Does anyone use the rest stroke?

[MarkRhodes]

His wrist angle is on high end of the rest stroke picking spectrum, but too low is to be avoided for sure,
And high works fantastically if you are comfortable with it. I have a lower wrist angle myself. But there's still an angle.

Thanks for clearing that up, Christian.
When he mentioned Hendrix (my childhood guitar hero) and SRV, I knew what he meant. I had a poster of Hendrix (in performance) and his wrist was cocked. I wasn't thinking about pick grips and such back then, much less why one would cock a wrist while playing. But he definitely did that at times.

[TKO]

I'm really getting into this - I put strings on to my first guitar first time in years. It's a beater nylon string acoustic, but I wanted the larger acoustic guitar feel which you really can't get on a solid body (tele)..

Also, I decided I'm going to do the traditional "downstrokes only on a new string" way properly first before I start experimenting with the style.

[whiskey02]

Garrison Fewell advocates the rest stroke on page 31 of "A Melodic Approach" as a means of articulation.

[MarkRhodes]

Every time I mess around with this, I like the sound and feel of it.

The video above (post # 73) was especially helpful to me because it clarified the relevant angle of the pick. My wrist angle is nowhere near that high. I would say it's at the low end. Maybe it will gradually get a bit higher. We'll have to wait and see, I guess...

[Alter]

High wrist angle is the norm in gypsy playing, but you don't see it that often in jazz or most other styles for that matter. You see the wrist movement, but not the high angle

[MarkRhodes]

Garrison Fewell advocates the rest stroke on page 31 of "A Melodic Approach" as a means of articulation.

Does he describe the wrist angle?

[whiskey02]

Does he describe the wrist angle?

No, he suggests it simply as a means of articulation. Interestingly he suggests to initially try using Wes thumb style to emphasize the effect of a rest stroke making notes "pop". There's no specific wrist angle to use, except for the one that works for you.

[Jehu]

Here is Fewell talking about and demonstrating the rest stroke:

[Alter]

man, he was such a kind person and a great teacher and player! Really into playing simply, melodically and beautifully on the guitar!

[WillMbCdn5]

No, he suggests it simply as a means of articulation. Interestingly he suggests to initially try using Wes thumb style to emphasize the effect of a rest stroke making notes "pop". There's no specific wrist angle to use, except for the one that works for you.

He might advocate using a thumb approach first because you can really "feel" the contact as it begins to happen on the string below and coming to rest on the next sting or tapering off the downward stroke motion rather than quickly arresting or abruptly stoping the motion . Bit of a subtle distinction but one that makes it easier to execute at least for me.

Will

[whiskey02]

man, he was such a kind person and a great teacher and player! Really into playing simply, melodically and beautifully on the guitar!

I never had the pleasure of meeting Garrison but from his books and one or two email conversations, I feel like I was his student. Enough at least that when he died I felt a real loss. I bought his self published book from 1984 which he mailed to me about a week before his death. He included a copy of his transcription of Jim Hall's solo on Black Orpheus. The envelope with his hand written return address was lying next to my computer when I logged onto this sight and read that he was gone.
Cancer sucks.

[MarkRhodes]

I never had the pleasure of meeting Garrison but from his books and one or two email conversations, I feel like I was his student. Enough at least that when he died I felt a real loss. I bought his self published book from 1984 which he mailed to me about a week before his death. He included a copy of his transcription of Jim Hall's solo on Black Orpheus. The envelope with his hand written return address was lying next to my computer when I logged onto this sight and read that he was gone.
Cancer sucks.

A most touching post. Thank you for it.

[Alter]

i studied with him for a year or so. He would play all these tunes and melodies in such a simple and minimal manner, and make it look so effortless and fluid. Then you 'd try to keep up ... . He was great at that aspect of playing, and a very kind and considerate person. I learned so much about playing a melody from him, you 'd listen to him play and you 'd think, ok, that's the way a guitar is supposed to be played.

[destinytot]

I found this video useful. (The guy who made it used to post here often. I'm not sure why he stopped.)

Superb - thanks!

'Half rest-stroke'... who'd-a thunk it?!

[MarkRhodes]

Superb - thanks!

'Half rest-stroke'... who'd-a thunk it?!

"Half-rest stroke" was a new one on me too.

That is the best video on this subject that I have seen. Dani has a great habit of introducing a subject with a short, simple question and then answering it. ("Okay, what do I mean by 'half-rest stroke'?" Or, "Why is that important?") Focused yet relaxed. And he covers the main things--well; and clearly---in just a few minutes.

[christianm77]

This connects with the lesson above:

[drbhrb]

This connects with the lesson above:

Thanks for that. I was always puzzled by the non-adherence-to-doctrine that you see the pros say one thing and do another.

[christianm77]

Thanks for that. I was always puzzled by the non-adherence-to-doctrine that you see the pros say one thing and do another.

Practice like a scientist, play like a drunk.

[MarkRhodes]

This connects with the lesson above:

Christian, I watched that over the weekend. I've been doing down-up-down triplets up all six strings and then back down. It's a good exercise. Good and s-l-o-w at the moment. ;o)

[Jehu]

I've tried Wegens and a few other boutique gypsy picks, but in the end I settled on the one Mark mentioned above (though the 1.5 thickness) for gypsy jazz.

For all other applications, I use this one in a .96:

[Jehu]

Oh, and I use the back corner (rather than the point) of the pick for everything.

[TKO]

I've been at it with the basic (green) 0.88 Dunlop picks. Seems to work for now at least, even though my practice has been mainly on a tele with .11's on it because my acoustic guitar was in a pretty horrendous/unplayable shape in the end (action is mile high and the neck has bowed a bit).

[Alter]

i just use fender mediums for everything nowdays, but for a heavy pick i like the tone of these Dunlop 208 a lot. I never liked expensive, one of a kind picks, because no matter what the pick is, once the tip wears off (which for me is days to a couple of weeks of playing) i throw the pick away. So i buy the 144 fender pack from musiciansfriend, done!

[MarkRhodes]

I've tried Wegens and a few other boutique gypsy picks, but in the end I settled on the one Mark mentioned above (though the 1.5 thickness) for gypsy jazz.

For all other applications, I use this one in a [D'Andrea].96:

I like D'Andrea Medium picks and prefer them to Fender Mediums (though the difference is slight.) Haven't tried a .96.

The only 1.5s I have around are Pro Plecs. Lot to like about those picks but when I'm not plugged in (which is most of the time) they sound a little too "clacky" for me.

[MarkRhodes]

TBH I use whatever pick comes to hand.

I had some Wegens, but I lost them. Now I use standard picks often 1.5 mm. Thicker picks can help at first tho.

I used Jazz IIIs for a long time and some other over-1mm picks but when I tried to learn Benson picking, I went to thinner picks. Mediums, mainly. (Robert Conti---not a Benson picker but a very fast guy I've learned a lot from---uses a .38. I have paper that is thicker than that! Those picks are "all give." But Conti can fly with them.) But for rest-stroke picking (-especially learning it) something heavier seems to be called for.

Christian, just out of curiosity, do you know any Gypsy pickers who use thin picks?

Funny thing. Even though I normally play unplugged, which means I only hear acoustic sound from my guitar, I'm keeping the flatwound strings. I am now flatwound guy.