A few beginner questions

djadam · February 2007

Would it be accurate to say that in rest stroke picking, the movement is initiated by the wrist and driven by gravity?

Do you generally hold the pick the same way for playing rhythm as you do with the rest stroke picking? If so, then I'm also playing rhythm "wrong". Am I going to impede my ability to learn rest stroke by continuing to play rhythm while holding the pick "wrong"?

5 months, 30 days to go...

MichaelHorowitz · February 2007

djadam wrote:

Would it be accurate to say that in rest stroke picking, the movement is initiated by the wrist and driven by gravity?

Exactly...use as much as gravity as you can.

Do you generally hold the pick the same way for playing rhythm as you do with the rest stroke picking?

The grip is the same...however, if you're switching back between rhythm and lead, it's usually better to turn the pick inward and use the side of it for rhythm. Gives you less resistance and a nice "swoosh" to your playing. This will all be explained in the forthcoming Rhythm book.