Re: picking up/down symbols in flatpicking guitar

[Rachael Thomas Carlson]

On Thu, 2013-06-13 at 00:48 +0200, David Kastrup wrote:
> Thomas Morley <address@hidden> writes:
> 
> > Well, in classical Guitar-scores the strike-direction is _always_
> > related to the pitches.

What does that mean?
> 
> Even for 0-14-14-13-0-0 ?
> 
> > ↑ means from bottom-pitch up to top-pitch. Always. I'm not aware of
> > any exception.
Up-arrow, as indicated above, is a strum, or pluck with a plectrum,
towards the floor.
> >
> > In notated Flamenco-guitar-music the same.
> >
> > Only in guitar-music to be played with a pick it's the opposite.
> > This inconsistency is disturbing.
> 
> To be fair: with a pick you can play a single string in either direction
> and pitches are no longer a help for figuring stroke direction.  When
> playing classical guitar, you don't play a single string with the back
> of a finger.  A tremolo is done by alternating fingers, not by reversing
> the stroke direction.
> 
In Flamenco as well as in fingerstyle guitar there are instances where one 
produces a tremelo by rapid strumming with the index-finger of the right hand.  
Another instance, in classical guitar, would be in the first movement of 
Kazuhito Yamashita's transcription of Dvorak's Ninth Symphony.  I don't have a 
copy of that readily available.  But it is a quick succession of the index 
finger back and forth across the strings.  I do have examples in fingerstyle 
guitar (Leo Kottke) where strike direction is indicated by arrows within the 
tablature.  An ^ up-arrow indicates a strum towards the floor. 

Rachael
source: degree in guitar performance