#1
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My picking is sounding cliche
The good: I know chords all over the neck, 11ths, 13ths, 6/9s, b5s. I can strum bossa, reggae, ska, country, pop, etc.
The bad: When I cross pick, I find myself stuck in the same patterns, and I'm getting tired of hearing the beautiful chords that I play sounding the same way. I'm also stuck in my flat picking patterns. When I listen to the acoustic Pandora station I created and that I listen to in the car, a lot of the guitarists are so outrageously good, I can hardly comprehend what they're doing - maybe if I watched them on video. They're slapping, tapping, getting outrageous harmonics, sometimes every beat is a new chord. Can anyone recommend exercise books or that can help me break out of a rut? Also, I don't want to get bogged down learning other people's songs - I prefer exercises, technique, and short compositions. For me, playing my own ideas is therapy I can't live without.
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Eastman E1SS-CLA-LTD Eastman E1OOSS-LTD Cordoba Fusion Orchestra CE Cordoba SM-CE Mini Classical Acoustic Ibanez Blazer 21 MIJ Stratocaster 2 Yamaha PSR-SX900 keyboards I play professionally Roland FP-90 digital piano I play for pleasure with piano VSTs. |
#2
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OOPS! PLEASE MOVE TO PLAY AND WRITE!
Oh this is Play and write. Never mind!
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Eastman E1SS-CLA-LTD Eastman E1OOSS-LTD Cordoba Fusion Orchestra CE Cordoba SM-CE Mini Classical Acoustic Ibanez Blazer 21 MIJ Stratocaster 2 Yamaha PSR-SX900 keyboards I play professionally Roland FP-90 digital piano I play for pleasure with piano VSTs. |
#3
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The humblest part of trying to create music and not copy others is the fact that one must sound like them self.
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Waterloo WL-S, K & K mini Waterloo WL-S Deluxe, K & K mini Iris OG, 12 fret, slot head, K & K mini Follow The Yellow Brick Road |
#4
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I wold say forget books and write melodies. Chords are fine and all, but when you get into terms like "crosspicking" and "flatpicking," you're talking patterns...which yeah, get boring...but not if you include a good melody on top.
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#5
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Years ago I was a flat picker and like you became bored with the same old patterns. After a while everything starts to sound the same. I started to teach myself hybrid style, then went totally over to finger style. It gives me the fullness from the guitar that flat picking couldn't give me.
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Barry Sad Moments {Marianne Vedral cover}: My SoundCloud page Some steel strings, some nylon. |
#6
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Right. More or less what I pointed out earlier. Jeff is of course correct. Melody is usually what
guides the rest of it rather than relegated to an after thought. Learn a few tunes by others you like, or at least carefully analyze a few so you tell what makes them click. Then you may be able to incorporate some of it.
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Derek Coombs Youtube -> Website -> Music -> Tabs Guitars by Mark Blanchard, Albert&Mueller, Paul Woolson, Collings, Composite Acoustics, and Derek Coombs "Reality is that which when you stop believing in it, doesn't go away." Woods hands pick by eye and ear
Made to one with pride and love To be that we hold so dear A voice from heavens above |
#7
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Quote:
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Eastman E1SS-CLA-LTD Eastman E1OOSS-LTD Cordoba Fusion Orchestra CE Cordoba SM-CE Mini Classical Acoustic Ibanez Blazer 21 MIJ Stratocaster 2 Yamaha PSR-SX900 keyboards I play professionally Roland FP-90 digital piano I play for pleasure with piano VSTs. |
#8
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Quote:
Mark Hanson has a couple of books on Travis picking which many of us used to get started. The hardest part about switching from flat picking to finger style is that it is like having your masters degree and you have to go back to kindergarten to start over. It's worth it though. There is so much you can do and if you learn to use a thumb pick later on down the road its the best of both worlds for certain music. Here's Windy and Warm played by Tommy E. which is a good example. The tune starts at around 55 seconds:
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Barry Sad Moments {Marianne Vedral cover}: My SoundCloud page Some steel strings, some nylon. |
#9
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It may be considered wrong but I never learned picking patterns. I always try to pick the string or note I want. I can flat pick more cleanly than finger pick. It doesn't take long for it to sound a little empty though. I have more control when I flat pick. But I like to finger pick more than flat pick now days. Finger picking seems to be a little bit different way to approach the finger board. It gets you away from playing closed chords and separates the low strings, top strings and the strings that aren't being picked.
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Waterloo WL-S, K & K mini Waterloo WL-S Deluxe, K & K mini Iris OG, 12 fret, slot head, K & K mini Follow The Yellow Brick Road |
#10
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Quote:
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Eastman E1SS-CLA-LTD Eastman E1OOSS-LTD Cordoba Fusion Orchestra CE Cordoba SM-CE Mini Classical Acoustic Ibanez Blazer 21 MIJ Stratocaster 2 Yamaha PSR-SX900 keyboards I play professionally Roland FP-90 digital piano I play for pleasure with piano VSTs. |
#11
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I bought Mark Hanson Contemporary Travis Picking. I love T Emmanuel, but haven't listened to song yet. Today I'm getting out of my block working with some amazing open string minor 11th chords.
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Eastman E1SS-CLA-LTD Eastman E1OOSS-LTD Cordoba Fusion Orchestra CE Cordoba SM-CE Mini Classical Acoustic Ibanez Blazer 21 MIJ Stratocaster 2 Yamaha PSR-SX900 keyboards I play professionally Roland FP-90 digital piano I play for pleasure with piano VSTs. |
#12
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I think if you hear a good flatpicker, the idea that fingerstyle is going to be the solution is pretty silly.
The key to making those patterns interesting(and fingerstylists have patterns too, and hybrid pickers do too) is to make sure that you're not just cycling through the same notes every time you play a chord. A guitar player needs to learn inversions--and with that, gain the ability to put any melody note on top of a chord that they might need at any given moment. Then it doesn't matter if you play with your tongue or a pair of flaming chopsticks. |
#13
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http://bobbynapier.com/yahoo_site_ad...ll.4461233.pdf
http://acoustictruth.com/download/522/ Here is a free pdf and accompanying sound files which will get you well on the way toward becoming a proficient finger picker- challenging and enjoyable. |
#14
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Quote:
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Eastman E1SS-CLA-LTD Eastman E1OOSS-LTD Cordoba Fusion Orchestra CE Cordoba SM-CE Mini Classical Acoustic Ibanez Blazer 21 MIJ Stratocaster 2 Yamaha PSR-SX900 keyboards I play professionally Roland FP-90 digital piano I play for pleasure with piano VSTs. |
#15
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What guitar is Tommy playing there? It looks very classy....
Nick |