[Hexer]

yea, what the title says....

I'm not much of a shredder at all (though I'm slowly getting better) and I started wondering if it would help to change my picking style in some way

now I just recently downloaded the "operation ground and pound" video from dragonforce (GREAT vid!!!! I was laughing my ass off ) and noticed that those guys seem to pick a lot like I do it myself. I tend to have the pick pretty parallel to the strings or angling it UPWARD (probably more angling the faster I go). this applies for both rythm and lead-playing

now I often see people like cooley for example shred with their hand pretty much like a fist. others (Mike Amott for example I think) have their hands relatively open when picking fast.

what do you guys do? what would you recommend? is there such a thing as a "standard" for this?

for reference: you can download that Dragonforce-video at http://www.hdpvidz.com/videos.html watch the "non-asian" guy when he alternate-picks in the solo. thats pretty much the way I do it (at least it seems very similar) I'm just WAAAAAYYYYYY slower when it comes to leads

[Loserchief]

My hand position is rather open most of the time with a lsight angle upwars, but that changes with what i'm playing. When playing very rhythmic meshuggah like stuff it's more like a fist, when i play blues i aanchor my pinky at the bridge pup, keep my hand open and go purely from the wrist.

[Hexer]

Originally Posted by Loserchief

when i play blues i aanchor my pinky at the bridge pup, keep my hand open and go purely from the wrist.

I do that a whole lot! though I obviously dont anchor when doing the palm-muted chuggah-chuggah type stuff

[Cancer]

Hand position is a personal thing, it depends on the techniques used, the sound you're going for, and your body in general, there are some general guidelines but in my opinion you should experiment with different grips, and do what most comfortable for you.

Tuck Andress has a page somewhere that talks about the pros and con of pretty much every popular picking technique out there,here's the link.

Actually if there's one thing I don't like about Rusty (and there isn't much I don't like about him) it's his picking technique, his picking tends IMO to favor brute force over finesse, and there are times watching him when I wonder if maybe he could be a bit more efficient. He has a different way of holding his pick for pretty much every technique he uses (trem picking, sweeping, nps runs), and I've wondered why he never tried to condense that. 'Course then again Petrucci has a similiar technique (albeit with much more control, and less variety of grips) and he blazing, but seemingly not faster than Rusty ...so what do I know.

Personally, I hold a pick much like Gilbert, which is a good compromise for speed, control, and switching back and forth between rhythm and lead. I used to angle the pick by hyperextending my thumb backward (Schuldiner style), and while it was faster and more even, it wreaked havoc on my poor thumb joint so I switched.

[BinaryTox1n]

My picking always looks the same regardless of how fast im picking,
pick in between the thumb and index finger, with the other three fingers hanging around doin' their own thang.

[KillMAH]

I have recently tackled this problem myself. I was never really a slouch as far as right hand technique, but there was always a certain speed limit at which my wrist tensed up. It didn't matter whether or not I had my fingers splayed with my pinky anchored or curled in a fist. Then, I noticed something about how I was actually holding the pick in my fingers. I used both my index and middle finger to hold the body of the pick; kinda like one would hold a pencil. This put the pad of my index finger in contact with the pick. Then, I switched to curling my index finger in so that the side of it would grip the underside of the pick, and I stopped using my middle as support. This made the pick more slippery, but once I got used to it, my wrist has been FAR more limber despite what the rest of my fingers are doing (fist or splayed.) I hope this gives some insight.

[Hexer]

Originally Posted by psyphre

Hand position is a personal thing, it depends on the techniques used, the sound you're going for, and your body in general, there are some general guidelines but in my opinion you should experiment with different grips, and do what most comfortable for you.

Tuck Andress has a page somewhere that talks about the pros and con of pretty much every popular picking technique out there,here's the link.

Actually if there's one thing I don't like about Rusty (and there isn't much I don't like about him) it's his picking technique, his picking tends IMO to favor brute force over finesse, and there are times watching him when I wonder if maybe he could be a bit more efficient. He has a different way of holding his pick for pretty much every technique he uses (trem picking, sweeping, nps runs), and I've wondered why he never tried to condense that. 'Course then again Petrucci has a similiar technique (albeit with much more control, and less variety of grips) and he blazing, but seemingly not faster than Rusty ...so what do I know.

Personally, I hold a pick much like Gilbert, which is a good compromise for speed, control, and switching back and forth between rhythm and lead. I used to angle the pick by hyperextending my thumb backward (Schuldiner style), and while it was faster and more even, it wreaked havoc on my poor thumb joint so I switched.

nice link, thanks!

it appears what I'm doing most of the time is what he calls the "George Benson approach". noone told me to do it. it kinda came naturally to me..... I know one other guy around here who does it like this. he plays rythm-guitar in a local death/thrash band. he doesnt seem to be much of a lead-player, but hes pretty damn fast/heavy/precise at fast rythm-playing

[KillMAH]

Originally Posted by psyphre

Tuck Andress has a page somewhere that talks about the pros and con of pretty much every popular picking technique out there,here's the link.

+1

Tuck Andress is a phenomenal player, and I have never seen right hand technique broken-down so thoroughly. Thanks Psyphre.

[distressed_romeo]

That's a superb article.

I guess my closest picking hand model would be John Petrucci, although my fist isn't quite as tightly closed as his.

[Hexer]

did you see that speed kills video form Micheal Romeo? when alternate-picking really fast, he angles his pick downwards so far its almost vertical IIRC