faster, that's great. However, if you start even a little too fast, your right hand and right-hand fingers will almost imperceptibly tense up, making it impossible to play at high speeds. It is always better to start too slow rather than too fast. Even a small amount of tension in the playing mechanism will be amplified as you play faster and faster causing no end of problems. To be on the safe side, after finding the slow easy tempo at which you believe you are playing with no tension, subtract about ten beats-per-minute and begin there.
• Practice the patterns in order. Play them on open strings first. After a week or two, you can graduate to holding chords. However, do not change chords in the middle of a pattern. We want to focus on the right hand, not chord changes. Later, you can progress to using a fun piece titled "El Abejorro (The Bumblebee)" if you wish.
• Play each pattern for at least ten to twenty seconds and play all four patterns at each speed setting. Pay particular attention to the two patterns using "m" and "a." The natural lack of independence between those two fingers is a major cause of rhythmically uneven tremolos and arpeggios.
• Practice at varying volume levels, especially very quiet and very loud.
• Be sure to accent the third note of each pattern. The accent will help keep the arpeggio rhythmically even. If the downbeat and upbeat are placed rhythmically precisely, the entire arpeggio will usually be even. Think of the thumb as the downbeat and the accented note as the upbeat. At slower speeds, instead of having the metronome tick only on the thumb strokes, have it tick on the thumb AND the accented note.
• Start every day at your slow speed and increase the speed notch by notch (or in fives if your metronome is digital). Over a period of thirty minutes, increase your speed until your control falters. Do not graduate yourself to the next notch until you have complete control of the current speed setting.
• Keep track each day of your starting speed and fastest speed. As you increase the fast speed, you will be able to increase your starting speed as well.
• Meet or surpass your top speed every day. Keep track of your speeds. Write them down. This is precision work. Remember, never begin at too fast a starting speed that could produce tension in the hand or fingers.

You will need to practice these four right-hand patterns 30 minutes every day for three to six weeks before you will see improvement. But if you stick with it, you will see your speed, evenness, control, and right-hand finger independence on your tremolo and ANY arpeggio improve dramatically.

Rasgueados (intersperse 20-30 seconds of these within your arpeggio warmup every five minutes)

If you have little experience practicing rasgueados, READ THIS FIRST!

Rasgueado exercises are very beneficial to building right-hand strength, right-hand finger speed and independence, and general right-hand relaxation. They also develop and improve your fast-twitch reflexes which will also be helpful for developing your tremolo. However, when practicing rasgueados, you must protect your guitar, your nails, and hands. Over practice of rasgueados is a leading cause of right-hand injury. Again, READ THIS FIRST!

First, a reminder on the notation or downstrokes and upstrokes:

Rasgueado Basic Down and Up Strokes

Although there are dozens of rasgueado exercises, we only need to practice some basic downstrokes and upstrokes. ("c" is the right-hand little finger.)

Practice at a slow to moderate speed. Eventually work up to 180 BPM for a half note (ticks on "c" and "m.")

"Étude No. 1" by Heitor Villa-Lobos (10-20 minutes)

If you are using the non-standard "p-i-m-i" or "p-m-i-m" tremolo pattern, you will find it is easier to play a rhythmically-even tremolo since they eliminate the "a" finger. However, they are much harder to play fast than the standard "pami" tremolo pattern. Therefore, if you decide to use one of the non-standard patterns, I strongly recommend practicing Villa-Lobos' "Etude No. 1" every day. However, do not use the published fingering in the Max Eschig and other editions. Instead, use Pepe Romero's right-hand fingering that uses only the thumb, index, and middle fingers.

Practicing Villa-Lobos "Etude No. 1" with the Pepe Romero right-hand finger pattern is one of the best exercises to increase speed with the right-hand "im" fingers and will greatly improve your tremolo speed with the "p-i-m-i" or "p-m-i-m" tremolo patterns.

The practice procedure for the Villa-Lobos Étude No. 1 arpeggio pattern

• Do not play the piece. We want to focus on the right hand. We don't want to concern ourselves with chord changes. Instead, you can hold random chords from the piece, easy folk guitar or "cowboy chords," or play on open strings.
• Over a period of 15-20 minutes, start every day at a slow speed. As with the arpeggios, if you start even a little too fast, your right hand and right-hand fingers will almost imperceptibly tense up, making it impossible to play at high speeds. Even a small amount of tension in the playing mechanism will be amplified as you play faster and faster causing no end of problems. It is always better to start too slow rather than too fast. To be on the safe side, after finding the slow easy tempo at which you believe you are playing with no tension, subtract about ten beats-per-minute and begin there.
• Start every day at your slow speed. Hold a chord and play the arpeggio until it feels even and under control, probably about 30-60 seconds. Increase the speed, hold the same chord or a different chord and play the arpeggio until it feels even and under control. Continue to increase the speed notch by notch (or in fives if your metronome is digital). Over a period of 15-20 minutes, increase your speed until your control falters. Do not graduate yourself to the next notch until you have complete control of the current speed setting.
• Keep track each day of your starting speed and fastest speed. As you increase the fast speed, you will be able to increase your starting speed as well.
• Meet or surpass your top speed every day. Keep track of your speeds. Write them down. This is precision work. Remember, never begin at too fast a starting speed that could produce tension in the hand or fingers.