Right hand correct position

Paulius Volkovas

Should my right hand wrist be totally floating in the air while playing or it can lightly touch the strings. I also used to rest my pinky on the guitar body under first string, but i know its not a right way, so i'm trying to avoid this.

Mark DS

Check out this video http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GkmkhgfKtrI , hopefully the upper right corner will answer some of your questions.

Jazzaferri

I do not think that very lightly brushing the top (NOT resting) with fingertips aproblem. Lots of players do that.

The wrist should not be anywhere near the strings nor should the arm be reting on the top

oliverf

For really fast rest-stroke gypsy picking, is it correct to "snap" your wrist? Not sure how else to describe it. It feels like the hand has to be pretty tense to play sixteenth notes at 140bpm with consecutive down strokes.

MichaelHorowitz

oliverf wrote:

For really fast rest-stroke gypsy picking, is it correct to "snap" your wrist? Not sure how else to describe it. It feels like the hand has to be pretty tense to play sixteenth notes at 140bpm with consecutive down strokes.

I generally relax my hand more as I play faster....if you're tensing up that will probably just slow you down and tire you out.

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marcelodamon

I concur with Michael, it is simply NOT possible to play fast with the "brakes" on (i.e. increased muscule tension) so to speak. In order to get to level of virtuosity that Django had, as well as his disciples Bireli, Angelo, Stochelo, et cetera, you have to audit your technique and dispose of any extraneous movements or tension(s). I wrote a post on this on djangology.net a while back addressing this very thing. Give it a read if you like

http://www.djangology.net/2011/07/the-i ... conomical/

For anyone starting out or trying to improve in this day and age of youtube and the like, consider yourself lucky! I started playing gypsy jazz back in 1996 when there wasn't Youtube and the like to actually view rest stroke technique in practice. Needless to say, I didn't learn rest stroke picking until I went to my first Django fest in 2003 (thanks Gonzalo for demonstrating ), so I had to learn all over. There are plenty of videos out there demonstrating HOW it should be done. I recommend Stochelos videos especially since his technique is flawless.

Since everyone's physiology is different it is only a matter of applying the VERY orthodox techniques to your musculature. Additionally, I also recommend transcribing a solo that you physically CANNOT play up to speed and practice that solo every day until you CAN. This is what I have done for the last year or so as I have transcribed 90% of the CARAVAN album by the Rosengerg Trio. More specifically, I have spent the last few months on the solo to Caravan and just today I was FINALLY able to play it at 100% speed. Now I will learn to play it at 110% speed just to give a 110% effort! I use "The Amazing Slow Downer" for this process.

oliverf

Does anyone know exactly how Django's technique was passed down? I speak some french but I haven't heard of any transcriptions by Django himself about his technique. I assume that the rest-stroke technique was observed and passed on to other players.

Jazzaferri

Stochelo comments a few times about the necessity for having a very relaxed hand in his gypsy waltz DVD when he is talking about the more difficult pieces.

I can't see how anyone can play any instrument well with a lot of tension. Somewhere in another thread about tremelo I read someone saying to press really hard. If that is wn fact what I read that is not the way to get good vibrato imo

Passacaglia

Jazzaferri wrote:

Stochelo comments a few times about the necessity for having a very relaxed hand in his gypsy waltz DVD when he is talking about the more difficult pieces.

I can't see how anyone can play any instrument well with a lot of tension. Somewhere in another thread about tremelo I read someone saying to press really hard. If that is wn fact what I read that is not the way to get good vibrato imo

I completely agree, Jay. In fact, I can't say I know anything good that comes from a place of tension. Like the Buddha, I suppose, in my experience it takes a lot of effort to realize you don't need a lot of effort.

oliverf

Thanks for the info about tension. I agree about playing with some kind of metronome and building up the speed. To break through a certain plateau I find it comes down to modifying something just slightly.