Picking Hand Problem

Penguin · #1 05-01-2006, 03:30 AM

Hey,

I noticed that I had poor technique and decided to do something about it. I have changed the way I pick but have encountered a problem. It seems that my picking hand does not want to move to hit the higher strings! My hand just sits at the top of the bridge. If I try to move it to hit the higher strings I lose accuracy and speed. What should I do?

Rgt_Lover · #2 05-01-2006, 01:11 PM

Find at what speed wou CAN do it accuretly. It doesnt matter if its snail speed. Break out the metronome, and work from there.

This is general advice but it is the only way you are gonna improve, there aint no magic formula!

Chris From Singapore. · #3 05-03-2006, 05:14 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rgt_Lover

Find at what speed wou CAN do it accuretly. It doesnt matter if its snail speed. Break out the metronome, and work from there.

This is general advice but it is the only way you are gonna improve, there aint no magic formula!

+1!

Speed is a by product of accuracy.

mi2tom · #4 05-03-2006, 05:28 AM

Practice, practice and practice!!!! No other better word but be sure to practice it correctly ... Start slow as always

Penguin · #5 05-12-2006, 11:49 PM

I have noticed another problem. I seem to move my thumb and index finger "in and out" while playing. Should I try to stop doing that?

Demogorgos · #6 05-13-2006, 12:13 AM

From your picking hand should only stick out the plectrums "point". Your index finger may stick out, but in that case, ONLY use it to tap within your arpeggios extending the scale wherein the music is evolving at any time. Except for that, your picking hand should ONLY have the pick sticking out.

Try resting the "mouse" of your hand, the fleshy part at your picking hands under your pinky, on the bridge of your guitar. This will oblige you to exercise a technique that makes stand out only the pick of your closed hand. Most guiatrists have that technique, and it obliges them to change the fingers that hold the pick when they want to do anything else, like tapping for example.

Regards,

D.

Rgt_Lover · #7 05-14-2006, 03:55 PM

Maybe he should do some alt pick exercises before he starts on the tapped arps...

I've seen some people play exclusively "in&out" and I believe it is not good technique. It will hinder many things. Try holding it/moving it like a pencil, with a little movement in the thumb. Only an idea though, there are many, MANY proficiant picking styles.

Vince~ · #8 05-17-2006, 04:47 AM

i have 1 problem....when playin at da low strings i tend to get stuck sumtimes. Is it the way i place my hand wrongly or sth else. Help me on dis.

marshall_man · #9 05-17-2006, 05:01 AM

Another thing to keep in mind is to have ZERO tension in both arms/hands. I had been playing for 5 years before i figured this out and have advaced dramatically since working on this...Its kind of funny but i noticed I play the best when i'm so tired i'm ready to drop...LOL

Relax, Practice, and just have a good time.

Brandon

brothersnowgone · #10 05-17-2006, 05:48 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by marshall_man

Its kind of funny but i noticed I play the best when i'm so tired i'm ready to drop...LOL

Brandon

Lol me too, I discovered it when I was having trouble with a riff. So I had been playing it over and over all day and could't nail it all the way through with out having some kind of mess up, then during the end of the day when I was dead beat I noticed I was getting it...

Tom Gilroy · #11 05-17-2006, 02:41 PM

You sound like you are anchoring. Don't.

brothersnowgone · #12 05-17-2006, 02:49 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Tom Gilroy

You sound like you are anchoring. Don't.

Hey a lot of people anchor, and a lot of greats like jason becker did. There's nothing wrong with it, if it's what he's comfortable with he just needs to practice more and he can play just as good as someone that doesn't.

Tom Gilroy · #13 05-17-2006, 03:12 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by brothersnowgone

Hey a lot of people anchor, and a lot of greats like jason becker did. There's nothing wrong with it, if it's what he's comfortable with he just needs to practice more and he can play just as good as someone that doesn't.

Anchoring is a crutch that adds unnecessary tension in the arm. It is NOT good technique, and the fact that a great player did it does not validate it. It limits the range of movement of the arm, increases the likelyhood of muscles fatigue and strain, and even is likely to lead to problems such as tendonitis.

You can never pick as good as somebody who doesn't anchor if you anchor. Thats a ridiculous assumption. You can pick well if you anchor, very well in fact. You can always do better if you don't. Sure, players like Morse, Becker and Petrucci anchor. Look at unanchored players. Lane, Cooley, Gilbert, Impellitteri, they're all lightyears ahead of the anchored players in term of picking technique.

If you're comfortable with anchoring, its not your body telling you that this is good technique, it is your body being lazy. I've heard every arguement about this, anchoring doesn't increase stability and doesn't make your picking more accurate. It's a hinderance. Stability should come from the whole arm, so that muscle memory is at a peak and the arm doesn't have to rely of the crutch that anchoring is. Accuracy will come from practice, and the level of accuracy seen among non anchoring players is far obove that I've seen from anchored players. The limit anchoring puts on your range of movement makes string skipping more difficult also.

Mute the strings of the guitar lightly by all means, but if you can't pick accurately without an anchor, I don't consider that being able to pick accurately at all.

If you want to get the most out of your playing, learn to pick unanchored.

Rgt_Lover · #14 05-17-2006, 03:26 PM

MAB anchors and he says he has never experienced any guitar related medical problems in his life. He picks pretty accuratley ^.^

I don't personally anchor myself because, well I've just never done it. But many incredible guitarists do, so I don't really see your argument holding up too well. Not many people attempt to surpass the skill of the players you mentioned. So how can it be so bad?

Tom Gilroy · #15 05-17-2006, 03:42 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rgt_Lover

MAB anchors and he says he has never experienced any guitar related medical problems in his life. He picks pretty accuratley ^.^

I don't personally anchor myself because, well I've just never done it. But many incredible guitarists do, so I don't really see your argument holding up too well. Not many people attempt to surpass the skill of the players you mentioned. So how can it be so bad?

It makes sense to me that any superfluous muscle tension is going to be bad for you. At levels where very fast accurate picking is needed, the tension added by anchoring is damaging. Look at Steve Morse, he has to go through two hours of heat treatment before playing because his nerves are so shot from anchoring. He has said many times before that if he could start again, he wouldn't anchor. Also, I'm bloody sick of people using the MAB arguement. He uses a completely different picking motion to any other guitarist I've seen, that's how he gets away with anchoring so well. Michael Angelo is the exception, not the rule to follow. Also, again, limiting your ability to move across strings and string skip seems like a huge hinderance to me. If you're going to do something, like work on your picking, why just do a half assed job that only gives mediocre results, when you could go the whole nine yards without much difficulty and get great results.