Giving my alternate picking an overhaul. :)
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I-love-my-ibanez.
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So after a week of almost completely screwing up my right elbow, I’ve decided to give my picking a complete overhaul. So as with when I first started, I am starting everything off very slowly and going back to the basics.
This all really comes out of a need for me to pick in a more natural fashion. To where my picking hand is always relaxed and am not putting and tension on my forearm.
It seems for years I had always been somewhat forcing my picking hand to play in a way that was not smooth and natural and always seemed to cause some stress.
So now comes the long journey onto speed picking. It should be quite interesting to track my progress and see how everything develops. Seriously, this is like the 3rd time I’ve had to change my picking style. :p
Anyways, wish me luck! š
Also, if any of you have any special patterns that might help me along, feel free to post them. I just started jazz guitar lessons at the Conservatory downtown and want to incorporate more things into my practice regime. I think also I’m going to ask my teacher if he can give me more things to work on.
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@RobertM20 6321 wrote:
ANYWAYS… Update!
So I FINALLY BROKE THROUGH THE WALL THAT WAS HOLDING ME BACK!:D
It was the damndest thing too! I ended up jamming with my guitar instructor and his friend and The Jazz Estate on Friday and although I did kinda crappy playing-wise (despite the fact that everyone thought I sounded great. Really, Jazz is NOT something that I can do justice in any way shape or form at this moment but hey… I tried!) I went home feeling pretty depressed. Then the next day as I was jamming for a minute, something seemed a little different in my playing. It kinda showed when I was at Music Go Round jamming on some of the guitars they had.
So a little while ago I figure I might as well get in at least some practicing in before I go to sleep. I plug in my Guitar Port, I hook up my guitar and start the metronome and all of a sudden… everything that I found difficult to play was no longer a burden on my picking anymore; š® It really felt alot smoother and more precise so I up’d the metronome a bit and thought “Damn, it’s about time!”
3-4 weeks of utter torture and hair-pulling and in just 2 days I cross the boundary. Some things just can’t be explained. Must have been all the In Flames I had been listening to. :p
Ok, bed time.
Hey Rob, š
I’m really glad for you that you “broke-through” a technique barrier! š The work eventually pays off, right?!? The “jazz” skills that so frustrate you will be similar in that regard. That is, you will break-through on an improvisational level (over jazz-harmony.) My guess is that the jazz-skills will come as a combination of really understanding your harmony (getting “inside-‘dem-changes” – Buddy Miles pronunciation – he he!) and putting yourself in those situations (improving over jazz-harmony.) The best “application-based” experience you’ll benefit from is “live playing/gigs,” but in the absence of those opportunities, try to get together with friends (informal jams.) Then when that’s NOT logistically possible, play over “jazz-harmony/changes” using backing/jam-tracks (ya know, like on CD or mp3, whatever!) I need to do this WAY more than I currently do, and I think it’s very easy to fall into the trap of forgetting to exercise your true-to-life playing experiences (in the pursuit of better technique, which is actually the best reason to get sidetracked! I mean, that’s a way better excuse than “deciding to watch every football game you can on TV!!! – LOL!) by “throwing yourself into the fire!” Yes, I am “guilty-as-charged” my friend! (LOL!) :rolleyes: š® However, at least my technique is “slowly-but-surely” improving. (Proof is in the BPM’s/Metronome!) š
TTYL! š
~Bill Meehan~ š
@billmeedog 6328 wrote:
Hey Rob, š
I’m really glad for you that you “broke-through” a technique barrier! š The work eventually pays off, right?!? The “jazz” skills that so frustrate you will be similar in that regard. That is, you will break-through on an improvisational level (over jazz-harmony.) My guess is that the jazz-skills will come as a combination of really understanding your harmony (getting “inside-‘dem-changes” – Buddy Miles pronunciation – he he!) and putting yourself in those situations (improving over jazz-harmony.) The best “application-based” experience you’ll benefit from is “live playing/gigs,” but in the absence of those opportunities, try to get together with friends (informal jams.) Then when that’s NOT logistically possible, play over “jazz-harmony/changes” using backing/jam-tracks (ya know, like on CD or mp3, whatever!) I need to do this WAY more than I currently do, and I think it’s very easy to fall into the trap of forgetting to exercise your true-to-life playing experiences (in the pursuit of better technique, which is actually the best reason to get sidetracked! I mean, that’s a way better excuse than “deciding to watch every football game you can on TV!!! – LOL!) by “throwing yourself into the fire!” Yes, I am “guilty-as-charged” my friend! (LOL!) :rolleyes: š® However, at least my technique is “slowly-but-surely” improving. (Proof is in the BPM’s/Metronome!) š
TTYL! š
~Bill Meehan~ š
Well ya know Bill, one day your gonna pass me up in terms of my playing and I’m gonna go “So wait… let me get this straight…”:p I did get a good piece of advice from Neil Davis that night, which is to mainly focus on beats 2 and 4 and accent THOSE instead of always relying on the downbeats of 1 and 3. So I’m gonna ask my jazz instructor on Thursday about it and see if he can give me any advice on that specific thing and if it holds any merit.
