where do you rest your hand and wrist

Terry Sneed · Post by **Terry Sneed** » 15 Jun 2004 6:13 pm

if you play a D10, where do you rest your hand on E9 and your arm on C6? just want to see if most players rest their hand and arm bascially in the same position.

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84 SKH Emmons Legrand D10
session 400'rd Steelin for my Lord.

Ray Montee (RIP) · Post by **Ray Montee (RIP)** » 16 Jun 2004 6:11 pm

Are you really supposed to "rest your hand and/or arm" by allowing it to lie atop a bank of strings or pickup cover?

My right hand, the heel portion, resting lightly on the strings is what I do. I move it right or left as required.

Ron Randall · Post by **Ron Randall** » 16 Jun 2004 7:21 pm

I don't rest my hand or arm while playing. The hand just hovers. While not playing, the heel of my right hand rests lightly around strings 8,9,10.
ain't that weird?

Sidney Malone · Post by **Sidney Malone** » 16 Jun 2004 8:11 pm

Well I've got a slight groove in one of my pickups caused by the 12th string and a bad habit of resting/anchoring my right hand. A very good reminder of poor technique as a beginner!!

I agree that neither hand or arm should be rested anywhere unless your not playing. It can cause you to have the wrong pick angle while moving across the strings as well as slow bar movement with the left hand.

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Fessy S-12U, Future MSA Millennium S-12U, Stereo Steel

Terry Sneed · Post by **Terry Sneed** » 17 Jun 2004 6:17 am

well, maybe a better word would have been position your hand/arm.

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84 SKH Emmons Legrand D10
session 400'rd Steelin for my Lord.

David Doggett · Post by **David Doggett** » 17 Jun 2004 7:50 am

For the richest harmonics in your tone, you want to be picking just over an octave above where your bar is. If you are at exactly an octave, the harmonics can be so strong as to be a little distracting. Because the frets are so close together, if you pick around the 18th fret, you will be close enough to the octave to get good rich tone for most bar positions in the first octave of the fretboard. If you have your bar above the 12th fret, you will need to move your picking back accordingly. Of course, if you want cleaner tone without the rich overtones, you need to back your picking off closer to the changer. And if you want a lot of bite on your low strings, you can pick very near the changer. So it depends.

Although it might be poor form on a 10-string, on a 12-string resting your palm heel on the lowest strings may be good form. It keeps them from resonating and causing bar noise. I find I do that naturally, and notice that Joe Wright does too, so it can't be all that bad. [This message was edited by David Doggett on 17 June 2004 at 08:52 AM.]

Ricky Littleton · Post by **Ricky Littleton** » 17 Jun 2004 10:08 am

My forearm rests on the C6 neck, but I keep a guitar cloth over the strings to keep oils and acids off them. I have a little piece of velcro on the front edge of the C6 neck and that holds my cloth in place over the strings, changer and pickup.

My right hand "hovers" over the strings of the neck I'm playing, so there's no contact other than my picks unless I happen to be palm or "pinky" blocking.

Then, that's just me...

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Emmons LeGrande - 8x4
Session 400 Ltd
Dan-Echo, E-Bow, Ibanez Distortion, Boss Comp./Sustain, Ibanez Auto-Wah, PX4 Pandoras Box

Colm Chomicky · Post by **Colm Chomicky** » 17 Jun 2004 5:08 pm

I notice that my wrist seems to rest on the C6th. Maybe thats partly a function of guitar construction on how close the necks are. I don't know if the way I rest my wrist is good form. All I know about good form is it seems that the easy way to do things is probably bad form

Does any one let their whole arm hover?

Robert Porri · Post by **Robert Porri** » 17 Jun 2004 8:36 pm

question - The purpose of a pad is to rest on it while you play- correct? Seeing I have a pad and have been learning this way I'm curious if there are many stong opinions that you shouldn't rest at all. I use a Carter Starter in my lessons, and don't rest on it and never thought the transition awkward either.

Bob P.

Jim Ives · Post by **Jim Ives** » 18 Jun 2004 11:12 am

I use a terrycloth wrist band on my right wrist which I then let rest on the C6 neck. These wrist bands can be obtained in the tennis supply section of any sporting goods store for about $4.00 each.

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Mullen D-10
Sho-Bud Pro II D-10
Boss RV3
Fulltone Full-Drive II
Evans FET 500
Peavey Nashville 1000
Vox wah-wah pedal

Terry Sneed · Post by **Terry Sneed** » 18 Jun 2004 12:14 pm

Robert, the way I see it there would be no need for makin SD-10's if we wadn't supposed to rest our arm on the pad. I'm like you, I thought that's what they were for. I rest my arm on C6 right over the pickup. I position my pick hand right below the pickup on E9, where I can see most of the pickup. I'll have to try one of those wrist straps.

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84 SKH Emmons Legrand D10
session 400'rd Steelin for my Lord.

Ray Minich · Post by **Ray Minich** » 18 Jun 2004 12:57 pm

Startin' out on a 6 string lap steel, then later a 6 string Supro on legs, there was no place to rest anything. I guess the habit or method of keeping the arms in the air carries forward.

