The Spanish word ‘apagado’ means ‘quenched’ or ‘silenced.’ That is exactly what happens in this Flamenco technique, which parallels the more familiar pizzicato technique in ‘classical’ music. Apagado can be performed by both the right and left hands.
Right-hand Apagado: Bring your right hand down sharply onto the strings after striking them. This should be done in such a manner that the base of your little finger and the edge of your palm stop the vibration of the strings immediately. To make the stop happen, simply push your wrist sharply toward the front plane of your guitar.
Left-hand Apagado: You can also stop the strings instantly by damping them with the little finger on your left hand. Bring your little finger straight down across the strings at a right angle to them immediately after your right hand sounds a chord. Your little finger needs only a moment’s rest across the strings in order to silence the guitar’s sound. Do not press the strings against the fingerboard; rather allow your fingers to descend quickly and gently upon them.
Right-hand apagado is more powerful, while the left-hand apagado offers more agility, allowing you to repeat it quickly, forming successive staccato (abrupt) chords.
