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Thread: Resting picking hand behind the bridge?

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    Registered User Pick&Grin's Avatar
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    Default Resting picking hand behind the bridge?

    Now in my 20th year of mandolinin' (how did that happen?!) and working to fine tune some things. I tend to rest the heal of my picking hand (right) on the strings right behind the bridge. Are there reasons to avoid this Does it affect the strings or playing? Should I try to float my hand above? Thanks!
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    Registered User Timbofood's Avatar
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    Default Re: Resting picking hand behind the bridge?

    I try to “float” I have been known to sink though.
    Timothy F. Lewis
    "If brains was lard, that boy couldn't grease a very big skillet" J.D. Clampett

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    Registered User Pick&Grin's Avatar
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    Default Re: Resting picking hand behind the bridge?

    Ha! Guess we have to forgive ourselves.
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    Eternal Beginner Seamus B's Avatar
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    Default Re: Resting picking hand behind the bridge?

    This very recent and ongoing thread might be useful to you:

    https://www.mandolincafe.com/forum/s...-Free-Floating

    I would say that the issue is whether you are actually resting, or whether the side/heel of your hand is merely touching that part of the strings as a kind of anchor or guide. I do the latter, and I have noticed more and more that many other players do as well. Perhaps you grip your pick and your fingers are not anchored on a pick-guard (your pinky for instance). If that's the case, as it with my own playing, it has proven useful to lightly brush the strings with my heel.

    You might want to do what I did. Play a tune or some chords with a floating hand, and then revert to your normal play resting on the strings. If you do not notice a difference (particularly tone and sustain) then it might not be a problem.

    I noticed today that this technique helps me to position my pick behind the end of the fretboard in a particular 'sweet' position that I like for sound quality. Free floating playing tends to end with my pick drifting towards the frets.
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    Registered User Billy Packard's Avatar
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    Default Re: Resting picking hand behind the bridge?

    There is a determined attitude here that there is no "right" way to play the mandolin.

    I have watched people like Chris Thile, Carlo Aonso and others carefully and see many commonalities.

    Here's my two cents worth...

    The right hand is where the music happens, where the pick and the string collide. In the briefest terms, keep your right hand free and above the strings. Don't rest your hand on anything. Keep your extra fingers loosely curled inwards and don't rest them on the instrument or pick-guard. The right hand will have proper balance and move easily with this hand position. Almost all of the hand movement is at the wrist, (not the elbow), so you can see the importance of an unfettered hand.
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    Default Re: Resting picking hand behind the bridge?

    If you lightly rest hand on strings BEHIND the bridge I don't see anything negative. That's what I used to do because I need a reference point. My problem was I didn't stay behind the bridge, I would get right on top of bridge and apply more pressure than I meant to. I installed pick guards and let my pinkie lightly brush it for reference.

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    Registered User Pick&Grin's Avatar
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    Default Re: Resting picking hand behind the bridge?

    Thanks, Seamus, this [and the thread] is incredibly helpful!
    Yes, I brush the heel of my hand, not resting. I hold my pick between my thumb and index finger with my other fingers tucked in, so it really is for navigation purposes. Again, many thanks!

    Quote Originally Posted by Seamus B View Post
    This very recent and ongoing thread might be useful to you:

    https://www.mandolincafe.com/forum/s...-Free-Floating

    I would say that the issue is whether you are actually resting, or whether the side/heel of your hand is merely touching that part of the strings as a kind of anchor or guide. I do the latter, and I have noticed more and more that many other players do as well. Perhaps you grip your pick and your fingers are not anchored on a pick-guard (your pinky for instance). If that's the case, as it with my own playing, it has proven useful to lightly brush the strings with my heel.

    You might want to do what I did. Play a tune or some chords with a floating hand, and then revert to your normal play resting on the strings. If you do not notice a difference (particularly tone and sustain) then it might not be a problem.

    I noticed today that this technique helps me to position my pick behind the end of the fretboard in a particular 'sweet' position that I like for sound quality. Free floating playing tends to end with my pick drifting towards the frets.
    - - - Updated - - -

    Many thanks, Billy!

    Quote Originally Posted by Billy Packard View Post
    There is a determined attitude here that there is no "right" way to play the mandolin.

    I have watched people like Chris Thile, Carlo Aonso and others carefully and see many commonalities.

    Here's my two cents worth...