I understand how to improvise through those complex chord changes, but the problem now is putting it into practice and actually DOING it instead of just looking at it all on a piece of paper. š®
And now after spending over 7 hours straight trying to get down the same damn solo, I am going to do something relaxing and put my fingers away for the night. Some might find that kind of intensity disturbing :p but for me, it’s all a part of resilience and dedication to perfection on my instrument.
@RobertM20 6329 wrote:
Well ya know Bill, one day your gonna pass me up in terms of my playing and I’m gonna go “So wait… let me get this straight…”:p I did get a good piece of advice from Neil Davis that night, which is to mainly focus on beats 2 and 4 and accent THOSE instead of always relying on the downbeats of 1 and 3. So I’m gonna ask my jazz instructor on Thursday about it and see if he can give me any advice on that specific thing and if it holds any merit.
I understand how to improvise through those complex chord changes, but the problem now is putting it into practice and actually DOING it instead of just looking at it all on a piece of paper. š®
And now after spending over 7 hours straight trying to get down the same damn solo, I am going to do something relaxing and put my fingers away for the night. Some might find that kind of intensity disturbing :p but for me, it’s all a part of resilience and dedication to perfection on my instrument.
Hey Rob, š
NO, I wouldn’t pass you up about your playing bro! I have the utmost respect for your skills! I just thought that you were voicing some frustration about your improvising ability at the jazz-jam you spoke of? Maybe the distraction of dwelling on the results of the “jazz-jam” freed up your mind enough to relax and allow your hard work/repetition to pay-off on your technique! Once you relax about your technique, I was just saying that you’re bound for a nother “breakthrough” in your improvisation over more complex harmony! If I implied that you need to learn about jazz-harmony, then I apologize, because I know that you understand it “on-paper!” After all, you’re a very bright guy, and I know that you’re commited to your instrument! I was just saying that (like anything!) you don’t really “get it” until you can “for-get it! Get it? (LOL!) You know, like how much conscious thought do you exercise if you’re jamming over an old-school hard-rock/metal:
||:____Im_____|_bVImaj___bVIImaj_:||
progression! You’d shred that to death in your sleep, right?!? Well, what I mean about playing over “dem changes” is that eventually (and maybe your there, I don’t know?) you’ll be able to freely improvise over all the “ii-V’s”, Tri-Tone Subs, and Coltrane-esque modulations, etc. in your sleep! Now do you see what I mean?!? Believe me man, I know that you’re disciplined/commited to your instrument! Anyone who posts Petrucci solos on YouTube, and kicks major amounts of ass doing so, is commited to their instrument! (LOL!) š
Consider me a fan, a friend, and a motivational speaker (…uhmmm…cheerleader!…), all wrapped-up in one! (LOL!) :rolleyes::o
Oh, BTW, that 2 & 4 emphasis sounds like a great idea in terms of accentuating the “swing” element in your jazz. Since rock is primarily (but not exclusively) a “1 & 3” based feel, sometimes that “2 & 4” swing emphasis proves elusive for some “rock-guys!” I once had a teacher (who was trying to show me how to impart more “Swing” into my fast-rock-shuffle/boogie-playing – it was actually some old Van Halen tunes believe-it-or-not?!? Some of Eddie’s rhythm work was pretty swingin’!!! ie: “Hot For Teacher,” :”I’m The One,” “Beautiful Girls,” etc.!!!) So anyways, my teacher had me practicing this stuff with a metronome, but NOT the typical “Quarter-Pulse-Click” method! Instead, he had me do the following:
(*counting double-speed) (*counting 2 & 4 ONLY until done!)
