Aaaaaah

so ive been playing about 6 years or so, and im just in the fine line between fast picking, and really fast picking.
i try using my metronome to practice speed excersises but i dont know exactly how to pick or hold the pick.

of course i choke up on it, and i tilt it to get less friction, and i can tremelo pick incredibly fast, but im not sure if i should pick with my elbow, (like people tremelo pick with)
or to use my wrist (what ive been doing for six years)


and im not sure how to hold the pick, i use my index finger and thumb, but im not sure if i should bend my first knuckle on my index finger, (ive never picked like this in any way) or to simply hold the pick as usual.


im getting incredibly frustrated and i need some answers now.

I usually place the pick across the first knuckle of my index finger and then put my thumb across the back of it. It seems to work fairly well.

I think I hold the pick the same way... but my index finger is definitely a little bent. Also, you should be using a bit of wrist and elbow to pick... nothing should be locked up.

Are you relaxed when playing, or is there tension? Without knowing more, but assuming you're the same as everyone else I've seen with similar problems, you might consider slowing down a bit and concentrating on technique rather than just pushing yourself harder and harder.

Tendonitis is a bitch...

Hello James

You could try combined sweep alternate picking. You can play more notes with less wasted movement. :cool:

Regards,

James Erceg

There's a certain argument to be made about the type of pick you use too.
A softer pick will tend to flop around more the faster you pick making it hard to consistently aim at the string. A hard pick will stay rigid.
I know as soon as I switched to a smaller, thicker pick that my speed picking increased. However, I lost a lot of feel because I couldn't clench up on the pick and bend it a little during slower parts and playing rhythm.

So after a lot of time I got to the point where I use both now. I keep them handy on a mic stand or something. During rhythm parts I'll use a .60mm nylon pick. Then I toss that away and quickly pick up a small, hard 1.0mm pick for the lead and vise versa.
(...of course by the time you've finished there are picks all over the floor but hey :)

I had the same issue years ago, on electric. My buddy had me try a (Jazz iii xl) pick and it made all the difference. It's still the only pick I use for my electrics.