Resting the right hand thumb

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Billyboy

Posts: 389
Joined: Aug. 18 2003

Resting the right hand thumb

There is just one flamenco technique I’m uncertain on, and that is the resting of the right hand thumb on the bass strings whenever poss, when doing arpeggios etc, and when the thumb is not playing anything, Do you guys rest the thumb when doing forward and reverse arpeggios ?, I find its one of the hang ups from my Classical guitar days that my thumb seems to hover when doing them, as the fingers tend to hit the wrong strings when I rest my right hand thumb, but most pro guitarists seem to rest the thumb constantly.
Cheers
Dave

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date May 19 2004 21:35:02

Miguel de Maria

Posts: 3532
Joined: Oct. 20 2003
From: Phoenix, AZ

RE: Resting the right hand thumb (in reply to Billyboy)

I'm almost always resting the thumb...

But glad to hear that you know ALL other flamenco techniques!

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date May 19 2004 22:10:29

duende

Posts: 3053
Joined: Dec. 15 2003
From: Sweden

RE: Resting the right hand thumb (in reply to Miguel de Maria)

Hey B boy. keep on resting that thumb.

Du----en-----de----

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date May 19 2004 22:16:11

Escribano

Posts: 6415
Joined: Jul. 6 2003
From: England, living in Italy

RE: Resting the right hand thumb (in reply to Billyboy)

I rest my thumb on the E when not using it for everything. The bit I can't do is the thumb rest stroke on the tremelo, so I don't.

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REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date May 20 2004 8:12:50

Ron.M

Posts: 7051
Joined: Jul. 7 2003
From: Scotland

RE: Resting the right hand thumb (in reply to Billyboy)

Hi Dave,
I guess when you're playing arpegio with the thumb ascending (EAD) then the thumb is usually in contact with a string when playing rest strokes, but if playing a descending thumb line (DAE) then it's mainly unsupported.
I tried some stuff out and found that when playing one of those endless "naked" arpegios in Tarantas I have no preference as to whether the thumb's on a string or in the air.
I would reckon to be able to play both ways can't do any harm.

cheers

Ron

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date May 20 2004 8:42:56

Jim Opfer

Posts: 1876
Joined: Jul. 19 2003
From: Glasgow, Scotland.

RE: Resting the right hand thumb (in reply to Billyboy)

Dave,

Yes, always placed on 6th string unless in use.

Cheers
Jim

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date May 20 2004 11:11:33

Billyboy

Posts: 389
Joined: Aug. 18 2003

RE: Resting the right hand thumb (in reply to Jim Opfer)

Cheers, I find the tremelo thing difficult resting the thumb also. Panaderos Flamenco is a good example for the importance of resting the thumb. , when I say arpegio I mean the p imami where the thumb comes to rest on the coresponding bass string, I find this awkward.
Thanks
Billyboy

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date May 20 2004 11:38:35

Jim Opfer

Posts: 1876
Joined: Jul. 19 2003
From: Glasgow, Scotland.

RE: Resting the right hand thumb (in reply to Billyboy)

Dave,

I find that resting the thumb in tremolo helps me to regulate and control the technique. Likewise in arpegio and picado.
My own technique is built around this and if I have my thumb up in the air for no good reason, I find it hard to play.

Cheers
Jim.

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date May 20 2004 13:19:47

Miguel de Maria

Posts: 3532
Joined: Oct. 20 2003
From: Phoenix, AZ

RE: Resting the right hand thumb (in reply to Billyboy)

Dave, sounds like you're still contaminated from classical playing. Rest that thumb, boy!

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date May 20 2004 15:01:33

Filip

Posts: 403
Joined: Apr. 23 2006
From: Paris

RE: Resting the right hand thumb (in reply to Billyboy)

Hey all,

What would be the proper way, if there's any, to play two notes using thumb + i/m/a together? Should the thumb rest or not?
For example, the three notes on E, A and again A bass strings:

---3-------3--5-7----------7/5-3-------- 2/3-2------2-----
---------7----------------5-----------------------5-3-3----
-------0----------------0------------------------------2----
--------------------------------------------------------4----
----------------------3--------------------2-----------------
---0----------------------------------------------------------

I guess the first and the third bass make sense to be played with the rest stroke since the next note to be played with the thumb after that is a note on a lower string, but how about the second bass note (though it's only a thumb note) since you need to play the same string again after that? The way I play it now is all three with rest strokes, and I guess what I'm sometimes doing is playing the bass and then the treble string in sequence but really fast so it almost sounds like it's at the same time.

Cheers

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Nov. 21 2020 16:47:44

Ricardo

Posts: 14799
Joined: Dec. 14 2004
From: Washington DC

RE: Resting the right hand thumb (in reply to Filip)

quote:

ORIGINAL: Filip

Hey all,

What would be the proper way, if there's any, to play two notes using thumb + i/m/a together? Should the thumb rest or not?
For example, the three notes on E, A and again A bass strings:

---3-------3--5-7----------7/5-3-------- 2/3-2------2-----
---------7----------------5-----------------------5-3-3----
-------0----------------0------------------------------2----
--------------------------------------------------------4----
----------------------3--------------------2-----------------
---0----------------------------------------------------------

I guess the first and the third bass make sense to be played with the rest stroke since the next note to be played with the thumb after that is a note on a lower string, but how about the second bass note (though it's only a thumb note) since you need to play the same string again after that? The way I play it now is all three with rest strokes, and I guess what I'm sometimes doing is playing the bass and then the treble string in sequence but really fast so it almost sounds like it's at the same time.

Cheers