right hand technique

man im so annoyed. ive been for a while nowabout 3 years and i am starting to ask questions about my own right hand technique.
IS THERE A SET WAY OF PICKING WITH YOUR RIGHT HAND ? or is it just what feels comfortable.
i have been watchig page and other proffesional guitarist and they seem to do it different from me.
the main thing that i am worried about is the way i move down through each string and back. is there a set way? please help :confused:

alternate picking when doing a scale coming back up

Originally Posted by: SpeckledJimalternate picking when doing a scale coming back up

[font=trebuchet ms]Maybe I don't understand what the problem is. That should be one of the easiest things for you to do, up or down the neck.

Don't sweat about starting on an upstroke or downstroke. That's determined by where your pick happens to be when you want to move into the scale. If your pick is above the first string you want to play on, you start with a downstroke. If your pick is below the first string, you start with an upstroke. Depending on how many notes you play on each string, you may find that your pick is headed in the wrong direction for moving to the next string. No biggie - make the return stroke part of the move to the next string, and nail that note as soon as you arrive.

You could drive yourself crazy trying to plan it all out in advance, but I prefer to just sail on in and play that mother![/font]

na that aint the problem. its like complicated. the problem is more the positioning of my hand in general.
i can go down the scale fine but when i come back up it as if my hand has moved and i cant reach the top string.
can you help?
one other small question do you move you arm when you pick?

Originally Posted by: SpeckledJim... i can go down the scale fine but when i come back up it as if my hand has moved and i cant reach the top string...

[font=trebuchet ms]Hmm... Do you rest your forearm on the guitar body, or do you 'float' above the strings?

I anchor my arm on the body and/or rest the edge of my hand just past the bridge - not palm muting, I'm resting on the strings between the bridge saddles and the tail piece. Obviously, I don't have a trem type bridge.

Well, actually one of my axes has a Floyd Rose, and I spend a lot of time cursing that thing![/font]

Bro, I know what you mean, I've had that problem for years.

I had to completely change the way I pick. I used to rest my hand/wrist on the bridge, if I started on the high-E string in a descending run I couldnt reach the low E without tie-ing up my wrist. If I started on the low-E in a ascending run, I couldn't reach the high-E without tieing up my wrist or having the volume-potty in the way.

Now I'm resting my lower arm near the top of the guitar, about 1-2 inches from the elbow. I keep my wrist straight and play with a floating hand (it touches the strings, but doesn't rest on them). Alternate picking comes from the wrist, but repositioning my hand for the next string comes from the elbow joint.

It's awkward for the 1st month or so, but after that it becomes totally natural, with a much greater feeling of freedom and lightness.

Makes sure you start EXTREMELY slow until you have perfect coordination in the movements from elbow and wrist when changing strings (there are 4-5 different combinations), then work up to speed slowly from there. The reason you want to start EXTREMELY slow is because you want to "record" the correct coordination and motions into your muscles/brain (muscle memory), without tension. If you start of too fast, you run the risk of programming tension and less accurate motions into your muscles/brain, unless you're naturally gifted. Which for example I'm not.

Also the weight from your arm should be supported at the point where your lower-arm rests on the body, to keep your upper-arm and shoulder relaxed! This is incredibly important as any tension there is evil:

- tension = less control, accuracy and it makes playing (fast) feel hard, while it should feel easy and light.
- your arm's major bloodvessels run THROUGH the muscles in your shoulder and through your biceps. Tension in the those muscles will reduce bloodflow to and from your hand/wrist, just when they need it the most. This is a major cause of RSI, injuries and weak endurance.

Is this a question of
picking from the
a) fingers
b) wrist
c) elbow

?? cuz those are the three different picking patterns
if soo theres been posts made about this ages ago - (back in the day when i check this forum everyday! - waaait that was back in january!) just search for picking related questions.

i for one pick using my fingers and change strings using my elbow and a bit of wrist - but its all in the fingers holding the pick.

Try moving only your wrist when picking. Its easier to control speed and accuracy using your wrist rather than your whole arm or just your fingers.

Originally Posted by: SpeckledJimalternate picking when doing a scale coming back up

Just my 2 cents on alternate picking- instead of picking in a straight up/down manner, try picking in a tight circle; matter of fact, I think I read somewhere that's called circular picking. Practice slowly at first up and down the neck, especialy 3 note triplets. Make the cirlcle smaller and smaller as you progress. Actually, the shape of the "circle" is more like an elipse - kinda like this if you look at it sideways: () - but make it tighter and tighter as you go along. Personally I don't strictly alternate pick, if the string is there, I'm not gonna change course just to keep the alternate thing going.

well. i havent really been on this forum in a while but good news i think i fixed it . i never read any of your posts coz i dont want to confuse my self
im just doing it now not thinkin just doin it im forgetting all that technical crap and just playing

Originally Posted by: SpeckledJim... i never read any of your posts coz i dont want to confuse my self ...

[font=trebuchet ms]Right, then. You're welcome. So kind of you to thank us for our help.

NOT[/font] :mad:

I sometimes get existencial questions like this one. I have some things in my mind:

1st- There is no right way, it's mainly a matter of choosing a way that is right with you and go on practicing and building a fine personal technique.

2nd- But 'till now I've been holding the pick with little consistency, mainly with the tips of my thumb and index fingers, and now I've found that holding it with the thumb and the index finger bent towards the palm of my hand and the other fingers closed (as a fist) it feels quite more controlled.

3rd- Should this right hand be anchored in some way? I used to put the fifth finger below the first string.

Any tip? Thanks.

J

Originally Posted by: Jacktheone
1st- There is no right way, it's mainly a matter of choosing a way that is right with you and go on practicing and building a fine personal technique.

2nd- But 'till now I've been holding the pick with little consistency, mainly with the tips of my thumb and index fingers, and now I've found that holding it with the thumb and the index finger bent towards the palm of my hand and the other fingers closed (as a fist) it feels quite more controlled.

3rd- Should this right hand be anchored in some way? I used to put the fifth finger below the first string.

Any tip? Thanks.

J

I hold the pick the same way as you, using small teardrop jazz picks. I alternate between hard and medium gauge, and hold the pick with the tip extended only a little when playing leads. This allows me to get artificial harmonics easily if I want. I find using the hard pick when practicing makes it easier to play when I switch to the medium. The hard pick forces me to be more exact.

As to hand placement, it depends on what I'm doing. If I'm strumming chords, the pick out comes out a bit more, and I generally don't anchor my hand when chording- I say generally, cuz I hybrid pick, so I sometimes hit a chord with the pick while plucking the strings with my remaining pick-hand fingers.
Same with lead work; sometimes I mute the strings with my palm, and lately, I've found I hardly ever anchor my hand with my pinky as you mentioned. I hybrid pick also when playing leads; I find this often get me to where I'm going lots faster (depending what I'm going for), so I can hit high and low notes lots faster without skip-string picking.

As you said, there's no right or wrong way; just what makes you most comfortable. JMHO.

Click Here for lots of good picking stuff

This might be useful also:

http://www.guitartricks.com/lesson.php?input=8505&s_id=79

im still grateful for this thread, i've been knocking my head to the ground trying to find a way to alternate pick. i read about the circular (elliptical) picking from a recent post in here (sorry whomever you are, i shall reread the post). so i'll have to try that out.

i havent been reading this one for a while coz as i said i didnt want to confuse myself with the technique and didnt mean to be rude. sorry guys.

not wanting to get off topic here, but i just like to state that alternate picking has finally clicked in my head. it wasn't so much the technique of circular picking, but trying circular (elliptical) just finally clicked something in my brain how alternate picking motion should be.

:D