    The right hand is where the music happens, where the pick and the string collide. In the briefest terms, keep your right hand free and above the strings. Don't rest your hand on anything. Keep your extra fingers loosely curled inwards and don't rest them on the instrument or pick-guard. The right hand will have proper balance and move easily with this hand position. Almost all of the hand movement is at the wrist, (not the elbow), so you can see the importance of an unfettered hand.
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    Eternal Beginner Seamus B's Avatar
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    Default Re: Resting picking hand behind the bridge?

    Quote Originally Posted by Pick&Grin View Post
    Thanks, Seamus, this [and the thread] is incredibly helpful!
    Yes, I brush the heel of my hand, not resting. I hold my pick between my thumb and index finger with my other fingers tucked in, so it really is for navigation purposes. Again, many thanks!
    Something I did that might be useful - I actually rested my hand on the strings behind the bridge and putting some pressure on it. Naturally, it affected the tone, volume and sustain a huge amount, and I mentally noted this in case I started leaning with that much pressure in future. For now, I consider it a manageable anchoring technique that does not affect the sound or my playing (it does not restrict right-hand movement for instance).
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    Default Re: Resting picking hand behind the bridge?

    I brush the strings and sometimes the saddle. I wonder if any guitar players talk about not touching the top of the guitar with their forearm and completely floating the arm across the top. I know they make guitar arm rests, but an extreme few use them. I can't tell any difference in sound. I let my fingers brush the guard and slide across it for a depth control and reference point. I can play with a curled fist, but prefer not to, it is much more comfortable with open fingers. I don't think my playing or sound suffers because of my technique. do what works for you, the pro's do what works for them, and they are not doing it ONE way.
    THE WORLD IS A BETTER PLACE JUST FOR YOUR SMILE!

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    Default Re: Resting picking hand behind the bridge?

    I prefer to rest my hand behind the bridge when I am cross picking or soloing vs planting a finger on the top of the instrument or on a pick guard. When I'm playing chords, I usually do not anchor my hand. I do use an armrest.

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    Default Re: Resting picking hand behind the bridge?

    I wonder if any guitar players talk about not touching the top of the guitar with their forearm and completely floating the arm across the top.
    Endlessly

    Seriously, there are three or four schools of thought on the guitar right hand for flatpicking. The most common is to lightly glide slightly curled fingers on the pickguard. Second is to plant the fingers while picking and float while strumming. The third is to completely free float with fingers curled like mandolin. The last is to palm mute mostly the bass strings, mainly for fingerpicking but sometimes for special effect on jazz or bossa nova styles. Resting behind the bridge like a mandolin does not work too well because you end up too close to the bridge though some will have the wrist on the bridge pins if their hands are big enough.

    Most guitarists use the fingers floating on the pickguard. Dan Crary and Tim May are the primary performers who plant solidly to pick. Dan Crary says say hey started doing it while learning without instructors or video. Tim followed his approach because Crary is really good but neither recommends it. David Grier mostly free floats and a few others have followed his lead but it is difficult with no reference.

    Probably more than you wanted to know.

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    Mediocre but OK with that Paul Busman's Avatar
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    Default Re: Resting picking hand behind the bridge?

    Quote Originally Posted by Pick&Grin View Post
    Should I try to float my hand above? Thanks!
    There's only one way to find out. Try it!Give yourself a while to get comfortable with it before you make a decision.
    I used to plant my hand there until I saw Chris Thile fairly close up at a concert. He floated his hand and I noticed that it gave him a very supple wrist. I went home and worked on it, and I've been doing that ever since.YMMV
    I still plant on my Irish tenor banjo. I find it keeps unwanted harmonics under control. It's a light plant though
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    Registered User Pick&Grin's Avatar
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    Default Re: Resting picking hand behind the bridge?

    Quote Originally Posted by Paul Busman View Post
    There's only one way to find out. Try it!Give yourself a while to get comfortable with it before you make a decision.
    I used to plant my hand there until I saw Chris Thile fairly close up at a concert. He floated his hand and I noticed that it gave him a very supple wrist. I went home and worked on it, and I've been doing that ever since.YMMV
    I still plant on my Irish tenor banjo. I find it keeps unwanted harmonics under control. It's a light plant though

    Ha! Good point, Paul
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    Registered User Timbofood's Avatar
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    Default Re: Resting picking hand behind the bridge?

    Quote Originally Posted by Paul Busman View Post
    There's only one way to find out. Try it!Give yourself a while to get comfortable with it before you make a decision.
    I used to plant my hand there until I saw Chris Thile fairly close up at a concert. He floated his hand and I noticed that it gave him a very supple wrist. I went home and worked on it, and I've been doing that ever since.YMMV
    I still plant on my Irish tenor banjo. I find it keeps unwanted harmonics under control. It's a light plant though
    A pinball wizard has such a supple wrist!
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    Registered User Ivan Kelsall's Avatar
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    Default Re: Resting picking hand behind the bridge?