David Doggett · Post by **David Doggett** » 18 Jun 2004 1:10 pm

It comes down to what you are comfortable with. There are top pros who play SD with a rest, and top pros who don't. I rest the heel of my picking hand lightly on the lower strings of my S12U, but I find the pad on a SD is just in the way and henders my mobility. The C6 neck of a D10 is also a little in the way, but the strings are slicker than the pad, and are situated lower. I started on piano where a great deal of attention is payed to proper hand and arm positions. So from that standpoint, the idea of having a big wide thick sticky pad between me and the playing surface of the instrument just seems really wrong.

Colm Chomicky · Post by **Colm Chomicky** » 18 Jun 2004 4:18 pm

Given the piano example and some other posts, seems like there is one school of thought indicating that wrist or arm wresting might not be the best form.

I myself (a rank amateur) pretty much rest my wrist on the C6th strings when playing the E9th. With the C6th lower, it does put a bend in the wrist that might cause some folks problems?

Just like typing with wrists bent is not good for carpal tunnel, etc. maybe that applies to steel. Ergonomics. I use lousy ergonomics.

With all the other things to think about when playing, if a fella were trying to change a habit, sounds like one way to teach your wrist or arm not to do too much resting is to buy an LDG and replace the pad with a bed of nails?

PS does anyone know if any instructional videos, maybe Jeff Newman's Right Hand Alpha, etc address say wrist angle ?[This message was edited by Colm Chomicky on 18 June 2004 at 05:25 PM.]

Terry Sneed · Post by **Terry Sneed** » 21 Jun 2004 12:42 pm

why would sombody buy an SD-10 if they were not goin to rest their arm on the pad? why not just buy an S-10? their cheaper anyway.
yes, I rest my arm on the pad when playin an SD-10 and on the strings of a D-10. maybe that's why I still play like a beginner.

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84 SKH Emmons Legrand D10
session 400'rd Steelin for my Lord.

Ray Minich · Post by **Ray Minich** » 21 Jun 2004 12:50 pm

I lied

but it was unintentional, I checked myself for this behavior this weekend and, of course, I cheated. Turns out I rest my wrists on the pad SOMETIMES...

Dave Burr · Post by **Dave Burr** » 21 Jun 2004 1:28 pm

THE main man is resting his arm in this picture, so I don't see why I can't...

http://www.buddyemmons.com/NRMJ3902.htm

Respectfully,
Dave Burr

Lincoln Goertzen · Post by **Lincoln Goertzen** » 24 Jun 2004 8:02 pm

I figure, if it sounds good, do it! I rest my right hand/arm on my C6th neck (gotta use it for something, just kidding) and TRY not to rest my left hand/arm while I'm playing. But that's if I'm not tired, or if I'm really concerned that my lick sound "fluid".

Just do whatever feels natural AND sounds the way it should. If your playing sounds choppy, then that is the first thing I would check.

Lincoln

Robert Porri · Post by **Robert Porri** » 24 Jun 2004 8:18 pm

Colm,

I have one Jeff Newman video so far, Pedal Steel Guitar Techniques Part One & Two (both are on one DVD). Part 1 goes fairly well into right hand angle. No resting was mentioned, but as far as angle, he talks about a pyramid sort of shape with the large knuckle at the top. At least at the point he did this video, he talked against what he called the "claw"(I think that's what he called it) type of hand parallel to the strings position but also said a lot of players use it. Given other things I've heard him say, I think he was more open to different approaches than he sometimes let on. But, I'm new, know almost nothing, and I'm just developing ideas based on what everyone says and what I experience. The basic answer to your question is yes, Jeff Newman covers it in his instructional material. Probably also in the one you mentioned.

Bob P.

Jim Smith · Post by **Jim Smith** » 24 Jun 2004 8:21 pm

But Jeff only played single neck guitars in his videos.

Robert Porri · Post by **Robert Porri** » 24 Jun 2004 8:38 pm

Yeah Jim. I was just responding to Colm's question about whether angle is discussed on any of Jeff Newman's videos. I do use my pad and I try to keep the angle Jeff Newman talks about also. I sure wish he was still with us so he could someday tell me that I'm doing it all wrong.

Bob P.

Colm Chomicky · Post by **Colm Chomicky** » 25 Jun 2004 2:45 pm

Robert,
Thanks, for the info. Sounds like Jeff's video's are pretty informative.

kbdrost · Post by **kbdrost** » 26 Jun 2004 4:47 pm

I just realized that for 20-plus years I've had my right forearm firmly anchored to my C6 neck when I play E9. After reading this post, I tried letting my right arm "hover." To me, it feels almost like I'm doing a lateral raise with my right shoulder. The forearm still touches the strings, but it doesn't rest on them. I couldn't believe the results. I was much faster and cleaner in my picking. It was so much easier to grab different string combinations across the entire width of the neck. My blocking was better, and my speed picking sounded like the second coming of Paul Franklin (NOT!)

No wonder I always seemed to play better on the C neck. I've had several teachers over the years, and none of them pointed out this problem. They had to invent the internet before I could learn how to play.

Thanks for the help, guys.

BTW, Jim, I also use the terrycloth wrist band. I like the double wide model. It's really cool if you can get them with the logo of local sports teams. I thought I invented that trick. Another misconception crushed by the internet.

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Ken Drost
steelcrazy after all these years