Nothing like a proper reality check.

Dexter Inferno

Dexter Inferno

Serious error
For a while now I've found myself in a bit of a rut. Repeating the same old patterns, and suspected my picking wasn't as good as it should. Coordination between hands quite poor (which is really odd as I'm very good at that when it comes to drumming...).

Here's the thing. I've found a way to do solos which pretty much involves going to the next note up or down.
This again leads to a very predictable lead style. My legato is very good actually, as I've unconciously used that instead of proper picking when playing lead. I'm a great rhythm player obviously.

So over the last week I was watching quite a few of those instructional vids (a lot of them from Gilbert or Govan). Tried a couple of their "easier" exercises, and realised my picking seriously stinks. Can sort of fake it in a live setting, but really don't have any control whatsoever. String skipping (which is quite vital to me breaking the rut as far as phrasing and such goes) I'm absolutely talentless at.

Last few days I've obviously felt like shit although I'm really quite a decent player.
But. to get better you really need to identify your problem areas. Well, I definitely found them. :embarrassed:

So...guess this time I'm really hitting the shed. Been thinking about it for years, and just postponed it due to having too many live gigs, studio gigs and daytime job and all that. Time to make time for it.

Not really asking for advise at this point, just felt the need to vent over this.
Maybe other people are happy with where they are, but I'm one of those who always want to get better.
Suppose it's time I figure out a practice regimen. Haven't really done that practically ever.
All I did when I started was play with the music I loved and learned guitar that way (my guitar school was playing along to CCR and later Iron Maiden cassette tapes), never really practiced technique properly. I've always floated on having a very good ear and being very adaptable (as in fitting in with whatever I'm hired to do). That's no longer good enough to be honest.

One thing I suddenly noticed is my alternate picking is very good going upwards (in pitch), but horrible the other way.

I will say this....kids these days really don't know how lucky they are. As one who started to play before the internet and youtube in particular happened..:embarrassed:
Cassette tapes, badly deciphered lyrics on a handwritten piece of paper and so on. If I only knew than what I know now. :grin:

Now, I'll never be a Paul Gilbert or Guthrie Govan level player, but getting a lot better than I am today would be nice. :wink:

Maybe I'm harder on myself than I need to be, but I refuse to settle for being where I am now.

Mark or any other of you teachers...a good starting point on good picking/string skipping exercises would of course be welcome.

There. Hope those ramblings made sort of sense. :embarrassed:
 
Getting objective with it is the key. My picking has always been my strength. Fretting has been the stinker. As much as I am the perfectionist in everything I do I've placed this undertaking in the perspective of a happy hobby and dropped the offensive push.
 
I did a complete right hand picking technique makeover this year. I was really slipping with right hand left hand synchronization. I did a ton of research on different picking techniques and settled on a type of scalpel-ish type of picking. I also went from having some wrist issues to no wrist issues by changing up my picking. Pebber browns daily practice helped a ton. Just the module 1 picking exercises. Someone here said to think of your picking motion like a baseball swing and that helped also. My picking has improved a ton. Sometime you just have to stop and regroup.
 
telecaster911 said:
I did a complete right hand picking technique makeover this year. I was really slipping with right hand left hand synchronization. I did a ton of research on different picking techniques and settled on a type of scalpel-ish type of picking. I also went from having some wrist issues to no wrist issues by changing up my picking. Pebber browns daily practice helped a ton. Just the module 1 picking exercises. Someone here said to think of your picking motion like a baseball swing and that helped also. My picking has improved a ton. Sometime you just have to stop and regroup.
Click to expand...

Starting to wonder a bit. My left hand's a lot better than my right, which is really weird. Could have something to do with me being naturally left handed, but still...

In a way glad I've identified some problem areas. Easier to do something about it then. :wink:

Turns out I was already doing the 45 degree picking (which Gilbert talks about and uses), without really thinking about it before, so it should be a matter of practice.
It's the lack of consistency that's the worst bit really. And I do have a tendency to freeze up and use the worst technique possible when I know a fast part comes up. Lots of wild lower arm motions and not at all synced with my left arm. :embarrassed:

Already starting some of the practicing and sound like a beginner. :grin:
Hopefully I can stick with it, as I don't really like practicing.
 
Mojo.
I overhauled my picking several years ago. It was tough at first, but it didn't take as long as I thought it would to get where I wanted. I'm still better at ascending than descending, but I'm ok with where I am right now.
 
