Right hand exercises and picking technique

[MelodyMan]

So I've been playing for close to nine years and I seem to have picked up a bad habit in my right hand. I'm not sure how to explain it, but for any lead work that involves fast runs I kind of isolate all of the picking to the two fingers holding the pick, as opposed to making the picking come from the wrist, which I've seen a lot of shredders do. Now, my technique has gotten me very far up to this point, but now I feel like my right hand can't keep up with my left - my left wants to fly all over the neck but my right hand can't keep up.

If someone could sort of explain the most economical way of picking and if what I'm doing is wrong, that would be awesome.

Also, any really good exercises for building up right hand chops would be great...

Thanks!

Chris

[jaxadam]

Well, you'll need to be more specific than just saying you're right hand is isolated to your two fingers as opposed to your wrist.

I've seen shredders who use their wrist, and shredders who use their arm, and it didn't seem dependent on how they held the pick.

The most important thing you can do is what is comfortable to you.

If you want to sync your right hand to your left, I would suggest you hit a bunch of various chromatic runs, and maybe work on economy picking (I don't know how far along you are).

But there are a lot of great variations with chromatics that will sync your right hand with your left, and don't worry about where it's coming from, it's all about what's comfortable to you.

I don't really know how to tab on here, but I'll tell you a few things that I've done that have helped me:

Start with a mode on the 5th fret (say, Locrian), and work on economy picking it all the way up. Switch the mode through all positions.

Also, for economy picking, triple pick arpeggio patterns. Three picks per note and work your way up.

[MelodyMan]

Originally Posted by jaxadam

Well, you'll need to be more specific than just saying you're right hand is isolated to your two fingers as opposed to your wrist.

I've seen shredders who use their wrist, and shredders who use their arm, and it didn't seem dependent on how they held the pick.

The most important thing you can do is what is comfortable to you.

If you want to sync your right hand to your left, I would suggest you hit a bunch of various chromatic runs, and maybe work on economy picking (I don't know how far along you are).

But there are a lot of great variations with chromatics that will sync your right hand with your left, and don't worry about where it's coming from, it's all about what's comfortable to you.

I don't really know how to tab on here, but I'll tell you a few things that I've done that have helped me:

Start with a mode on the 5th fret (say, Locrian), and work on economy picking it all the way up. Switch the mode through all positions.

Also, for economy picking, triple pick arpeggio patterns. Three picks per note and work your way up.

Sorry...what I mean is the other three fingers stay anchored on the body of the guitar while my thumb and index which are holding the pick do all the work and there is no work being done with the wrist either...make sense?

Um, could you define economy picking?? I may know what it is but not what it's called...hehe...

Thanks!

[JJEMMER777]

Originally Posted by MelodyMan

Sorry...what I mean is the other three fingers stay anchored on the body of the guitar while my thumb and index which are holding the pick do all the work and there is no work being done with the wrist either...make sense?

Um, could you define economy picking?? I may know what it is but not what it's called...hehe...

Thanks!

I anchor too, but just the pinky and forth finger (total slop without it)


and you're probably using more of the wrist / elbow than you think

[jaxadam]

Originally Posted by MelodyMan

Sorry...what I mean is the other three fingers stay anchored on the body of the guitar while my thumb and index which are holding the pick do all the work and there is no work being done with the wrist either...make sense?

Um, could you define economy picking?? I may know what it is but not what it's called...hehe...

Thanks!

That's okay. I've seen super fast shredders doing the same thing.

Economy picking is when you do a "mini sweep" between strings.

Say you're doing a triplet run. You stroke down, up, down, and then move to the next string. Well, instead of following a strict alternate picking pattern, you downstroke the next note instead of an upstroke.

So for triplets, you would pick: D U D D U D D U D, etc...

I guess it's hard to explain without tab, but once you get the hang of it, you'll realize that it doesn't really matter how you're doing it, just as long as you ARE doing it.

[JJEMMER777]

Originally Posted by jaxadam

once you get the hang of it, you'll realize that it doesn't really matter how you're doing it, just as long as you ARE doing it.

