How To Play with Apoyando Technique (Rest Stroke)
This lesson will give you an overview of the apoyando technique. It will look at the specific position and movements required to play with apoyando.
If you are new to the guitar, I strongly recommend you read this article on posture before continuing with this lesson. There are some important concepts discussed in that lesson which will help lay the foundations for developing your apoyando technique and positioning.
This article is aimed at right handed guitarists, who will be using their right hands to play the strings. If you are left handed, simply substitute the word ‘right’ for ‘left’ in this article.
What Is ‘Apoyando’?
Apoyando is one of the two main fingerstyle methods used by classical guitarists. The other method of playing fingerstyle is called ‘Tirando’. You can learn how to play using the tirando technique in this lesson.
Apoyando is often referred to as ‘Rest Stroke’. This is because when playing apoyando, the finger pushes through the string and rests on the string below. Many guitarists find that it’s easier to produce a thick, rounded tone when using this technique.
Position
For the position of the arm and wrist, please see this article on posture.
Knuckles
For apoyando it is advisable to position your knuckles above a lower string than the one you intend to play. For example, if you intent to play string 1 (high E) with the ‘i’ finger, position the knuckle of your ‘i’ finger above the 4th (D) or 5th (A) string. Factors such as the size of your hand and preferred angle of attack will dictate exactly where your hand will be. The important thin to note is that the knuckles should be hovering above a lower string than the one you intend to play. This will create an angle that will send your finger down towards the string so that it may rest once it has played.
Knuckle position
Resting after playing string 1 (E)
Technique
Move from Knuckles
It is best to move the finger from the knuckle joint (MCP). Once this joint has been properly developed, it is much easier to control than the smaller joints in the finger (PIP and DIP joints).
Straight Fingers
Playing with ‘straight fingers’ should be taken with a pinch of salt. The fingers of the hand are of different lengths, which makes it impossible to find the perfect position to play with straight fingers. That being said, you should strive to play apoyando with your fingers as straight as possible so that the string is pushed down towards the guitar, and not plucked upwards or across. Pushing downwards means your finger will rest more naturally on the string after it has played.
Rest on String
After you have played the string, your finger should rest on the string below. For example, if you play the 1st string (E), your finger should rest on the 2nd string (B). This is why apoyando is often called ‘Rest Stroke’.
Elbow and Shoulder
As with the tirando technique, it’s possible to achieve different effects simply by playing ‘towards the elbow’ or ‘towards the shoulder’.
Playing towards the elbow creates an angle of approximately 45 degrees when plucking the strings. This helps to produce a thick, round tone.
Playing towards the shoulder creates an angle of approximately 90 degrees when plucking the strings. This helps to create a bright, clear tone.
Both methods have their merits. It is up to the guitarist to choose when to play towards the elbow/shoulder to achieve their musical goals.
Playing towards elbow
Playing towards shoulder
Alternate
As with tirando, it’s important to alternate your fingers when playing apoyando. This helps to ease the workload compared to using a single finger for every note. Alternating can also help to create smoother sounding melodies compared to a single finger, particularly for faster passages of music.
Practice alternating using the following combinations:
I hope you’ve found this lesson on how to play apoyando (rest stroke) technique useful. If you have any questions please feel free to leave a comment below and I’ll reply as soon as possible.
Thank you so much! Great explanation. I read this article because I feel that finding the right nail shape and length is so important to sound, speed, and precision. Unfortunately, having it work in free stroke for me didn’t then produce the right results for rest stroke at first. It seemed my nails were too long for rest stroke in spite of the fact that they are quite short. But your tip of placing the knuckle above a string that is several strings below the one you are intending to strike solved the problem! Thank you again so very, very much. Very helpful, great specificity included, and very clearly written.
Thanks for your comment, Edric. I’m really pleased to hear that you found this advice to be of some use. Wishing you all the best with your guitar playing!
Ed
Hell Ed. I need some advice from you. So….while I play rest strokes with index and middle finger the thumb of the right hand has to be placed on the 6th string or it has to be free? Personally I prefer my thumb to be free.
Hi Kostas,
While neither method could be considered absolutely incorrect, there are some things to consider. For example, when you play rest stroke, will you need to play bass notes in addition to your melody? Or is the melody unaccompanied? If you are required to play bass notes too, I’ve found it preferable to keep the thumb in a “free” position, so that I can travel easily between my bass notes (instead of rooting the thumb on the 6th string, only to lift it again soon after to play another bass note).
If you prefer to play with the thumb free, it is unlikely that you feel the need to “anchor” your hand with the thumb, instead relying on your right arm as the only point of contact with the guitar. Those who anchor their thumb need to be a little careful that they don’t exert too much pressure on the 6th string. Relying heavily on an anchored thumb will likely result in a destabalised feeling when the time comes to play free. That being said, I’ve seen many players do this very well! Just be conscious of the levels of tension in your hand if you try this and try to minimise if you feel it is creating a problem (as excessive tension often does!)
Both methods have their merit so I would suggest that it is up to you to choose the one that suits you best. Technique and methods of playing can often be a little subjective (what suits one does not suit another) and it comes down to the individual to piece together their preferred method of playing based on their experience of the guitar and advice from other guitarists/teachers.
To sum up, let me share the wise words of one of my former teachers… During one of my lessons we were discussing tone and I was asking all sorts of questions about the angle of the fingers, height and shape of the hand, which joint I should use to play from etc. His advice “It doesn’t matter, if you can play it better with your big toe, use your big toe!”. In other words, we can bark on about “correct” techqniue all day long, meticulously control each joint, position and movement, but all we’re really trying to do is make a good sound. Coming back to your situation, if you can play good rest stroke with your thumb in a free position and you’re not introducing any other playing issues, then carry on. You’re doing great!
Hi there Ed, another great article here, really helpful. I have one question, if I am playing for example a scale using this technique and I am going down the strings (thin to thick) and the next note played is on the lower string, where would i place my finger after it has plucked the previous note ? Hope this makes sense.
Thank you
Hi Tyler,
When you exchange fingers (i.e. play the next note), the finger that is resting will need to lift momentarily before the next note can be played. As a general guide, you should avoid playing the next note while the previous finger is still resting. It is better to ‘exchange’ at the same time (one finger lifts while the other finger plays).
All the best,
Ed
Thank you very much Ed. You helped me a lot. Take care.