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Old 09-05-2016, 07:47 AM
JonPR JonPR is offline
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"Towards the top" (into the guitar rather than away) is known as the "rest stroke", because the finger comes to rest against the next string. The "free stroke" - reasonably enough - is where the finger picks the string and misses the next string.

Most non-classical fingerstyle involves free strokes, partly because we tend to be picking chord shapes and like to let all the strings ring. Also the hand position required for rest strokes suits either fingers or thumb, but not both together.

The advantage with rest strokes is that it's much easier to control when picking fast scalar passages or melodies, because the fingers stay close to where they need to be for the next note. Some claim you get a different tone, but I don't buy that myself - I don't hear any difference, although of course the feel is quite different (which might prejudice the ear). The picking action of nail across string is physically the same either way - the direction of the finger after it's left the string is obviously irrelevant.
Where there may be a minimal difference is either in (a) the angle of the finger (and nail) relative to the string, and (b) the speed of attack. The dynamics can (arguably) be different: it seems easier to control the dynamics with a rest stroke.

As for choosing which stroke to play when: I'd only choose rest strokes for playing clean single-note melodic lines, where I wanted each note crisp, without risking neighbouring strings vibrating. Otherwise, when playing with thumb and fingers together, its all free strokes - the hand is simply in the wrong position to play rest strokes, whether I'm in classical position (wrist arched up) or folk-blues position (wrist close to the top, or resting on the bridge).
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