My guitar playing has really taken a back seat to my bass playing in the last year. I'm still playing guitar and coming up with cool things in The Portable Forest. But any real practice time goes towards songs for The Stand-Ins.

I've come to the conclusion that I'm a horrible fingerstyle player. And that won't change until I get more comfortable with the instrument. Moving to short scale basses has helped me in that regard because I no longer feel like the tendons in my elbow will explode.

The next two things for me are pretty simple. I need to get in better physical shape as bass is much harder on the body than guitar. Second, I want to work on my reading. Because I need to stop thinking like a guitarist and start thinking like a bassist. I can drop the pick, if even necessary, along the way.
 
Dexter Inferno said:
Starting to wonder a bit. My left hand's a lot better than my right, which is really weird. Could have something to do with me being naturally left handed, but still...

Turns out I was already doing the 45 degree picking (which Gilbert talks about and uses), without really thinking about it before, so it should be a matter of practice.

Already starting some of the practicing and sound like a beginner. :grin:
Hopefully I can stick with it, as I don't really like practicing.
Click to expand...

Remember, it's more about the swing than the angle.

Check out some of the judge shred alternate picking videos. His hands stay in perfect sync. :thu:
 
Best picking work I ever did was utilizing some of the Sheets of Sound exercises by Jack Zucker. I never worried too much about strict alternate picking. My style is a bit more economy picking and I keep track of the downbeat with my foot and/or in my head.
 
Some great input in here. :)

Really need to get this sorted, as it's somewhat limiting my ability to do what I hear in my head.

Good thing about me is that once I decide on something I don't quit until I get it done properly. I can be quite a stubborn bastard. :grin:
 
Seeing some progress, slow progress but getting somewhat better at least.

While I don't have time for exercises and such on a daily basis, I have been focusing quite a bit on the picking while at band practice and such - especially reminding myself constantly of using smaller motions and picking much lighter, think part of the problem I've had is I've been way too heavy handed, coupled with often playing too low volume wise.

Will take quite some time obviously, but good to see some improvement. :)
 
Since getting the steroid injections and starting on anti-inflammatory drugs, I am having to adjust both hands. The left hand works better, but the right hand is giving me fits. I keep losing picks and my timing is off.

Need to practice much more now.
 
I've been working on my right hand technique for almost a year and just recently the improvements are really showing up. I never need a pick unless playing harder solos.

Now I need to work on my fretting hand to catch up. :facepalm:
 
I go through picking changes periodically and then always come back. I even worked with different types of picks to get the effect I wanted. Some of them I tried where the speed pick for training, metal pick for rigidity, shape and size changes but I found for me it has always been the Dunlop Delrin Tortex 0.96. Tried angling, small side but then I found what worked for me was to use the butt side like SRV as the pick is very similar to a properly shaped nail (classical technique). The angle that I hit string is about 10-15 degree unless I tremolo which I try to get a 0 degrees or as parallel as I can with minimal pick movement. The wrist comes heavily into play for control.

In the old days I had the firm belief in picking every note but backed off because I wanted to incorporate other techniques (slide, hammer-on, pull-off, etc.) to make my playing sounding less homogenous. With the pick itself I found that if I changed the angle, I can incorporate different dynamics when I hit the string. Then hybrid picking came in and that has been a lot of fun. My only drawback is when I go full fingerpicking I have to put my pick in my mouth to hold. It is difficult for me to fingerpick my style with a pick either tucked in or held between two fingers. Sometimes it is safer on certain songs to just pocket the pick.

String skipping has been another task. When sweeping came in, I too jumped on the bandwagon and found that I didn't like it. I love playing arpeggios so chose to breakdown the arps as well as the full chord arp with a change in picking attack. Tommy Tedesco did a great thing on economy picking and that concept has stayed with me for the way I string skip. I also approach it intervallically now which really helps with the focus on chord tones.
 
I totally get this. Picking the way I want to be able to is a constant journey between "damn, that sucks" to "Ok, that's flowing quite well, what next?" and then back again. As a largely self taught player I've got a number of "habits" that have developed without me being aware of them until I really looked. An example being ALWAYS starting 3 note per string runs (going up in pitch) with an upstroke - the reason being I don't like to "hop over" a string when changing strings, particularly on the lower strings :messedup: I'll do anything to avoid that, including changing the fingering so it's even numbers on each string after the first 3nps bit even if it's more work for my left hand. Crazy. But then, I figure, whatever works, right?
 
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