|
|
#1
03-02-2018, 02:02 PM
|
|||
|
|||
right hand picking technique
Maybe for something like this, I should take a private lesson, but was wondering what you guys thought about some of the points discussed in this video. You can watch the whole thing, but I think these are the important parts. 1:54: Wrist angle 2:08 and 5:13 and 5:40: Fingers curled up and brushing the pick guard 2:36: Pick angle I know there are different styles/techniques out there (especially floating vs touching/anchored), but was wondering if these are good things to learn if I am just beginning to explore the touching/anchored approach. I think the part that was most revealing for me was on 2:08. And up to now, the way I anchor sometimes was like how he says you SHOULDN'T do at 5:40. So I will be working to fix that. Would agree I am taking away some good points from this video. 
|
|
#2
03-02-2018, 02:18 PM
|
|||
|
|||
|
All perfectly rational and doable. Only exception I take is to the point about fingers touching the pick guard. Even in the video you can see how his hand has to stretch out to reach the bass strings. Many players lightly rest the wrist on the bridge pins, keep the fingers more curled, and use that for geo-location. I use my middle finger in many cases to support my pick grip so letting that dangle would compromise some grip and power.
A lot of what he says also is dependent on your pick grip. Many players use the "dirty diaper" grip and that necessitates some changes in angles and arch in the wrist. Last edited by HHP; 03-02-2018 at 02:30 PM.
|
|
#3
03-02-2018, 02:35 PM
|
|||
|
|||
|
Quote:
Not sure how widely these holds are used, but aren't these considered unorthodox? Also, what you noticed about having to stretch reach the bass strings... yes, that is one thing I find a bit awkward.
|
|
#4
03-02-2018, 02:40 PM
|
|||
|
|||
|
Quote:
I would think fingers on the guard would be more unorthodox.
|
|
#5
03-02-2018, 03:38 PM
|
|||
|
|||
|
Been concentrating on right hand technique for the past few days myself.
Maintaining good tone while gaining tempo was the driving factor for me re-visiting this concept. I found that while I was playing at a faster pace, I would eventually tense up, and then subsequently lose the flow & tone I was looking for. Part of the problem was my hand moving closer to the bridge and not getting a consistent drive on the strings with the pick. So, I re-watched Bryan Sutton's video on the ArtistWorks site for a refresher course. One of the key elements of his technique is to remain relaxed, starting with the grip. He describes it as holding a key like you would to unlock a door. He has a bunch of other great info there, as well. Alot of it is basically covered in the video above in the OP. I started flatpicking about 2 years ago using a more closed-fisted, floating grip which felt very awkward at first, but quickly became second nature. As I am learning to stay more settled while playing quicker, I have noticed my hand (remaining 3 fingers) opening up a bit more, occasionally brushing the pickguard. Planting or anchoring seems introduce unwanted tension.
|
|
#6
03-04-2018, 02:16 PM
|
|||
|
|||
|
RR - I spent a while in Bryan's lessons and think his approach is solid and well thought out. There are great flatpickers who do float completely free, which I think is fine if you can pull it off. BS is not a fan of stationary anchoring fingers on the top or heel of the hand on bridge pins (very common in electric playing) because those limit free arm motion and dampen the guitar's top. Here's a video of him talking about right hand & arm technique:
|
|
#7
03-05-2018, 08:37 AM
|
|||
|
|||
|
Quote:
|
|
#8
03-07-2018, 05:22 AM
|
|||
|
|||
|
All good advice from what I've seen. Exactly how you anchor is not important, IMO, as long as you don't fix your hand too rigidly, or press too hard. "Anchor" is not really the best word, it sounds too firm! It's about geo-location, as HHP says - knowing your pick's location relative to the strings without looking. So it only needs to be the lightest of touches - whether you use a finger or two (curled or straight) on the pickguard or wrist on the bridge pins. The hand has to stay mobile, so fingers can slide on the pickguard - that positional guide is more about how high the pick is relative to all the strings, not which string you're on.
Personally (self-taught), when flatpicking I rest my wrist (lightly) on the bridge, and hold the pick mainly between pads of thumb and middle finger, its front edge supported by my index. That's my standard grip for strumming too, because it gives me a lot of flexibility of pick angle and dynamics. However, I wouldn't recommend it! I don't do a lot of flatpicking, and I have found the orthodox grip between thumb and curled side of index is more efficient for fast single string playing. Either way, experiment with the angle of the pick relative to the string. Hitting the string flat is not as smooth or fast as angling the pick across the string, so the point doesn't catch. Angling it down (as Rolly demonstrates) works well with the orthodox grip. Angling it the other way is often known as the (George) Benson method, which I find works for my own thumb-middle grip - even though GB uses thumb and index. The hand looks weird this way, but it clearly works.  (Actually I think that pic exaggerates it.) Notice curled pinky resting on pickguard.
__________________
"There is a crack in everything. That's how the light gets in." - Leonard Cohen.
|
