Questions tagged [picking]

Playing stringed instruments with a plectrum.

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1 vote
2 answers
286 views

problem with guitar intro on ELPs "From the Beginning"

This be a really dumb question, but sometimes there's a problem passage that keeps being a thorn in my side forever. And I do mean forever, because I've probably messed with this song for decades. If ...
3 votes
2 answers
314 views

Alternate picking issue

I'm an begginer/intermediate guitar player and I've been practicing alternate picking for a few months now. Everything's fine except for 2 things. 1)I can easily alternate pick at reasonable speeds ...
1 vote
2 answers
4k views

Guitar Alternate vs. Economy vs. Directional Picking Styles

Paul Gilbert has this simple lick in his Intense Rock 1 video (see video). The notes are: d u d u d u e|----------12-----------| B|-12-13-15----15-13-----| G|-----------------------| D|---...
1 vote
2 answers
169 views

How to play Guitar notes fast? 14 notes in 4 beats

I know the traditional explanation is to go slow, but I guess I need to change the technique here. How to do fast alternate picking? There’s a song in which 14 notes are played in 4 beats. See the tab....
4 votes
1 answer
156 views

Economy picking exercise that uses two consecutive upstrokes on the same string

I have started looking into Joseph Alexander's Complete Technique for Modern Guitar where economy picking is recommended. Before starting to practice, I want to understand the logic behind economy ...
4 votes
1 answer
568 views

Recommended thumb position and motion when using a thumbpick on an acoustic guitar

I'm looking for specific best practices around hand position and motion while using a thumbpick on an acoustic guitar. I haven't found any specific resources on this. I have been impressed with Troy ...
1 vote
1 answer
293 views

Is pizzicato louder than finger picking?

Is pizzicato on a violin family instrument louder than finger picking an acoustic guitar? It seems that way, since those instruments are played in large concert halls that a guitar would probably need ...
9 votes
4 answers
4k views

Right hand technique used in gypsy jazz guitar

I want to learn the right hand technique used by gypsy guitar, especially that of joscho stephan. His arm is perfectly still but the hand is moving so fast, how is he doing that? Any tips on how to ...
16 votes
10 answers
39k views

Finger Picking vs. using a Pick on Bass Guitar

Before I played bass I played guitar, so when I started to play bass I naturally used a pick. Eventually I learned how to finger pick and now typically use both picking techniques interchangeably as a ...
1 vote
3 answers
374 views

Strict alternate picking help for advanced player

I'm trying to learn strict alternate picking, but I cannot find lessons and/or exercises that address my problem. My problems is due to years of a self-taught regimen of hybrid/economy picking, or as ...
6 votes
4 answers
5k views

Playing with a pick with less pick-sound

I have two types of guitars, electric and acoustic and have been playing for over a year. How does one learn to or adjust their strum so that there's not so much sound of hitting the strings (as ...
3 votes
3 answers
189 views

alternate picking for single stroke in alternating strings

I am a beginner/ intermediate guitar player and today I started to learn how to play Seek and Destroy from Metallica, as shown in this tablature Parallel to that I have been learning scales (major ...
3 votes
1 answer
167 views

Keeping time on alternate picking in 4/4, 16th notes per measure, but melody grouped in 7s

I'm learning this exercise and I'm astonished at how it is difficult to keep on time. He's playing 16 16th notes per measure, but the phrasing of the notes is in groups of seven. I sounds weird to me ...
1 vote
6 answers
1k views

The proper right-hand picking technique for playing the electric guitar

When I was taking electric guitar lessons for a year I was told, by my former teacher, that the pick should be parallel to strings at all times and so he insisted on it. The other thing he was very ...
5 votes
3 answers
2k views

When should you change your pick?

Sometimes when I try to play a solo I feel that I can't pick the notes because the pick is too short, and when I look at it, it is about 0,5mm shorter on the end than a new one. When should you ...
3 votes
5 answers
285 views

How do I hold/use a pick

Seriously. Most people say between the thumb and index coming out the side of your thumb, but I keep messing up, hitting wrong strings, bad rhythm/timing, etc. Any other ways of holding a pick or ...
3 votes
4 answers
197 views

When to use open note or closed note for solo on acoustic guitar for the same pitch?

