Just picking.. the definitive guide i guess

Hi folks.

Been sat playing for a few hours now and my pinky is much improved, few more months and ill be happy with that.. but have now discoverd something else i need help with - simply my picking hand, specifically when changing strings.

been doing the old chromatic excercises ... 1234, 1234, etc
and once i get above maybe 120 / 130 bpm im having problems picking the string cleanly esp going downwards ( 4321)

What im after i guess is a rundown on how you should change strings while picking - a rundown of the exact movement you should make - is it the hand, the wrist, the elbow the arm that moves? (or should) and of course alternte picking brings a complete set of confusion - how to pick an upstroke after a downstroke while changing strings and vice versa. I can do it quite quick just with open strings, but would like some pointers as to 'correct' picking technique resp alternate picking across strings.

Im finding as i move across the strings im REALLY tensing up in my right lower arm, cant seem to stop this - and also something else ive noticed - if i go down the strings from the top £ plying 1234 on each for example, when i get to the bottom string my left hand is stretchinga bit - i guess i need to move my palm more away from the bottom edge of the neck caus eit always seems to end up pushed against it.

any excercises / advice folks?

cheers,

TWeak

stay relaxed, tensing is bad..speed will come with time and lots of practice..i can go down a scale much better than up a scale..soon you will get the hang of it

My advice would be a quote from Michael Angelo:

The key to alternate picking, is to be able to start on a new string with an upstroke.

That will help your speed. It's different at first just make sure that you follow down up down up down up.

try this exercise.


G --------------------------11---12--11----------------
D----11---12---14---------------------------14----12----11----


and repeat. Start slow and work up.

cheers folks, ill keep the above in mind and keep practicing.. What im really after aswell is some opinions on how to actually go about picking the string / moving from one string to the next, eg where is your hand anchored (or not), which part of your hand / arm / fingers move and how whe you change strings.. i cant seem to get it to feel comfortable or more importantly consistent - i always feel like im doing something wrong.. also i think im having problems with synchronisation - when i want to play something faster i tend to speed up the picking (and fingering obviously) but the way i pick tends to be different when i start \picking fast to when i pick slow.. is this 'wrong'? im thinking i should have exactly the same action whatever the speed and be able to vary the speed as a continuum not descretely kinda thing if that makes sense. Opinions please?

i think a lot of the time when i speed up bothhands do their thing faster and quite preciseley to a point, but i think that they arnt actually speeding up together - it should be that the picking hand dont pick untill the note is fingered right? or as close too as possibleie one hand should control the other.. this i dont think happens when i play :( anyone else ever come across this and beaten it? How?? hehehe


cheers again all.. youve all made such a difference over the few weeks ive been posting here.


~Tweak~

About anchoring your hand, just do whatever is comfortable. I usually anchor my and, not muting the strings, just anchor it when I'm playing fast, some people like to float the hand, whatever is comfortable.

Your PICKING MOTION should be the same, hand position doesn't matter, just the motion. You should be doing the same thing fast as you can slow.

Practice just tremolo'ing on one note on one string and just try going fast and then slow down and then go fast and then slow down, make sure your MOTION is the same.

speed seems to be like a good woman - never there when you need it, appears when you dont expect it but is always bloody hard work regardless ;)

Thanks again - i think ill sit later and just tremolo for a loooong time. Any hints for changing strings while tremoloing? Whenever i try i end up with an ugly break or choke :( anything to watch out for / keep focused on?

practice practice and more practice, i dont know how i can exagerate that any more..thats the key to getting better at anything..if u have to play it at say 40 bpm the so be it..
abotu chockin try playin the tremelo slow when changing strings and slowly speed up

another thing i just noticed.. been practiving the tremolo picking across string (4 and 8 picks on each for now) and when i start on a low string and move towards the high E String going across each string its easy -- the downstroke onto the next string comes after the last upstroke for the group of 4 on the previous string.. but when im going the oposite way, i finish the group of 4 on an upstroke so should i start the next sequence with an upstroke too? Its difficult to maintain the alternate picking because to continue with the sequence the downstroke on the lower string you need to move your hand beyond the string then pick if that makes sense.. I dunno how you guys manage to do this at speed (Brain explodes) bu im guessing someones gonna say "practice practice practice" Heheh :)

But at least ive finally spotted what i think is the route of the problem.

Cheers

~T~

Well, hats off to you technical freaks and wizards but I always thought legato sounded better. I tremolo pick from my elbow (I'm told that's odd) it's supposed to come from a circular movement with your thumb and 1st finger isn't it?

its gonna take time getting used..i had the same problem of switching to difernt strings but as you progress you will knowtice it becomes easier and easier..about all i have left to say

Thanks again all
Its always nice to hear someone else has been there if you know what i mean.. AND got through it.

\m/ Peace


~T~