    Pick&Grin - I do exactly the same & it's in no way detrimental to either my playing or the tone / volume of my mandolins !,
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    Default Re: Resting picking hand behind the bridge?

    While I do believe free floating is best, I also "brush", or lightly touch with my forearm, palm/wrist, and pinky. I think the combination of all three together or even one at a time give me good reference, agility, and let the mandolin sing with as little damping as possible.

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    mandolin slinger Steve Ostrander's Avatar
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    Default Re: Resting picking hand behind the bridge?

    I guess that would eliminate the need for a string damper
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    Default Re: Resting picking hand behind the bridge?

    Reasons to avoid: you'll probably at times cross over to left of bridge and mute the sound, you can's easily alter your picking point (bridge to 15th fret) to change tone/string tension. But Bill did it: http://www.mandozine.com/techniques/...righthand.html
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    Default Re: Resting picking hand behind the bridge?

    If I was just strumming chords I wouldn't need to brace my hand anywhere. But if I want to pick the melody, I need to brace my hand against the strings behind the bridge.

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    Default Re: Resting picking hand behind the bridge?

    My right hand 'floats' when playing chords,but for picking the melody line,i really need to rest my right hand somewhere for total control over my picking,
    Ivan
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    Default Re: Resting picking hand behind the bridge?

    I have fairly narrow finger rests on my mandos and tend to let my ring finger and pinkie lightly brush the finger rests I play for a point of registration. Since putting an arm rest on, I don't rely on the finger rest as much. The arm rest also is helpful in getting the arm and wrist in the right position and makes playing that in sweet spot right at the end of the fingerboard much easier- seems to have improved my tone.

    Edit: after reading a post by Pops1 in another thread on to pickguard or not, I would add that my finger rests are quite narrow, finely sanded ebony, angled down 15 degrees from the plane of the fingerboard, and suspended only by two pins into the side of the fingerboard extension blocks.
    Last edited by Rob Roy; Feb-17-2018 at 12:09pm. Reason: addition

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    Default Re: Resting picking hand behind the bridge?

    I'm only building/playing A5 hybrids with F holes these days and I have fairly narrow finger rests on my mandos. I am not a planter but tend to let my ring finger and pinkie lightly brush the finger rests as I play for a point of registration. I would add that my finger rests are quite narrow, finely sanded ebony, angled down 15 degrees from the plane of the fingerboard, and suspended only by two pins into the side of the fingerboard extension block. I can see how someone would be repulsed by a big piece of cheap plastic attached by a metal bracket on an otherwise beautiful instrument, not exactly elegant.

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    coprolite mandroid's Avatar
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    Default Re: Resting picking hand behind the bridge?

    Made those rubber grommets completely un nessisary..
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  43. #24
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    Default Re: Resting picking hand behind the bridge?

    Quote Originally Posted by Ivan Kelsall View Post
    Pick&Grin - I do exactly the same & it's in no way detrimental to either my playing or the tone / volume of my mandolins !,
    Ivan
    Cheers, Ivan! Good to know

    - - - Updated - - -

    Quote Originally Posted by Steve Ostrander View Post
    I guess that would eliminate the need for a string damper
    Ha! Truth, Steve.
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    Default Re: Resting picking hand behind the bridge?

    In my quest to improve my picking hand technique, I've been thinking a lot about the issue of where my picking hand rests, plants, or brushes. I'm not a pinky-planter, and I don't have a pickguard/finger rest on my mandolin, so I'm trying as much as I can to "float." Inevitably, however, I fnd the heel of my hand coming into contact with the strings.

    Here's my issue: when I think about where my right hand makes contact with the strings, it tends to be right *above* the bridge more on the bass side of the instrument, and it's the heel of the thumb that makes contact. When I hear you all describe your technique, however, it sounds like you're making contact moreso behind the bridge on the treble side of the instrument, and that it's the bottom part of the hand, not below the thumb, that is making contact. Is that correct?

    If so, and in my quest to not brush above the bridge, the only thing I've been able to figure out is to pull my whole arm back, so that I'm picking further below where the neck ends. Does that sound like a good solution? Or any other ideas? Maybe slightly roll my picking hand away from the mandolin, so that my picking attack is at more of an angle?

    Sorry if this is hard to follow -- I never realized how hard it can be to describe the movement of my own hand.

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