Up or down when starting your trem?

[Alex Orr]

Something that I’ve noticed is that I have a very hard time going from single note to tremolo picking with down picking. What I mean is that for me to tremolo a string, I almost always start my tremolo on an upswing. It’s very difficult for me to start a tremolo picking down on a string. Invariably it feels like I get hung up on the string, or freeze up and lose the rhythm. How bad a habit is this? I’m assuming it’s not a good habit. Anyone else struggle with the same issue?

[Mandolusional]

Personally I think the up stroke is easier to get hung up on. I do a fair amount of double stop tremolo work and it's paid off. My smooth tremolo has gone from "non-existent," to "awful," to "uh okay I see what you're trying to do," to being okay (and getting better by the day!). I recommend taking a couple minutes everyday and just working on that hang up. Whether it's a good habit or bad habit, the way I figure, it is always better to be as versatile as possible.

[hedding]

i haven't struggled with this issue personally but I would say it might be something to keep working on. It will limit your ability to execute a tremolo I think. A lot of music is goign to have the tremolo starting on a down beat which means you should start the tremolo with a down stroke. This will help you get out of it easier if you start with the correct pick direction.

Do you have a probably starting eigth note lines with a downstroke? If not it's probably just something you need to work up to speed. Start very slowly down up down up, with a metronome and slowly work up the speed.

[Philphool]

... It’s very difficult for me to start a tremolo picking down on a string. Invariably it feels like I get hung up on the string,....
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Try making sure that you're hitting the strings with the pick at a slight angle rather than flat-on. This should decrease the feeling of "hanging up" on the string.

Phil

[Alex Orr]

Try making sure that you're hitting the strings with the pick at a slight angle rather than flat-on. #This should decrease the feeling of "hanging up" on the string.

Phil
That's a good idea. I think my pick attack is pretty flat.

[Chip Booth]

You will likely need to be able to start a tremolo on both up and down strokes at some point. It depends on whether you begin the tremolo on the beat or in between the beat in the song, assuming you use standard alternating up/down picking.

Chip

[Ken Olmstead]

You will likely need to be able to start a tremolo on both up and down strokes at some point. It depends on whether you begin the tremolo on the beat or in between the beat in the song, assuming you use standard alternating up/down picking.

Chip
YES!! Using the standard 1/8 note counting per measure (1 & 2 & 3 & 4 &) 1234 are the down beats and the "&" are the up beats. Wherever the note begins that you want to sustain would determine the direction that the tremolo starts. Pick strokes for each measure would be DUDUDUDU.

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[Jim Broyles]

I have just been playing a lot of tremolo and there was not one instance where I started or should have started the tremolo on an upstroke. In fact, it feels so unnatural to me that when I tried to do it I couldn't. My advice is to practice until you can start it on a downstroke.

[Philphool]

Same here. I can "manufacture" a case where starting on the upstroke would be correct, but I've never run into one in the wild.

Phil

[keith_rowan]

pretty new to the mando.. well, not new but i still suck..
anyways, my instructor has me working on a piece he wrote that starts with a 3 string strum on the d a and e strings with the f# fretted and tremoloing (what's the active verb for tremolo?) the f# till the 3rd beat then a b (7th fret e string)
so technically it's starting on an upstroke but not really because the f# is played on the first downstroke...

nevermind

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