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Posts: 1240
Joined: Nov. 6 2008
From: Sydney, Australia
Resting Thumb question
Guy, quick question. When you guys rest your thumb on the low E, does it contact with the soundboard as well? I find that for myself sometimes it contacts and sometimes it doesn't. Does it make a different whether it contacts with the string AND soundboard vs just the string itself?
If you watch Paco and many of those influenced by him, you will see him hook his thumb around the sixth string, with the back of the thumb contacting the soundboard. This is a Paco innovation as far as I know.
I've never tried it. My thumb contacts just the string, but I'm an old-style player, having learned in the 1960s-1970s.
i think it really doesn't matter, and you either learn to do it the way you think (or are told) it's right or just let your hand adjust so that your fingers touch the strings at the optimal angle...i do the latter - i always have my thumb against the soundboard because my hands are quite big and it feels better this way and consciously dampen the string with the side of my thumb...
It kinda depends on your guitar's string height at the bridge. I touch the soundboard a little on guitars with low string height. Don't think it matters much though.
I am not sure what you want to know and i also don't understand Richard Jernigans answer.
Paco (or many others) sometimes hook the thumb (like Richard described) when they want to play a rasg. or something, but other than that rest the thumb there in a very normal position, depending on what they want to play.
In fact, most of the time Pacos thumb rests there very normal , even when playing the Rasgs (whereas many other players play a lot with hooked thumb their rasgs).
And sometimes the thumb touches the soundboard and sometimes not (for instance sometimes when i play arpeggios or if the thumb is going to be used immediately, the thumb has a little more distance to soundboard, so doesn't touch it, and is ready to play the E-string or something else).
So you have basically all types , depending on context and depending on what the thumb is going to do next (if anything).
actually I totally agree with Ron.M because Paco and Vicente are two of the best flamenco players and they play in a very different way especially for the thumb . I examined many of their movies ( tryin to copy their right hand placement/movement ) and each of them use different way with his P.finger . pst. vicente's thumb is so strange , it almost makes the letter * L * when he moves it backwards and it drives me crazy
Another unusual thumb was Sabicas'. The nail curved down over the end of the thumb. Instead of moving more or less parallel to the strings, the thumb struck the strings nearly perpendicular. Alzapua was so fast it was literally a blur. Thumb runs were also blindingly fast.
There is a story (legend?) (myth?) that Segovia asked Sabicas to play for him for hours, and was fascinated by the thumb. Having heard and seen both men up close several times (Sabicas more than Segovia), I would say Sabicas was considerably superior to Segovia technically, though of course both were magnificent artists.
Well I know guys are saying it is somewhat individual, but I believe if you are playing a flamenco guitar with a good set up when your thumb is resting on the 6th string letting it also be against the soundboard helps you to really dig in for flamenco sounding arpeggios and picado. To me you can get more power in the arps and the picado than if you just rest it on the string only unless you really press down on that 6th string a bit.
RE: Resting Thumb question (in reply to chapman_g)
I usually DON'T have it touching the soundboard. I've noticed that when I play rasgueados or use certain techniques with my thumb on the sixth string, I sometimes produce an inadvertent golpe right above the sixth string with the side of the thumb's joint (the interphalangeal joint) on flexing that joint.
I guess this isn't very on-topic in this thread, but I thought it was interesting. And maybe can be made into something creative / useful.
Young guy. He will be in California performing in June. Thumb goes to rest against the soundboard, and when not on the soundboard resting on a string, and he's got the punchy strong sound you get by letting that thumb rest. Or maybe it is not his technique or the recording, but just the percussive sound of one of those orange blancas from China
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vicente's thumb is so strange , it almost makes the letter * L * when he moves it backwards 
and it drives me crazy 
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