picking thread

[Bern]

Originally Posted by Zelator

What i see is how these guys work the strings with the fretting hand .......thats where the work lies mostly i feel .

For me, personally, that's the bottom line. To develop the intricate relationship between fretting hand and picking hand, I believe, is key. Ultimately, besides all the side issues like artificial nails, thumb pick, etc., this will reflect the music one will hear.

[David Hilyard]

Originally Posted by Zelator

Hey i'm feeling all insecure about my picking and i need hugs have i got it or what will i make a picker ? hell yea ,your cue is


you must be out your beds by now over the water its after dinner where i am .......................make something up even if it isnt so

You sound fine. It's about enjoying what you are doing. You are. So that's all that's important. It's a process. You are doing just fine figuring it out and getting it smooth. Enjoy!

[redavide]

I prefer using my thumbnail, because when it's at the right length (about 2mm over the skin), you can get a nice combination of flesh and nail to get different timbres. I've got a naturally thick nail so it's strong and doesn't break much -- if you've got thin nails maybe it would be a problem. You can also use your thumbnail as a flatpick -- Wes Montgomery and Jeff Beck are two players who come to mind . . .

[shawlie]

I listened to your practice sample - if you've only been doing this for a little bit, it sounds fine I think! And as far as my opinion counts (given I'm just an over-enthousiastic amateur), I'm sure you have what it takes to be a "picker".

It just sounds like you have to stop and think about what your picking hand will do next - but it seems like you have the ideas in the fretting hand already pretty worked out in your head (even though there's a lot of pauzes, you can hear the melody going on). Practice is all you need, you just have to memorize what comes next until it's second nature. The two hands will always confuse each other, just keep doing it over and over until they know what comes next.

Like Bern has written, if you get the two working as one (picking and fretting), it will flow just fine. I'm still working on getting it to do that, but with practice it does seem to slowly improve. Certainly you must keep at it.

You could also try using a metronome once in a while, if you want. I don't like them when I'm just learning something (make me far too nervous and I don't really see the point - if I can't play the piece at any tempo and that thing just keeps clicking on and on...) but once or twice a day I like to use one to just go through some songs I feel I know ok. At any rate, it's sometimes useful.

But keep at it - it sounded good for not doing it so long and you'll have lots of fun learning and making up songs like that!

[markIvan]

yea it is pritty much as you are saying shawlie and yes the chord changes have a lot of work to do ,my aim as last time i done it is to replicate a spider dancing on the strings ................last time it was sooooooo enjoyable to do when get the sound of the strings resonating off the back of your fingers and the odd hammer on would klick and appear out of know where .Even since posting ive improved as much again ............i love how Paul simon picked and the old bits and pieces seem to be coming out the closet when i am playing ............i not thinking of any song realy this time i am as you say following the sound in my head looking for that next chord change that works ...........the pause or slow if you like when i am changing at the minuet is one of " does that one fit ,and if it does i'm off looking for the next .Just like having a conversation when you said something that fits the flow you are immediately concerned next with what do i need to say next ..............its fun


and then again fingers get tender also and that holds everything back a little