# Need Desperate Help With Picking Technique



## mm66554 (Sep 2, 2009)

I've been playing for some time but like someone who posted another thread, my picking was from the arm, with fingers anchored like MAB. It was pretty good but hard standing up and very tense.

I decided to change it and went to Herman Li style; with the pick angle reversed, practiced for about a year, realised I can't play faster than 150BPM.

Changed again to picking from the fingers, pretty fast but weak attack and upstroke motion was different from downstroke.

Finally changed to normal angle wrist motion like PG.

Problem is that my picking is extremely weak, not just that though, it sounds like shit. I wrote a riff at 120BPM and the way the pick hits the string makes it almost sound like harmonics. I tried changing the angle but still the same.

It seems that if I go back to the reverse Herman Li style it sounds much better, but why won't it sound this way which PG style technique?

I figured it must be my wrist motion, so I post this thread to ask what motions do people use to pick? There are absolutely no lessons on this on Youtube or google, PG has a good lesson, but he doesn't say which muscles he uses and what direction his wrist moves in.

This is really depressing me as I can't afford to waste any more time practicing a technique I will eventually find flaws with, and to be quite frank when I pick up my guitar it feels like a job now, there is no motivation. There's nothing worse than being able to play at 200BPM in 16ths one time and then not being able to even reach 120.

When I pick my wrist motion is up and down, as opposed to side to side. So when I hit a string the pick moves forward and away. The only way I can get the pick to move across the strings in parallel is to use my arm.


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## EdgeC (Sep 2, 2009)

My opnion is to stop worrying about it so much and pick however it feels comfortable. I've been playing for 17 years and there is still some things id like to be able to play but still seem out of reach.

To be honest i have no idea who's technique is simmilar to mine or what my technique is called. If playing faster stuff like, Nevermore solo's, I do notice a small change in how i hold the pick but otherwise i do what feels comfortabe to me.

Maybe get a lesson and just try to relax and enjoy it.


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## Psychobuddy (Sep 3, 2009)

> my picking was from the arm, with fingers anchored like MAB. It was pretty good but hard standing up and very tense.



First off make sure you never go back to this style, it will end up causing you major problems in the end.



> Finally changed to normal angle wrist motion like PG.



This is the way I pick, although with some slight changes PG likes to angle his pick, a lot, he likes the scratchy sound that it gives. I suggest you stick with this way of picking but try to aim for a 45 degree angle, or slightly less.



> I wrote a riff at 120BPM and the way the pick hits the string makes it almost sound like harmonics



Not sure about this, the advice above should apply, but you already changed the angle of your pick, odd.



> Problem is that my picking is extremely weak



Try stamina building exercises, an example of this would to sit with your metronome and play consistent 8th notes at a moderate tempo, keep this going for well, until tension builds, then stop for the day. Move on to another exercise 


> I figured it must be my wrist motion, so I post this thread to ask what motions do people use to pick?



All movement comes from my wrist, there is no arm movement involved, my fingers are not trying to propel the pick, constantly focus on your wrist, if you feel any elbow picking or arm movement stop relax for a sec and return at a slower tempo. Always keep your technique from the wrist. Oh and as for wrist motion it goes up and down, and also remember economy of motion.

If none of my solutions work, I'm sorry. If you can't remedy your problem please post a vido or a picture or something as it would be much easier to diagnose. Good Luck


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## mm66554 (Sep 3, 2009)

I'll try and get a video up.

From some research I did last night I use an oscillation picking approach, meaning my hand moves as if I was knocking on a door (in an arch type way) as opposed to bowing a violin (translation picking).

When I try move my wrist side to side (translation) I max out at 120BPM and even then it feels very tense. I practiced a slightly different arm picking method to the one I mentioned above for some time so that my pick could move across the strings this way, and it worked. Problem was my arm was floating and this is what caused the tension.

The thing with oscillation picking is you have to move your whole arm down each time you skip to the next string because if you don't your wrist is going to change its angle and as a result the pick angle will change which could mean displacement of the pick and of course a different tone.

If I stop worrying and just practice I end up going to arm technique, because that's what feels most natural.

Does anyone here pick from their fingers?


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## Scali (Sep 3, 2009)

I developed a picking style much like Yngwie Malmsteen. Picking from the wrist in a very relaxed way, with minimal motion and maximum speed and accuracy. I rest my hand on the bridge, both for muting unwanted strings and for stability.
It's very easy to switch from rhytm to lead playing, doing sweeps, and doing pinch-harmonics. The positioning of the hand and the picking motion is pretty much the same in all three cases.


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## Konfyouzd (Sep 3, 2009)

i think you're thinking about your picking way too much and confusing yourself. if it feels right then play that way. you're never gonna get better if you can't get comfortable, dig? 

try not worrying so much about speed for a while. play through one of your normal exercises/etudes/whatever that you like to practice and are fairly good at. don't worry about playing it fast. just play it so that it feels comfortable and go from there. 

speed will come and there's no magical way to hold the pick to give you speed (you could try making a deal with the devil, though  

i pick several different ways depending on what i'm trying to accomplish. 

for half sweeps (just on the top three strings) i only use my wrist. for longer sweeps (5-6 strings) i swing from the elbow. and depending on how fast i'm alternate picking i may either swing from the elbow OR the wrist and sometimes i'll switch back and forth between those it all really depends (althought i've found i do less of the elbow picking as time goes on). but for me i find it easiest to hold the pick parallel to the string when alternate picking. i don't hear a lot of people recommend this, but it works for me. 

i also think you'll find that your technique will improve a lot on it's own depending on how you practice. i was a scale/arpeggio freak and practiced them religiously and if you do that (not necessarily as crazy and obsessive as i was hehe) you'll kind of naturally learn which ways are easiest for you to pick things and economize motion.