___Two-_Three-_Four-_ One-_{pause}-_Two-_{pause}-_One-_Two-_Three-_ Four-_ etc.
__CLICK______CLICK_______CLICK_______CLICK______CLICK_______CLICK_etc.Maybe you already know this counting-convention?!? If so, I apologize for boring you! (LOL!) I know this helped me to get EVH’s rhythm-feel! However, EVH is NOT to be confused with successfully negotiotiating “swing-eighth-note” improvisations over the perpetually modulating “Giant Steps” at 315 BPM!!! I guess for now and the immediate future, I’ll stick with the likes of “I’m The One” off of the Van Halen I LP!!! (he-he!!!) š® Now that I think about it, maybe “Le Grange” by ZZ Top is more my speed!!! š®
Best-of-luck Rob! You rock….errrr….uhmmmm….SWING!!! š
~Bill Meehan~
@billmeedog 6333 wrote:
Hey Rob,
NO, I wouldn’t pass you up about your playing bro! I have the utmost respect for your skills! I just thought that you were voicing some frustration about your improvising ability at the jazz-jam you spoke of? Maybe the distraction of dwelling on the results of the “jazz-jam” freed up your mind enough to relax and allow your hard work/repetition to pay-off on your technique! Once you relax about your technique, I was just saying that you’re bound for a nother “breakthrough” in your improvisation over more complex harmony! If I implied that you need to learn about jazz-harmony, then I apologize, because I know that you understand it “on-paper!” After all, you’re a very bright guy, and I know that you’re commited to your instrument! I was just saying that (like anything!) you don’t really “get it” until you can “for-get it! Get it? (LOL!) You know, like how much conscious thought do you exercise if you’re jamming over an old-school hard-rock/metal:
||:____Im_____|_bVImaj___bVIImaj_:||
progression! You’d shred that to death in your sleep, right?!? Well, what I mean about playing over “dem changes” is that eventually (and maybe your there, I don’t know?) you’ll be able to freely improvise over all the “ii-V’s”, Tri-Tone Subs, and Coltrane-esque modulations, etc. in your sleep! Now do you see what I mean?!? Believe me man, I know that you’re disciplined/commited to your instrument! Anyone who posts Petrucci solos on YouTube, and kicks major amounts of ass doing so, is commited to their instrument! (LOL!) š
Consider me a fan, a friend, and a motivational speaker (…uhmmm…cheerleader!…), all wrapped-up in one! (LOL!) :rolleyes::o
Oh, BTW, that 2 & 4 emphasis sounds like a great idea in terms of accentuating the “swing” element in your jazz. Since rock is primarily (but not exclusively) a “1 & 3” based feel, sometimes that “2 & 4” swing emphasis proves elusive for some “rock-guys!” I once had a teacher (who was trying to show me how to impart more “Swing” into my fast-rock-shuffle/boogie-playing – it was actually some old Van Halen tunes believe-it-or-not?!? Some of Eddie’s rhythm work was pretty swingin’!!! ie: “Hot For Teacher,” :”I’m The One,” “Beautiful Girls,” etc.!!!) So anyways, my teacher had me practicing this stuff with a metronome, but NOT the typical “Quarter-Pulse-Click” method! Instead, he had me do the following:
(*counting double-speed) (*counting 2 & 4 ONLY until done!)
___Two-_Three-_Four-_ One-_{pause}-_Two-_{pause}-_One-_Two-_Three-_ Four-_ etc.
__CLICK______CLICK_______CLICK_______CLICK______CLICK_______CLICK_etc.Maybe you already know this counting-convention?!? If so, I apologize for boring you! (LOL!) I know this helped me to get EVH’s rhythm-feel! However, EVH is NOT to be confused with successfully negotiotiating “swing-eighth-note” improvisations over the perpetually modulating “Giant Steps” at 315 BPM!!! I guess for now and the immediate future, I’ll stick with the likes of “I’m The One” off of the Van Halen I LP!!! (he-he!!!) š® Now that I think about it, maybe “Le Grange” by ZZ Top is more my speed!!! š®
Best-of-luck Rob! You rock….errrr….uhmmmm….SWING!!! š
~Bill Meehan~
Hey Bill!
When I said that one day you would pass me up in m playing, I meant it more as a joke more than anything. …I know, sometimes even I don’t understand my jokes! :p But I also had some truth to it. One day you may just as well pass me up in my playing, or at least be equal. š
That swing thing, yeah ok, now I see what he meant. Thanks for clarifying it for me. I was kinda lost when he said that but now that you say it is to emphasize the “swing” feel, I totally get it now. I mean, I guess I thought I had the feel down from all the improvising and jamming over jazz tunes at school, but… I guess not! hahaha I think when I go for my lesson on Thrusday I’m gonna ask my teacher if he has any album recommendations that might help me out in getting the swing feel under my fingers. I know that being a student at the conservatory, I have unlimited access to the library they have in the basement, so I guess I can check out some good jazz albums that might help me out.
Oh Bill, by the way, I meant to ask this before but do you have AIM at all? If you do, you should totally hit me up (Not THAT kind…:p:o) so we can talk more like this in real time.
-Bobby Fingers
@RobertM20 6349 wrote:
Hey Bill!
Oh Bill, by the way, I meant to ask this before but do you have AIM at all? If you do, you should totally hit me up (Not THAT kind…:p:o) so we can talk more like this in real time.
