Rest Stroke "relax" - how? And a few other questions

Scoredog

Just for curiosity, and I am probably opening a hornest nest but this is my technique or lack there of after 2 yrs plus of Gj playing. Quick take of my light playing.

https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/31773631/IMG_0346.MOV

Jazzaferri

Good fun that.

One thing I noted is there were a couple of faster bits where you may have flipped to alternate picking, but that couldnhave just been camera anngle and light. Maybe a quarter of the way through.

The chord strum at the end looked more like arm movement than wrist moment.

Hope that may be of some use to you.

Scoredog

Thanks for the listen!

Sometimes I can't figure out what I am doing or have done in retrospect but often on fast runs I have worked out where I like to play certain things with alternate picking and because of the fingering a double down rest is not called for.

Not concerned with the arm thing I can play tremelando fine.

Most concerned with volume and tone at fast speeds.

Hemert

@Scoredog
At this angle your technique looks to be in good shape! Lots of cool ideas also, nicely done!

If I were in your position I'd look around for a fast way to learn some standard gypsy jazz licks to flesh out my solos. I think the two easiest places to get those are either Denis Chang's site or the Rosenberg Academy.

Buco

Wrist and pick holding looks different that what I remember. Looks and sounds good. Perhaps less volume/attack but more fluid, unless I'm biased by this thread.
Your left hand is great, the rest is a matter of time which for you comes fairly quickly seems like.

Scoredog

First...Thanks Christiaan, being I have no real feedback where I live from guitarists it's comforting to know I figured it out...with some help from Denis, a couple of lessons on line, Gonzalo, couple of live lessons and the finishing touches, as of now are this thread.

I have a huge list of licks I have copped and mostly lose in the heat of the moment which I have stolen from Django, Stochelo, Denis, Gonzalo, Joscho, Robin etc etc, but one can never have too many licks except I think my brain only retains a certain amount. When I learn a new lick another exits through some bodily opening and starts floating into the universe possibly never to return. When the odd one does return I take it out for dinner. A bit more seriously, licks are easier to remember for me at mid tempo and slower tunes. I have bought things from Denis, he really cares, you can tell as do you also. The giving of information and videos on this forum is really generous of both you and Denis. I'll try some RA just for something fun to do. I can watch videos and figure out pretty much what I want, the problem is finding time to seamlessly work them into my playing so they are not licks but free flowing ideas. At fast speeds most (not all) of my ideas are personal licks I have worked on through theoretical knowledge and fretboard observation.

Buco you are quite observant, though I would have not wasted time watching my old vids if I were you. This thread got my hand from a tight enclosed position to a bit more open, took a couple of weeks to sink in.

Buco

It's funny how there's this school of thought about how you should hold your picking hand as if it had a fistful of change in it but how many top guys can you think of that play with that style?
Romane is the only one that comes to mind at the moment that does it and does it well.

Charles Meadows

Kamlo Barre told me to pick like I had a cigarette lighter in my hand! Felt OK. But thanks to Christiaan's expertise I am finding relaxing while still employing a Stochelo type grip is working.

Buco

Actually Kamlo was another player I had in mind and I noticed his/this style at DiJ. I didn't mention him cause while he is a fine player I was gonna quote only recognized masters of the genre and among those I can't think of anyone else besides Romane.

Scoredog

I chose to make the switch from the tight grip to the looser one more for personal reasons. I am pretty tightly wound so I figured the looser hand would get me to relax more easily.