Suppose you want to hit E5 (which is 0 fret on 1st string) in a passage of your solo, what are the reasons you'd pick the open note or the closed note on 5th fret 2nd string? In general for electric ...
2 votes
4 answers
1k views

How do people play fast tremolo on guitar (with a plectrum)?

I've noticed that to play good, consistent sounding tremolo, especially on short, thick strings, you can't just move the pick back and forth because the sound is inconsistent - the string doesn't ...
3 votes
3 answers
263 views

Touching muted strings with picking hand

When I move across strings quickly (e.g. on arpeggios), I can feel bumping lightly into muted strings. For example when I inside-pick E and A, I will start with an upstroke on E and then slightly ...
3 votes
2 answers
569 views

Muting string technique with right hand only

I'm fairly new to the electric guitar and currently learning about string muting (as in noise reduction) while soloing. The usual advice is to mute the lower strings with your right hand and the ...
4 votes
3 answers
388 views

My pick gets stuck and I'm trying to fix it with downward pickslanting. ( ~ 8 months of playing )

I've been playing for 8 months and I think that this is a common newbie problem: my pick gets stuck. I started to analyze my picking motion/hand and I realised that the pick is too flat ( ...
5 votes
3 answers
813 views

Should you pick strings up and down in a straight line? Does it matter?

It may sound dumb but let's say we play A minor scale. When I change strings do I have to hit the next string in the exact same spot? Each time I change strings I keep picking closer to the bridge. ...
2 votes
2 answers
330 views

Background sound of pick hitting string

Whenever I try picking a string by itself (usually lower strings) it makes a background sound thats kind of like the pick rubbing against the string when I play that overshadows the actual fret sound. ...
2 votes
1 answer
285 views

Pick Makes Clicking Sound

When I play my guitar, my pick makes a clicking sound every time it hits the pickguard. I was trying to record a song the other day and the clicking sound is annoying. Am I holding my pick wrong? Is ...
19 votes
4 answers
8k views

Alternate picking vs down picking

When I see professional musicians play their songs on guitar, I see them down picking certain parts where I would prefer to alternate pick. Follow the url below to a riff that I play first using ...
3 votes
2 answers
728 views

'pick rest' tecnique for improved alternate picking?

I am a beginner (perhaps intermediate) guitar player and a year ago, when I was at the very beginning, I came across a technique called 'pick rest' as demonstrated in this video: The technique ...
24 votes
10 answers
33k views

Pick weight - functional difference, or just personal preference?

I'm at the very beginning of learning to play guitar, and I recently needed to buy some more picks. This was more complex than I was expecting, since there are apparently many different weights of ...
3 votes
2 answers
313 views

Alternate picking from string 1 to string 3 - ACDC back in black

I am a beginner guitar player and I am currently learning how to play back in black from ACDC. I can already pretty play the whole song, though the part I struggle the most is on the first section of ...
1 vote
4 answers
3k views

Why is a plectrum banjo played with a guitar pick and not with finger picks?

I have a four string plectrum banjo, which is essentially like a five string banjo but without the short drone string. Why is a plectrum banjo played with a guitar pick and not fingerstyle or with a ...
3 votes
6 answers
9k views

My alternate picking technique has reached a plateau

I've played guitar for over ten years, and my alternate picking really blows when it comes to fast stuff like 7 to 10 notes per second range. I sometimes wonder if I have reached my natural limits? ...
3 votes
1 answer
188 views

Does Edge Picking Break Strings Faster?

I started learning to play acoustic guitar several months ago, and have been mainly using Fender medium picks. I have noticed that the picks very quickly develop a sort of bevel on one side because I ...
1 vote
3 answers
248 views

Guitar: How do I keep my picking hand from moving away from the soundhole and toward the saddle?

I'm having some trouble with advanced picking. When I am trying to move between strings etc. my picking hand tends to move laterally from over or just behind the soundhole, where it should be, to get ...
3 votes
1 answer
179 views

Is there a special term for this type of alternate picking?

I'm looking to see if there's a special word for a type of alternate picking commonly heard in metal that involves playing a series of notes on a lower string while also playing notes on a higher ...
3 votes
5 answers
3k views

Why picking direction indicators in music?