BINGO!!!!

I've had this battle with so many people

~JUST DO IT~

[jaxadam]

Steve Morse is one of the most phenomenal players I've seen, and he is a smokin' fast player, but...

He holds the pick and hits the strings very different than anyone else.

It's all about you, and what you feel comfortable with.

[MelodyMan]

Originally Posted by JJEMMER777

BINGO!!!!

I've had this battle with so many people

~JUST DO IT~

Amen, brother...doesn't matter how you're doing it as long as you're making beautiful music with a rockin' MELODY, MAN!

[MelodyMan]

Originally Posted by jaxadam

That's okay. I've seen super fast shredders doing the same thing.

Economy picking is when you do a "mini sweep" between strings.

Say you're doing a triplet run. You stroke down, up, down, and then move to the next string. Well, instead of following a strict alternate picking pattern, you downstroke the next note instead of an upstroke.

So for triplets, you would pick: D U D D U D D U D, etc...

I guess it's hard to explain without tab, but once you get the hang of it, you'll realize that it doesn't really matter how you're doing it, just as long as you ARE doing it.

Ahhhh, I gotcha...so then I'm assuming you start with an upstroke and do the same thing on the way back down??

Thanks a bunch, that will give me something to work on for a while!

[jaxadam]

Originally Posted by MelodyMan

Ahhhh, I gotcha...so then I'm assuming you start with an upstroke and do the same thing on the way back down??

Thanks a bunch, that will give me something to work on for a while!

Almost, but not really...

Think about this...

Say you're playing 3 notes per string starting on a down stroke. It would be...

D U D...U D U, etc...

Well, when you move to the next string, continue that downstroke (mini sweep) so that you would be picking like this:

D U D...D U D... D U D, etc...

So you are "mini sweeping" between strings. Trust me, it leads to very fast clean runs.

I don't really know how to explain this without tabs... I googled this, so maybe give this a shot...

http://www.ultimate-guitar.com/lesso...y_picking.html

[JJEMMER777]

Originally Posted by MelodyMan

So I've been playing for close to nine years and I seem to have picked up a bad habit in my right hand.

Chris

Are you sure it's a BAD habit?? If it's more natural for you then go that way. According to many teachers / players, etc, my picking technique is terrible, but it works for me. Do what works for you

But I do use a combo of the wrist, elbow, rather that just the fingers. You get more SPEED that way

[MelodyMan]

Originally Posted by JJEMMER777

Are you sure it's a BAD habit?? If it's more natural for you then go that way. According to many teachers / players, etc, my picking technique is terrible, but it works for me. Do what works for you

But I do use a combo of the wrist, elbow, rather that just the fingers. You get more SPEED that way

It has been more natural, so it isn't "bad" I suppose, but I am not getting the speed out of it - I've just kind of plateaued.

[Dee]

Hand position and picking angle. Experiment with these. Makes a huge difference to my playing when the right hand is in the right position. I can't really even explain what I mean, but try fast palm muted picking runs using different right hand positions and hopefully you'll see what I mean.

[MelodyMan]

Originally Posted by Dee

Hand position and picking angle. Experiment with these. Makes a huge difference to my playing when the right hand is in the right position. I can't really even explain what I mean, but try fast palm muted picking runs using different right hand positions and hopefully you'll see what I mean.

Ok, basically just keep trying **** to see what works the best? Can do.

[Dee]

Originally Posted by MelodyMan

Ok, basically just keep trying **** to see what works the best? Can do.

Yes indeed. I was also having trouble with my right hand keeping up with the left, and it was driving me crazy for a while. I finally realized one day that it was due to how I was sitting. I was forcing my picking hand into a certain position that was bad for my playing. Then it just clicked! Now I seem to be able to pick at some pretty crazy speeds, and basically all I did was adjust the angle of my right hand. If I can try to explain it, I am kinda curling my wrist around more and my elbow is lower towards the floor. The right forearm is more in line with the strings than pointing to the floor, if you see what I mean.