Keep downstrokes on the beat?

daniel108

Hey all, with gypsy picking, when crossing strings with downstrokes, is there also an effort to keep downstrokes landing on the beat?

Say you’re playing a an ascending line starting on open B string to open E string, then continuing up the E string to the octave (just a simple scalar run). If you strictly keep downstrokes on beats, the string change can sometimes force two downstrokes in a row. So it can become down - down (string change) - down (on beat) - up - down.

I’m fine with the rest stroke and crossing strings, but that extra down stroke starts to feel pretty awkward at speed. How do people usually handle this?

littlemark

I've never heard of anyone doing that.

voutoreenie

I usually follow the traditional advice of downstrokes for switching strings so (almost) always on 1/4 notes and anything licks/phrases that are slower. Upstrokes for playing 1/8 notes on the same string. Although that said, I do cheat on a few fast licks, so long as the projection from the up stroke matches the downs and the lick sounds "clean" when being played. But main point is downstrokes generally have much more ideal tone, which is why it's good to use them always on the slower stuff.

Say you’re playing a an ascending line starting on open B string to open E string, then continuing up the E string to the octave (just a simple scalar run).

I'm having trouble conceptualizing this...are you saying the note progression is something like (open) B, (open) E, one more note (?) and finishing up on B at the 8th fret on the high E to complete the octave?

I’m fine with the rest stroke and crossing strings, but that extra down stroke starts to feel pretty awkward at speed. How do people usually handle this?

Do you mean the down stroke from open B to open E? If so, that sounds kinda like kicking into the Dinah lick (B, E, Gb, G, Gb, E, B) where it's a combination of sweeps and picking. And to that end, while ascending and playing double downs, vast majority of the time it's going to be sweeping into the next string and that technique can take time/practice to bring up to speed (especially when transitioning into alternate picking immediately after).

Hopefully that makes sense...I thought it did but reading back now I'm not so sure.

Joonas

No, usually not. But in the Hal Leonard Gypsy Jazz book it is advised to end a phrase with a downstroke, which could mean two downstrokes in a row. I've also noticed (as much as I've been able to analyze his playing, I have his DVD) that Stochelo Rosenberg prefers to start, in an ascending-descending lick, the descent with a downstroke, which could mean two downstrokes on the high E. And I myself like to play like this too, although I don't have the speed. Basically, wherever you want to, and if you're able to, you can "correct" the pattern with two or more downstrokes on a single string. But in Stochelo's case, what I just described, could actually mean that he deliberately starts the descent with a downstroke on an upbeat. But I think there is an explanation to that too. This way, if he has many following string changes he can make the first one easier, because that way he makes the first string change from an upstroke, if he just played two notes on the high E.

paulmcevoy75

Not totally sure what you're asking but afaik with basic gypsy picking you're really not concerned with what part of the beat you're on. It's not really correlated to the rhythm of the phrase.

It's mostly related to how many notes go on each string.

Certainly people do different things but in general I don't think the rhythm is controlling things.

If you have a descending phrase that starts with 3 notes on the highest string though, you can start on an upstroke so the next string gets a downstroke. But you can only do that for the first string. After that, if you have an odd number of notes, you'll end up doing a double down to descend.