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

Bones

This may be a weird question but how can I be sure I'm really doing a 'half rest stroke' on the double downstrokes? And not still doing a rest stroke and hitting the next string. It's hard for me to tell at faster tempos. I want to be sure I'm practicing the half rest properly.

Thanks

Hemert

I wouldn't worry myself to much with that. Just make sure you practice your muscle memory correctly at slower speeds and when you gradually speed up it should work out! You can always record a close-up video of your right hand and slow it down in post to check your technique of course!

Bones

That's a good idea. I'll try to figure out how to video my right hand and slow it down. Is there an easy way to slow down a video and post it? I just have a very crappy old camera and have not used it much.

Thanks

Scoredog

use your phone or I-pad if it isn't good enough we can use mine.

Charles Meadows

Hey Bones are you having trouble with double downs in triplets or just fast eighth notes? Christiaan's advice for me with the triplets has worked wonders.

Bones

Ok, I can play the video back in slo-mo on my media player but I don't know how to save it in slo-mo so I put it up on Youtube in regular speed.



thanks

Bones

Hey Charles, I'm not sure if I'm really doing half rests on the triplets or eighth note double downs. At slow tempos I can do it but at faster tempos I'm not sure if I am still really doing a half rest.

MattHenry

@Buco nice playing, man!

Jazzaferri

As long as you are smooth, getting rhe articulation you want and your timing is on, doesnt matter whether you are doing a half or not at speed. Listen carefully to your attack on the downbeat and see if you hear the ones thT are on and the ones that are right on, those that are on the tront side and those that are on the back side. I suggest ....Only practice slowly til you can can control that....then worry about speeding up. I know I still struggle with wanting to jump ahead before I truly have something grooved, but it is faster to get it right from the get go.

Buco

Hey thanks Matt, that was even before my morning cereal!

You know one more thing this relaxed grip has helped with is this: I've been using Pyramid strings and I love them when playing at home but when I play live they would feel like they're losing tension and become super slinky and would lose the pop. I thought it's some weird reaction of them warming up but since the last show I realized that when playing live I would dig extra hard and they couldn't take it. These strings give my guitar wonderful sounding overtones and since adjusting my technique I get to like them both ways.