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#1
08-20-2018, 10:30 PM
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Flat picking: wrist or fingers?
Trying to get my flat picking better. I play with an open hand vs. closed hand. I have noticed that most flat pickers either all the time or when going fast switch to the closed hand. I asked about this before, but just noticed something new. When I flat pick with an open hand my thumb/index fingers are moving a lot to get the pick to be precise on the strings and I notice closed hand pickers appear to not use finger movement at all and it is all in the wrist and the closed hand is very rigid. Is this accurate? Is fast accurate flat picking really mostly wrist?
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Guitar Fundi Gibson "Custom Late 1950's Reissue Southern Jumbo Triburst" Taylor 314CE (Built by Ren Ferguson) Mystery Resonator Fender Stratocaster 
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#2
08-20-2018, 11:48 PM
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Yes. Wrist. Using only thumb/fingers to move the pick is slower and produces much less volume. Also avoid picking from the elbow. Also slow and will cause fatigue. Everyone can point to a great picker with terrible technique. The thing to remember is we're not them, and copying their poor technique only hurts our playing.
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#3
08-21-2018, 03:48 AM
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More wrist than anything. To make it work, you need to grip the pick solidly by having the thumb lock down the pick on your curled index finger. With that grip, the remaining 3 fingers can be slightly or fully curled
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#5
08-21-2018, 08:53 AM
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Starting today, commit to playing with a closed hand. It may seem clumsy/inaccurate for a few weeks, but you will gain several benefits. BTW, closed hand does not mean clenched fist.
Also, while you don't want your forearm to be the main driver of your pick, you do want to avoid keeping your elbow rigidly locked. Do not plant your forearm or wrist on the guitar. In addition to abducting and adducting, you should also be pronating and supinating your wrist. I think that your observation that flatpickers do "not use finger movement at all and it is all in the wrist and the closed hand is very rigid" is inaccurate. Try to avoid rigidity in thought or action when playing guitar. Youtube has thousands of videos of people playing with rigidity, and you can clearly hear the detrimental effect that has on their music.
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#6
08-21-2018, 11:50 AM
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Just curious. When you say it's in the wrist, are you guys actually bending the wrist or are you rotating the forearm?
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"Militantly left-handed." Lefty Acoustics Martin 00-15M Taylor 320e Baritone Cheap Righty Classical (played upside down ala Elizabeth Cotten)
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#7
08-21-2018, 11:59 AM
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Quote:
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#8
08-21-2018, 12:08 PM
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Quote:
This guy talks about rotating the arm as an option. I can imagine it would be good for people who have any wrist problems.
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"Militantly left-handed." Lefty Acoustics Martin 00-15M Taylor 320e Baritone Cheap Righty Classical (played upside down ala Elizabeth Cotten) Last edited by SunnyDee; 08-21-2018 at 12:58 PM.
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#9
08-21-2018, 12:14 PM
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Each person develops his/her own playing styole after a while and what it right for one isn't necessarily right for all, BUT - this little video I made a while about this may help :
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Silly Moustache, Just an old Limey acoustic guitarist, Dobrolist, mandolier and singer. I'm here to try to help and advise and I offer one to one lessons/meetings/mentoring via Zoom!
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#10
08-21-2018, 01:07 PM
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Quote:
Pronate the forearm, slightly, on strumming upstrokes. This changes the timbre of the upstroke and creates a pulse within the music. Very important in most musc; essential in bluegrass. Also pronate at the end of a powerful down-strum in which the aim is to not hit strings 1 or 2. Supinate the forearm, slightly, for some downstroke techniques such as double-down-up and sweeping. Supinate more drastically for palm muting. This wrist/forearm rotation is combined with slight finger movement that is subconscious. Not moving your fingers for the minute adjustments is akin to flat-picking a melody from your elbow with a rigid wrist: it forces muscles to perform functions for which they are too big. Just like other tasks in life, it's all about using the right tool for the job. Last edited by jwing; 08-21-2018 at 01:17 PM.
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#11
08-21-2018, 01:24 PM
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Quote:
FYI, anytime that you come across a word or phrase that is unfamiliar, you can highlight it, right click, and choose "Search."
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#12
08-21-2018, 01:30 PM
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Quote:
Ah, I see why you say this now. I do know the words. I just didn't see your post. Some people are saying they just move the wrist, and I was responding to that. Good tip about the right click, though. I didn't know that.
__________________
"Militantly left-handed." Lefty Acoustics Martin 00-15M Taylor 320e Baritone Cheap Righty Classical (played upside down ala Elizabeth Cotten)
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#13
08-21-2018, 02:33 PM
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I was a move the fingers guy for years, got quite good at it...big mistake...eventually you top out on speed and fatigue sets in quickly.
Wrist is where it's at...also, do NOT grip the pick too firmly, just tight enough so it doesn't go flying across the room. You want to keep that hand as relaxed as possible and let the weight of the hand do the work whenever possible... Don't be like me! I'm currently relearning things after 27 years of bad habits...yuck.
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#15
08-22-2018, 06:12 AM
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So, now that you have some opinions from the forumites, why not study the masters?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kMGwH5As72g My favorite flatpicker, David Grier: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_Bb7v33D3iE No, this is my favorite flatpicker, Molly Tuttle: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=awFeDMNiKX4 Those are all from a guy named Troy Grady, who has over 100 similar videos on Youtube.
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