Pick direction question

[Rich]

I was playing mando with a friend of mine and noticed when he switched from the E to A string on a series of note that his pick direction changed (two ups). I commented on this and he said it was easier and faster that way. This was your normal 16th note series in 4/4 time. I said you should always maintain the up-down for technique, timing, and speed reasons. We left it at that, but I want some more opinions? Anyone think it's faster or better to swich srings with two ups vs. the up-down?

[Tom C]

Downs on the beat, ups on the off beat. It is too difficult to do up up. If you need to play that same tune at a different tempo it is harder to change the timing between the of up up compared to simple up down with the beat.

[onlyagibsonisgoodenuff]

I know that Jesse MacReynolds uses a down-up-up technique for his crosspicking. I tried to learn it that way, but it was too difficult for me. I crosspick with a down-up-down-up stroke. Never heard of anyone playing 16th notes with mixed down-up-up strokes.

On the other hand, I was at a banjo workshop given by Alan Munde once where one of the better students told Alan that it was easier to play a particular passage in Huckleberry Hornpipe the way this guy had figured out, rather than the way Alan had done it. Alan replied, "It's not easier for me."

http://www.mandolincafe.net/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/coffee.gif

[Cactus Jack]

Whatever works for YOU, is the "correct" way. Try the set way (for example on a tablature), but after awhile if another way works better for you, go for it!

[Jasper]

One advantage to altering the down on the down beat and up on the off beat is to emphasize a stroke more, even though it may not be on the proper down beat.

[John Flynn]

When I took a workshop with Jody Strecher, he pointed out something that I hadn't realized before. If you are really concentrating on it and doing it for demonstration, you can make an upstroke sound just like a downstroke. However, the way most people actually play a tune, especially if they are playing fast, only one string in a course will sound on an upstroke. If the other string sounds at all, it is very weak. However, both strings in a course will sound equally on a downstroke. Just something to think about.

I do DUU when I crosspick, however. I just never warmed up to DUD for that.

[Pete Martin]

Downstroke on the beat puts the emphasis on the beat, where most styles of folk music like the emphasis. For crosspicking, the advanytage of down on the beat, up on the offbeat (I've played both ways) is you can get in or out of the pattern at any point in a measure, it is more versatile. With down, up, up, most players have to play a complete pattern before they can get out of it.

[rhetoric]

I'm the last person who should be making this observation because I'm new enough to be completely wrong, but I THINK I was really screwed up by everybody saying "Down Up Down Up," because that's not really what you do. Not legalistically, anyway.

What actually happens is that your HAND goes "Down up Down up" but you don't necessarily PICK "down up" -- that's because there aren't necessarily NOTES on every beat. Should there be a rest or something your hand should keep "bobbing" but you deliberately skip a pick on the rest and therefore end up doing two downs or two ups. This may seem self-evident, but it was royally botching me up when I was forcing myself to go down up when the timing/nature was telling me to do otherwise. Tom C said downbeat and upbeat -- I think that's a better way of describing it.

From the guy who knows about 10 fiddle tunes.

[Alanede]

You will be a much more versatile musician if you can break the Down-on-the-downbeat Syndrome. Half of the fiddle tunes are more easily played up-on-the-downbeat; Soldiers Joy comes to mind. Most tunes have sections that are more easily played one way or the other
and transferring requires a down-down or an up-up on adjacent pairs of strings. This leads to a crosspicking style which can be very effective. As an example:
http://www.bluegrassstuff.com/banjo-l.html
Tune #8. This is played on a mandolin-banjo, using a flatpick, and is as readily played on a mandolin. It is not easy!
Alan
Mandolin-Banjo Man