View post (Two Questions (Palm Place and Alternate Picking))

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ChristopherSchlegel
Guitar Tricks Instructor
Joined: 08/09/05
Posts: 8,360
ChristopherSchlegel
Guitar Tricks Instructor
Joined: 08/09/05
Posts: 8,360
12/14/2018 5:46 am

Hey, Jasim! Hope you & yours are well.

Originally Posted by: jasim.hd

[br]1) Lately, I’m finding the left palm of my hand is sticking to the neck while playing lead

[/quote]

It's okay if your palm is merely making light contact with the neck. But it sounds like your neck is resting on your palm (exerting downward pressure). And that could lead to problems. If your hand is holding up the neck at all it's bad because it's going to hinder your ability to freely move your hand where it needs to go to fret notes.

Especially when you say this next part.

Originally Posted by: jasim.hd

... it gets awkward when I bend, I have to kind of raise my shoulder or arm upwards to maintain the bend, sorry for not being able to express clearly) but with pictures you get the idea.

[/quote]

Either picture could be fine. But you shouldn't be resting the guitar weight (the neck or any part of it) on your hands. Your hands should be completely free & unencumbered to move freely where they need to go. They don't need to be doing double duty holding up the guitar as well as fretting notes.

Also, I don't like the angle of your wrist in the second picture. I can't see your wrist in the first, so I can't be sure there. But it looks like you are bending your wrist so it's angled out instead of in like it should be. You forearm, wrist and hand should all form a gently curving arc inward. If you bend your wrist back you are putting unecessary pressure & tension on your wrist & hands that will hinder your playing & ability to bend strings.

Look at these videos.

https://www.guitartricks.com/lesson.php?input=13958&s_id=1141

https://www.guitartricks.com/lesson.php?input=12188&s_id=605

When you bend, you want to have that gently curving arc. And you want to pivot between your thumb, the place on your hand where your index finger meets you hand & rotate your wrist pushing your bending finger up. You should not have to lift your shoulder. That's an indication that you are trying to compensate for not bending from your wrist.

Look at this video when I talk about bending.

https://www.guitartricks.com/lesson.php?input=20406&s_id=1614

[quote=jasim.hd][br]2) Up-down picking technique. A very important technique to master of course, while practicing scales, especially sequence ones, I find myself alter picking fine, but when I speed things up, I can’t seem to maintain an accurate manner of up-down-up-down picking. I sometimes do 2 downs especially if I’m moving to another string. Is it normal or should I have a very accurate manner?

You are describing economy picking. Changing direction from constant up-down alternate picking to do down-down or up-up briefly in order to change strings. That's fine if it works for you. It might be that you need to refine your picking technique.

You need to make sure you have no tension in your hands, use the lightest possible pressure with your pick, slightly tilt the pick & graze over the strings without digging in too far.

Look at these videos on speedy picking.

https://www.guitartricks.com/tutorial.php?input=287

https://www.guitartricks.com/tutorial.php?input=928

[br][quote=jasim.hd][p]As always, I really really do appreciate all your help and efforts. Thank you and God bless everyone here. :)

Great to hear from you! Merry Christmas & holidays to you & yours. Let us know how your guitar playing goes in the new year!


Christopher Schlegel
Guitar Tricks Instructor

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