In music notation specifically for the guitar, there are often picking symbols meaning to pick up or down. What is the purpose of these picking indicators (sorry, don't know the real term for them)? ...
7 votes
5 answers
5k views

How to train for faster picking speed on guitar?

I've been training on speed picking on major scale as my daily routine, following this Justin Guitar's guide on scale picking for one year since last year June, but until now my G major scale picking ...
6 votes
5 answers
7k views

Flatpicking: how can I make my floating-pick-hand less bouncy?

Can anyone suggest how I might improve my "floating fist" style flatpicking? I'm trying to clean up my pick technique for the sake of accuracy, feel, speed, and general ease-of-playing. I use the "...
1 vote
3 answers
2k views

Use picking instead of hammer-ons and pull-offs

In my learning, I'm nearing that point when the notes just seem too fast to be picked individually. Most tabs I come across contain hammer-ons and pull-offs for fast notes. However, I'm finding that ...
3 votes
3 answers
2k views

How can I improve my picking speed and accuracy

I've been playing acoustic guitar for almost 4 years and I just started electric. The way I see it there is a lot more picking involved in electric which I'm not so good at. Are there any exercises I ...
1 vote
1 answer
2k views

Difference between Strike, Brush, Crescendo and Arpeggio

When playing guitar I stumble upon tabs that either have striking the chords, brushing them with the pick, doing a crescendo or playing them as an arpeggio. As far as I learned when you strike you hit ...
3 votes
5 answers
961 views

Concerning individual string picking - when (it what situations) should the pick be angled, and when should it be perpendicular to the string?

I've learned a lot of guitar stuff from YouTube videos. But this really irks me: some YouTubers insist that their technique is the only way you should play guitar, and that any other way is a "mistake"...
22 votes
7 answers
8k views

Where does picking speed come from? Forearm, hand, or bicep?

Where specifically on the arm/hand should rapid picking speed come from?
5 votes
2 answers
7k views

Optimal Right Hand Technique to Down Pick while playing Metallica

I have been playing Metallica songs (only the rhythm parts) for quite some time. I don't play them at full speed because of the Down picking, but i have been playing and practicing them at 80% speed ...
12 votes
5 answers
4k views

When using strict alternate picking, is it OK to play a downstroke twice in order to start a new phrase on a downstroke?

There are a lot of advocates of absolutely strict alternate picking, like Chris Thile (dead YouTube clip removed). I've been practicing that for a couple of weeks now, and I'm at the point where I can ...
1 vote
2 answers
168 views

What Kind of Right-Hand Picking Technique is Being Used in This Lick?

I'm having the toughest time learning this lick because I don't know if inside picking is being used or a double down stroke. This conundrum seems to be present in guitar riffs that use hammer on/pull ...
3 votes
5 answers
5k views

Combining fingerpicking with guitar pick

So I've been playing acoustic guitar for years and have developed a certain fingerpicking style as well as a really good strumming technique. However, I have never used a pick and always thought it ...
5 votes
4 answers
2k views

Gym exercises for picking speed

When I was younger, I could never get my riffing speed up to where I wanted it to be, even tough I excessively practiced. After years without progress I got frustrated and kind of gave up on fast ...
4 votes
5 answers
4k views

Tremolo picking, anchor palm or not?

I'm learning tremolo picking and until now I've been resting my palm just above E string and anchoring with my pinky. I noticed that when picking 2 strings at the same time I also mute the first of ...
25 votes
8 answers
21k views

How to hide a flat pick in the right hand when switching to finger picking, Warren Haynes style

Watch any Warren Haynes video on YouTube and you'll notice that he often likes to mix it up and play solos with a pick but mid-way switch to using his fingers. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EMxG90vP-...
8 votes
4 answers
4k views

Fingerpicks - which styles are they used for?

I'm currently learning how to use fingerpicks, like these: The exercises I found are all blues or bluegrass related. I really like the strong sound and speed potencial, but I am more into the ...
2 votes
2 answers
2k views

Making alternate picking palm muting sound like downpicked palm muting

I was told that my alternate picking palm muting should not sound like it does, there should be little difference vs downpicking. What should I practice to remedy this? Here's an example, using ...