Picking Technique....again

(7 posts)

  1. Matt
    Member

    i suck at picking. i try to practice at least 2 hours a day, of which most is running scales and sequences at slow tempos (less than 60, sixteenths), focusing on complete relaxation and i am not seeing improvement.

    i generally am an economy picker, but i practice alternate and economy picking, and legato in this context. i firmly believe in wrist-based picking (no 'sarod' style a la pebber brown).

    my picking is very choppy, uneven, and just uncontrolled for the most part (although this practice has really improved my left hand). i would love to have a smooth style of picking. I guess i am looking fro encouragement :), advice, exercises, etc. anything!

    • Posted 1 year ago
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  2. anandaemail
    Member

    my first guitar teacher was a nazi about alternate picking. i can do it really well, not because i practiced it a lot but because i played a ton. the whole up down non sense will figure itself out in actual time when playing. the more you play the less you will think about it and eventually you won't at all.

    "practice music not techniques" - Victor Wooten

    i never liked picks. i lived out in the country when i first picked up guitars so i also rarely had them. i play with my fingers, i alternate pick with my index and use everything but my pinky. this works amazing for me and i get the best tone. what ever is comfy for you...like you said focus on relaxation. maybe try some different approaches to your instrument.

    fareed haque recommends playing percussive instruments to solidify your rhythm. just listen to him.

    • Posted 1 year ago
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  3. Matt
    Member

    i like that quote - coming from such a monster, i am going to try to heed it!

    i like fingerpicking as well, but i can't 'swing' much without a pick. however, i never use a pick to comp.

    • Posted 1 year ago
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  4. JorgeRubiales
    Member

    Try speed bursts (a term used by scott tennant). Put your metronome on and start playing a scale on 8th notes, then the last time of the last bar play 16ths, go back to 8ths. Then the last 2 times of last bar are 16ths. Then the 3 last times. Then the last whole bar...etc.

    By the way you reach the end of the exercise you'll be playing everything in 16ths. Try it with a simple idea first, maybe an open string. Then switch to chromatic scale, in one string, then on two strings, then a major scale, pentatonics....

    • Posted 1 year ago
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  5. jimjazz
    Member

    I took a lesson with a London based guitarist called Mike Outram who gave an exercise where you pick all your down strokes as hard as you can (nearly to the point of breaking) and the upstrokes as quiet as possible (barely audible) and then swop over. It sounds so your either heavily accenting the down or off beats. Its helped me gain greater dynamic control of the pick. He has this lesson on his website along with some others, a great player and teacher!
    I've always found string skipping exercises gave me a lot more confidence when picking.

    • Posted 1 year ago
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  6. jazzacast55
    Member

    I noticed a while ago when I watch Bjorn Solli live, his picking motion was coming from his thumb and index finger, circle picking I think it's called, I've noticed Gilad Hekselman, Lage Lund and I think Julian Lage using this style, thought it might be worth mentioning as I've been getting into it and seeing results, much better tone and feel, I think the whole strict Pat Martino style alternate Picking is a little overrated, it tends to sound a bit boring after a while.

    • Posted 1 year ago
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  7. chollus
    Member

    for me, the progess came from less attack on the right hand, play less stronger. arpeggios are also good for right hand technique...

    • Posted 1 year ago
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