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## Psychobuddy (Sep 3, 2009)

Hey Konfyouzd what's it like to pick with the pick parallel to the string, I've never actually met anyone who used this technique so I was wondering how it feels? I'm talking about high speeds, slow speeds I know how that feels.


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## Konfyouzd (Sep 3, 2009)

it feels normal to me. there's a little more resistance than when you hold it at an angle, but i kind of like it. for me it makes it easier to "feel" that i'm hitting every note. it's strange because sometimes it'll feel wrong but still sound ok coming through the amp, but since i play unplugged ALOT (just sitting on the couch noodling) i've started picking that way because of the feel thing i just mentioned. it was the only real way i could tell if i was picking evenly if i couldn't hear it well. 

i also have the tendency to pick a little harder too but this is ONLY when i alternate pick. i prefer sweep picking and legato.


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## Psychobuddy (Sep 3, 2009)

Hmmm, interesting. I only parallel pick if I am playing an arpeggiated chord, oh and I tend to keep my pick as parallel as I can to the strings when I sweep pick, a little tip I picked up from Ron Thal.


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## Konfyouzd (Sep 3, 2009)

yea i definitely do it during those situations. there may be a slight angle to my pick when i alternate pick, but i think i hod it relatively flat compared to a lot of other people i see.

i had friend who was an incredibly efficient trem picker and he picked like that (pick parallel to the strings).


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## TonalArchitect (Sep 3, 2009)

My advice:

1.) Learn to pick from the wrist. This should be a side to side motion.

2.) Hold the pick firmly but loosely. Meaning: don't choke your pick but apply just enough force to actually hold it in your hand.

3.) Strive for a clear, strong tone with a firm attack. This doesn't mean you have to try to snap your strings in half, just don't barely rub the pick against the strings. A good test is to pick an open string with a clean tone, unplugged, or on an acoustic and see if it sounds okay. The compression inherent in distortion can compensate for a weak attack. Some people prefer lightly attacking the strings; I personally think that a good firm attack is preferable.

4.) Don't worry about the pick angle. Many people recommend using all kinds of varieties of pick angles, but until you reach a certain speed (really up there) it's more of a matter of tone than what speeds you achieve-- if even then. I pick fairly parallel, for what it's worth (I practice often on acoustic, and as such too much of an angle gives a nasty scratchy sound, and I don't prefer the Paul Gilbert 'snappy' tone on my acoustic).

5.) Worry about economy of motion _later_. Get the basic technique down first before trying to perfect it. If you try to do everything at once, it may be overwhelming and progress slow. 

So, in a nutshell: try getting the wrist motion down with a decent attack and tone and _then_ work on trimming the fat of the movements.

Also, let speed come naturally. Speed comes with control, so don't follow the Cult of BPM. Play relaxed with good tone and speed will develop with time.


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## Psychobuddy (Sep 3, 2009)

> i had friend who was an incredibly efficient trem picker and he picked like that (pick parallel to the strings).



You keep blowing my mind today, I couldn't even imagine trem picking while parallel picking. Oh by the way anyone like that term "Parallel Picking", I think I invented it and it sounds cool, say it ten times fast parallel picking, parallel picking, parallel picking, parallel picking, parallel picking, parallel picking, parallel picking, parallel picking, parallel picking, parallel picking. Anyway bye for now.


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## Konfyouzd (Sep 3, 2009)

i never really think much about my picking i just wanted it to be efficient and even and that's just how it developed, i suppose. i've been watching my form in the mirror for quite some time now and as i get "better" my form always seems to change. and it seems to be doing it on it's own more or less out of necessity.


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## mm66554 (Sep 3, 2009)

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^^ Video. See when I pick you can hear the harmonics, even though my fingers aren't touching any strings.


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## Psychobuddy (Sep 3, 2009)

Hey I haven't checked your video yet just wanted to assure you that I would, I feel like I should I requested it...sort of. Thank you for posting one. Bye and Good Luck


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## mm66554 (Sep 5, 2009)

What do you guys think are the harmonics in my picking? I've been practicing all day I just can't get those bloody harmonics to go!

The end of my pick is a little flat though they still occur with a Jazz 3, just not as loud. The closer to the fretboard I pick the more prominent they are.

Like I said, I've tried every angle, even side-to-side picking, but no luck


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## Konfyouzd (Sep 5, 2009)

maybe it's something with the way your guitar is set up.


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## Psychobuddy (Sep 6, 2009)

I'm going to have to agree with Konfyouzed on this one, originally I thought it might be your pick but if you've tried different one's I'd say it is your guitar...which is unfortunate. If you take it to someone who can properly set your guitar up, or you feel confident that you can do it yourself that may be the best answer. There is one last thing though make sure you are not creating palm-harmonics. I read about them in Guthrie Govan's Creative Guitar book, the second one. He uses it as a technique which would be cool if you mastered it, if you think you may be doing this try to lift your palm off any area of the string that may come into contact with it and then play. If it results in no harmonics theres your problem and well you'll just have to find a way around it. Good Luck.


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## justreleased09 (Sep 10, 2009)

Check this dudes picking lessons. He taught Buckethead for many years before PG did. He starts with a thumb/index movement then adds the wrist ROTATION. It is the most comfortable and fastest picking I have seen.

YouTube - Broadcast Yourself.

Here is the motion in action.


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