trajectory of pick

vendredi

My question is about the actuall direction of pick as it travels towards the string. I raise my hand and am about to let it fall.. should I let it fall more towards the sound hole? straight down towards the ground? or more towards the bridge? This will also help me understand how I am to raise the pick as well.. I think. Thanks.

jovation

With the rest stroke, the stroke is down, angled towards the sound hole, with the goal
of the pick resting on the next string (thus, the term "rest stroke").

I mentioned in a prior post how, when played with downstroke based rest-strokes,
the gypsy tone comes through, which to my ears sounds like a guitar crossed with
a hammered dulcimer. The angled downstroke rest-stroke provides that sort of
hammering on the string.

klaatu

I would add that your stroke should be downward enough that when you are playing the 1st E string, where there is no next string to rest against, the fingers of your right hand will hit the top of the guitar. I've seen some some players push through the 1st string so firmly that the pick itself actually sometimes clicks against the top (a good reason to have a pickguard).

sam.james.lucas

Hi, I'm new to the gypsy picking style and I'm a little bit confused about pick trajectory when playing rest strokes on the first string.

I find I'm using the same motion as with the other strings but because there's no string to rest on it's naturally following through and hitting the top of the guitar, resulting in an unfavourable clicking sound.

Maybe my overall right hand technique needs refining or I'm also wondering do people play the first string rest stroke slightly different to the other strings?

Passacaglia

klaatu wrote:

I've seen some some players push through the 1st string so firmly that the pick itself actually sometimes clicks against the top (a good reason to have a pickguard).

Ben, I do this as a matter of course, a fault, I thought, and I've been trying to correct it (I don't even do lead anymore, really, just warm up with various Stochelo phrases, and waltzes, e.g., Dolores - but this does tend to happen when I do play lead). Do I understand correctly, this is a tendency if doing a proper rest stroke?

MichaelHorowitz

sam.james.lucas wrote:

Maybe my overall right hand technique needs refining or I'm also wondering do people play the first string rest stroke slightly different to the other strings?

I find that if you have the remaining fingers of your right hand loosely touching the top they act as a sort of shock absorber when playing the high E string.

My pick never hits the top when playing the high E string and I haven't noticed that among the star players either so you should be able to avoid that with practice.

Good luck!

Michael

Jazzaferri

Plus one to what Michael says.

C'est le meme pour moi, even though I am not a star player

sam.james.lucas

Ok thanks so much for your tips, I'll experiment further with 1st string rest strokes and also lightly touching my fingers on the guitar.

Out of interest, I haven't yet had the pleasure of playing a GJ guitar, and have begun to learn on my Taylor acoustic. I notice the bridges do look a small bit higher on GJ guitars, is there any significant difference in the height of the action?

My 1st string is 0.8 mm height from the pick guard, in the area a bit behind the sound hole where my right hand is positioned.

Jazzaferri

The actions will be about the same but in some GJ guitars there is a little more distance between the strings and the top at the bridge.

dmin7th

sam.james.lucas wrote:

My 1st string is 0.8 mm height from the pick guard, in the area a bit behind the sound hole where my right hand is positioned.

If you're saying that your first string is that close to the body of the guitar, that would certainly explain why you're hitting the body with your pick a lot -- you have no room for the pick to travel after it follows through the string.

Compared to your Taylor, the gypsy guitars do have higher bridges and there is more space between the string and the body behind the sound hole (where you are picking).

sam.james.lucas

Ok, yeah I do find that 0.8mm gap quite tight! It could be why I'm having difficulties, I think a bit more space and I'd be ok.

I'm living in a small town for the next month or so and don't have the chance to examine any GJ guitars. Would anybody be kind enough to measure the height of the 1st string around the right hand area on a GJ guitar?