"rest" picking?

[Raoul Duke!]

so, I just started taking lessons with a teacher at my college ( I'm a first semester music major) and he's just been teaching me this technique called "rest" picking, where the pick rest on the next string, and the pick is supposed to "oscillate" in you had, so using light picks is preffered for it. thing is, he's a bit of a space case and never fully explained it to me beyond that. has anyone heard of this technique at all? or furthermore, why it would be used?

[Mark Wein]

It's news to me...maybe I don't totally understand....

[Raoul Duke!]

mhmm.... I guess it's sorta cause he's a MASSIVE jazz/classical purist, maybe it helps with chord melody stuff? I've been practicing it, and it definitely helps top notes in chords to ring out a little better, but other than that, I can't really see how it works in the context of single note lines...

[Steadfastly]

Not sure if this is the right answer for you but my instructor has taught me to do rest the pick on the next string for two reasons:

1: It helps you identify where you are with your picking hand and
2: The next string may be the one you're going to play anyway so you're already there if you're resting your pick there from the last note.

I'm not sure about the "oscillating" point though or what he means by that. Oscillating means to swing back and forth (like and oscillating fan, for instance) and I don't see where that would be helpful but I'm certainly no expert.

[Jasco]

Rest strokes are a common picking technique for classical and flamenco guitarists as well as bassists (all with fingers). The only group of pick-style guitarists that regularly use rest strokes are gypsy jazz guitarists.

Here are some threads from this forum that discuss rest-strokes in more depth. If you have any questions after reading them, feel free to ask:

http://acapella.harmony-central.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1847364&highlight=rest+strokes

http://acapella.harmony-central.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1857212&highlight=rest+strokes

http://acapella.harmony-central.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1870385&highlight=rest+strokes

[Raoul Duke!]

Rest strokes are a common picking technique for classical and flamenco guitarists as well as bassists (all with fingers). The only group of pick-style guitarists that regularly use rest strokes are gypsy jazz guitarists. Here are some threads from this forum that discuss rest-strokes in more depth. If you have any questions after reading them, feel free to ask: http://acapella.harmony-central.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1847364&highlight=rest+strokes http://acapella.harmony-central.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1857212&highlight=rest+strokes http://acapella.harmony-central.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1870385&highlight=rest+strokes

 

 

ahh thanks! those really clarified idea for me..... now I see what he is getting at... So, just so I'm getting this right, rest stroke when downpicking on the same string, and when picking adjacent strings as well? what about string skips?

[Jasco]

ahh thanks! those really clarified idea for me..... now I see what he is getting at... So, just so I'm getting this right, rest stroke when downpicking on the same string, and when picking adjacent strings as well? what about string skips?

 

 

Rest-strokes wouldn't be used when you have to skip strings.

 

You can use them as down or up strokes, just resting your pick into the next adjacent string after picking. (You can't do a rest stroke as a downstroke on the high E string, or as an upstroke on the low E.)

 

For the most part, use rest strokes for notes that you want to accent. Also, they can help with articulation for sweep picking.

[mcmurray]

I've been practicing it, and it definitely helps top notes in chords to ring out a little better

 

 

 

You got it. This is why you do it. Also, when I started lessons, I would do this with single notes aswell, just to get used to picking the same amount of pressure with every stroke.

[gennation]

It's used in classical guitar, it's called a "rest-stroke". When you pluck down you actually rest the picking finger on the string below the one you just plucked.

 

It can also be used for teaching sweeping picking, , but more so when learning economy picking. Sure both are essentially the same but most people relate sweep picking to arpeggio's and economy picking to scales/single-note playing. But, that's just terminology, that are actually the same.

 

In economy picking, when you play across two parallel strings moving from a top one to the next one down, you pick down on the top string and then down again to bottom string. This way you can use one motion/stroke to play across two parallel strings. Some find it much easier than trying to alternate picking with a down stroke of the top string and an up stroke on the bottom string.

 

The rest-stroke is a good tool to learn when starting out on economy picking because to pick down on one string and rest it on the next string, and then you can continue to picking down to play the next string.

 

It's kind of hard to explain in text. Try these two notes pinking the A string with a down stroke, then ending that stroke by resting on the D string, then play the D string using a down stroke from the resting place (two notes, across two strings, one pick direction=economy picking):

 

 

 

E--------------------

B----------------------

G------------------------

D--------3------------------

A-----5---------------------

E----------------------------

D D

 

 

Here's a scale using the idea (remember to rest on the parallel string):

 

E----------------------------------------------------5--7--8--

B------------------------------------------5--7--8------------

G--------------------------------4--5--7----------------------

D----------------------4--5--7--------------------------------

A------------3--5--7------------------------------------------

E---3--5--7---------------------------------------------------

D U D D U D D U D D U D D U D D U D

 

 

Now in classical guitar you continue using it for as a specific technique. The economy picking you start to lose the idea because when you speed it up there's not really any "resting" taking place. But, it's a great technique to get your pick where it needs to be to execute the next note in economy picking.

 

Hope that made sense.