Tremolo/brushing behind the bridge

[John Clay]

I have a tremolo question somewhat tangential to the recent thread on right hand position–how do those people who lightly brush or touch the heel of their palm on the strings behind the bridge for lead work adjust their right hand when playing tremolo?

Specifically, do they continue to brush (or even anchor) the heel of the wrist when doing a tremolo? This would appear to involve no change of hand position. When I have tried it, I get a very slow but steady tremolo and a great deal of control, but I can feel that it is tiring my muscles out (a lot of effort from the left side of my wrist) and it does not have the effortless feel of an arched wrist or elbow tremolo. This may be a hurdle that passes if one keeps working at it.

Alternatively, do the behind-the-bridgers lift the wrist upward from the behind-the-bridge brushing position to do the tremolo from an arched wrist position (pivoting the wrist either from a freestanding position or with the fingers or knuckles brushing the pickguard)?

As a third alternative, do they stiffen the wrist and, while brushing the strings behind the bridge (or moving just above the strings) do a tremolo from the elbow?

Here is my situation: When I took lessons from Dave Peters in the late 90's, I learned to play lead breaks while lightly brushing or touching (but not anchoring) my palm on the strings just behind the bridge. I never learned how to coordinate that with the tremolo. Dave taught me to do an elbow tremolo but this may have been a beginner’s crutch . As an aside, I saw Dave play during lessons and some gigs with an elbow tremolo, but he also would switch to a freestanding arched wrist tremolo when playing double strings and (it appeared to me) when going for a tremolo of varying intensity as opposed to a buzzsaw, but I do not remember what was his general default preference for a tremolo.

My problem is that I was able to play an elbow tremolo from the heel-behind-the-bridge position when I had a Kentucky A-style Mandolin years ago, but I gave that away when I bought a Flatiron Festival F. With the "fancy" instrument, the angle was all wrong and I could not do an elbow tremolo (the Kentucky A is much flatter behind the brindge while the carved top Festival F has a bridge that slopes down more sharply toward the tailpiece at the carved, lower end of the mandolin).

As a result, I experimented with a pinky tremolo (very fast, but less expressive or variable in speed and it has a scraping sound on the G string) and with pivoting from a freestanding arched wrist (slow, but with a fuller tone and better for doubletop tremolos).

At times I play lead work from an arched, freestanding position but my accuracy, rythmic drive, and speed (when doing anything other than tremolo) are better when the wrist is relatively flat with the heel of the palm lightly or occasionally brushing the strings behind the bridge.

I have seen instructional videos from Joe Carr and Chris Thile that advocate playing with the heel lightly touching the strings behind the bridge (and Thile referred to a green patch on the heel of his palm from contact with bronze strings), but neither video explained the transition and change in position (if any) from lead work to a tremolo.

Specifically for those with green patches on the heels of your palms, how do you approach the tremolo?

Looking forward to your comments.

--John Clay

[Alex Orr]

I'm curious about this as well. I've played for about a year and felt I was developing a decent tremolo. However, it was from mostly from the elbow. As I recall, I started doing that because Greg Horne advocated it in his instructional material. However, it seemed like all the experts in the tremolo thread kept talking about wrist tremolo, an approach that was like shaking out a match. Since I pick from my wrist with a slight brushing behind the bridge, it seemed like I should start developing my tremelo in this direction. However, I've found it dificult, with neither the tone or the ease of my tremelo-from-the-elbow.

It's interesting to hear that you were playing a tremolo from the elbow on a Kentucky A, because that's what I've been learning on - I wonder if I will have the same issues if I move to an F.

[John Clay]

Good question on the Kentucky A versus the F style. #I should clarify that I can do an elbow tremolo with the pinky as a brace on a Festival F (which is not how I play breaks or rhythm). #What changed was that I could not play an elbow tremolo with the palm resting or gliding just above the strings with the change to a Festival F. #I don't think it is a function of A style vs. F style as much as the angle of the wrist on a fairly flat slope behind the bridge (as might apply with a flat top or slightly arched wood) vs. the more severe angle from the bridge to the tailpin for a carved top.

--John

[Mandolusional]

When I use tremolo, it's from the wrist, and my hand brushes lightly across the strings behind the bridge. That is how I pick in general so there isn't a "transition" so to speak. It's taken me a lot of time and work to get anywhere near decent though and I'm still not there.