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Al di Meola hand position

Description

Hello! My question is about the correct hand position for playing in the Al Di Meola style, so that one can move fluidly between (1) fast DSX picking, both muted and unmuted, and (2) Al’s trademark “down, down up” arpeggios. As you’ll see in the clip, I find (1) and (2) are hard to reconcile, because (1) is most comfortable with my hand almost parallel with the strings, with muting achieved with the base of the palm; whereas (2) is most comfortable with the hand at a roughly 45–degree angle to the string, which requires muting to be done with the side of the hand (in ‘karate chop’ style). If I try to stick in position (2) at all times, muting single-note lines is very difficult and requires me to switch to USX, which I don’t think is what Al does (his hand position seems more or less fixed) and which I find less comfortable. Here is a reference of some of Al’s playing in this style, if helpful: https://youtu.be/Q5QQXplG7sw?si=CTYq5XEIBtPmq4lA - my understanding is he is usually in position (1) i.e. basically parallel with the string at all times, whereas generally I’m more comfortable in position (2), i.e. with hand at the top of the bridge and at an angle to the string, especially as you don’t have to move the arm much or at all for string changes.