Classical Guitar Technique

HOW TO USE REST STROKE WITH THE FINGERS TO BRING OUT A MELODY WITHIN AN ARPEGGIO
Part 2 of 2

Copyright Douglas Niedt. All Rights Reserved.
This article may be reprinted, but please be considerate and give credit to Douglas Niedt.

The hardest moments in Sor's Study No. 5 in B minor — and many pieces like it — come when the thumb must play its bass note free stroke at the same instant a finger plays the melody rest stroke. Part 2 of 2 solves this with a six-step planting method, drills covering every string and finger combination, and applications to studies by Carcassi and Sor, the anonymous Romance, and Lauro's Vals Venezolano No. 3.

There is an Elephant in the Room

When you play the guitar, it seems as though there is ALWAYS an elephant in the room. You are working your way through a piece and all is well. But suddenly, the composer introduces something which is different from everything else in the piece. All the techniques that were easy to execute do not apply to this situation and you must learn a different technique to solve this new problem.

In this Sor study and many other pieces, that elephant is all the instances where the thumb must pluck its bass note with free stroke simultaneously with one of the fingers playing its note rest stroke.

It happens in the very first measure. Example No. 15:

It happens frequently from measure #25 through measure #32. Example No. 16:

The elephant makes its final appearance in the final eight measures. Example No. 17:

Playing the melody with rest stroke on the other measures will probably not be a problem. But using a finger to play a string rest stroke simultaneously with the thumb playing a string free stroke can be difficult.

How to Simultaneously Play Rest Stroke with a Finger and Free Stroke with the Thumb

Watch me demonstrate the technique in this next video. Then, you can proceed to read and review the steps below. Video No. 10:

1. Set (plant) the thumb ("p") on the 5th string.

Place and leave the thumb on the 5th string.

2. Play only the 1st string with "m" rest stroke. "p" is still planted on the 5th string.

Be sure "m" is pulling INTO the guitar to produce a full-bodied tone. Relax the tip joint enough to allow it to hyperextend slightly. In other words, allow it to bend backwards a little bit. Or you can think of letting the tip joint "give". Or, think of it as collapsing slightly. Use whatever thought works best for you. Do NOT keep it stiff or straight. You can still play rest stroke with a straight tip joint, but the sound will be more hard-edged and percussive. In most pieces, we want a full and warm tone on the melody.

Be certain to use standard rest-stroke technique. Place the finger on the string so that the string touches the left side only of the fingernail. Also, be sure the string is in contact with the flesh and fingernail simultaneously before plucking the string.

If you are getting caught in any way on the fingernail you are most likely not contacting the string correctly. If both sides of the fingernail contact the string, the fingernail will catch. If the flesh contacts the string before the fingernail (instead of simultaneously), the fingernail will click and catch. In some instances, the nail may be too long or shaped incorrectly.

3. Play only the 5th string free stroke with "p". Plant "m" on the 1st string.

Be sure your hand is in the same position as in Step #2 when "m" was playing rest stroke. Make sure the "m" finger is locked on the 1st string with the flesh and the left side of the fingernail simultaneously.

Play the 5th string free stroke with the thumb. Play quietly. Notice that your thumb is pulling upwards a bit more than it usually does. That is correct and okay.

4. Alternate playing "m" rest stroke and "p" free stroke.

A. Play the 1st string four times with "m" rest stroke. Play loud.
B. Replant "m" on the 1st string.
C. Play the 5th string quietly four times with "p" free stoke.
D. Repeat over and over.

5. Plant "m" on the 1st string and plant "p" on the 5th string. Do NOT pluck any strings.

Pull the 1st string into the guitar with "m" (as if doing a rest stroke). At the same time, pull the 5th string slightly upward with "p" (as if doing a free stroke). Do not pluck either string. Then, release the tension keeping "m" and "p" on their strings. Pull firmly on both strings simultaneously and release the tension simultaneously.

Keep the fingers on the strings and repeat the apply tension/release tension movement over and over. Again, do not pluck the strings. Watch the video below to be sure you practice the exercise correctly.

As always, make sure the "m" finger is locked on the 1st string with the flesh and the left side of the fingernail simultaneously.

6. Plant "m" on the 1st string and plant "p" on the 5th string. Pluck the strings simultaneously.

Plant "p" and "m" then pluck. Plant "p" and "m" then pluck. Repeat about 10 times. Example No. 21:

If you have difficulty:
1. Check that the flesh/nail contact of "m" on the 1st string is correct every time BEFORE you pluck.
2. Be sure the hand is leaning back in rest stroke position.
3. Alternate between Step #5 and Step #6.
4. Also, you can go back and watch me demonstrate the steps again in Video #10.

This Sor study and others contain a multitude of string combinations where a finger plays the higher note rest stroke and the thumb plays the lower note free stroke.

In order that you can handle any circumstance you may encounter in the repertoire, I recommend mastering all possible string combinations with all finger combinations as well. Example No. 22:

Use Rest Stroke with the Fingers to Bring Out a Melody Within an Arpeggio on Other Pieces as Well

Here are a few more pieces that immediately spring to mind where one can use this technique. And as I point out in the video, you may decide you do not want to use rest stroke for the entire piece but only for certain phrases or passages.

Study No. 3 in A Major, Op. 60 No. 3 (Matteo Carcassi)

Study No. 2 (as numbered by Segovia) Op. 35 No. 13 (Fernando Sor)

Romance, Romanza, or Romance de Amor (Anonymous)

Vals Venezolano No. 3 (Antonio Lauro)