-Bobby Fingers
Hey Rob, š
Now I get your joke! I guess I’m slow! That’s actually REALLY funny now, because me getting better than you is just that: A JOKE! š® Maybe if I manage to start logging 10hour/day practice regimine, then maybe… Nah!!! :rolleyes:
It’s all good bro! I’m NOT too competitive with my playing (maybe I should be…???…NAH!!!) Anyways, I just hope to be the best I can be the day I stop breathing and get-in-line for my jam-session with Jimi Hendrix! š®
BTW, what’s AIM? Is it some sort of “instant messaging?” I’ve never heard of it? I’ll google it though, and then I’ll let you know. Do you like it? :confused:
BTW, I’m glad you understood my metronome/counting trick for “swing-emphasis.” I was afraid that was gonna come across as too cryptic?!? š
TTYS bro! š
~Bill Meehan~
@billmeedog 6351 wrote:
Hey Rob, š
Now I get your joke! I guess I’m slow! That’s actually REALLY funny now, because me getting better than you is just that: A JOKE! š® Maybe if I manage to start logging 10hour/day practice regimine, then maybe… Nah!!! :rolleyes:
It’s all good bro! I’m NOT too competitive with my playing (maybe I should be…???…NAH!!!) Anyways, I just hope to be the best I can be the day I stop breathing and get-in-line for my jam-session with Jimi Hendrix! š®
BTW, what’s AIM? Is it some sort of “instant messaging?” I’ve never heard of it? I’ll google it though, and then I’ll let you know. Do you like it? :confused:
BTW, I’m glad you understood my metronome/counting trick for “swing-emphasis.” I was afraid that was gonna come across as too cryptic?!? š
TTYS bro! š
~Bill Meehan~
Hey Bill…:)
Yeah, AIM is just an acronym for AOL Instant Messaging. You can go on aol.com and download it. Shouldn’t take that long. I’m surprised you’ve never heard of it. It’s been around for YEARS. I suppose if it wasn’t for my friends, I would never have heard of it either, so don’t feel too bad. š
But yeah, if you find it and download it, we could have all sorts of fun! :p
Catch ya on the flip side, G.
-Rob
I see it’s been almost 2 months since my last update and really, when I began this undertaking, I really had no idea of what might happen or where it might take me.
I had my doubts as to whether or not this would work and I would ever end up with my alternate picking back to where it originally was.
Was. I. Ever. WRONG!
In just the span of 6 months, I not only have regained what picking prowess I had when I decided to re-vamp it, but I am now playing with a smoothness I never had, with a clarity I never had, with an attack I never had, and with a speed I never had. And I am getting better all the time! š
I had thought that I was always tensing up because I was nervous whenever I had to play in front of people, but now I am coming to realize that it was not just that but the fact that my picking was the way it was. It was not economical and was putting a strain on my arm. I’m not quite sure how to fully explain it but with what I have gone through these past 6 months or so, it has almost completely left and can now walk into practice and play without fear of tensing up so much.
I really think the big breakthrough came when I started to listen to Al Dimeola. I would hear him use his palm muting to such a great effect and I said “I have to do that!” So I did and because of it, I can now hear the notes alot clearer as well as a better precise pick attack. Playing his music really has helped me immensely. It’s just incredible how he is able to pick like he does both on the electric AND on the acoustic. I think I have found a new alternate picking guru. (Sorry John Petrucci. ;))
I now look at pictures of me playing years or even months ago from when I was going to school and ask myself how I was ever able to play with me holding my pick like I did.
Anyways, I suppose that’s all for now.
I think next on the list will be sweep picking cause I suck at that too. :p
Hey Rob, š
Glad to hear that you’re developing some prowess (and subsequent confidence) with your picking technique. That’s great! It does take awhile, doesn’t it? I’m slowly re-vamping my technique too, (as I’ve mentioned to you in the past) and I am gradually getting used to it. The difficulty I have is that I’ve never been able to take any actual “break” from gigging, so when I get up in front of a couple-of-hundred people at a gig, I tend to NOT trust the new technique and revert back to the old. Since, I never practice the old-way anymore, I suck at that! So I’ve had to endure a period of time/gigs where I actually went backwards and got worse! Very frustrating! All the while, I’ve known that at some point I would cross that threshold where I could “trust” the new technique and use it in-front of people at gigs. I’ve just recently been at that point! Now, what I’m trying next is to use that same (or at least similar) pick-grip and range-of-motion for my rhythm playing as well. It’s difficult for me to verbalize, but the way I’ve always played rhythm (I mean the loose/jangly/funky type – NOT the Hetfield-approved “Downstroke-Chug!” LOL!) is with a “bowed-right-wrist,” extreme-looseness/relaxation, and equal amounts of wrist-hinging & forearm-rotation. (I told you it’s difficult to explain – LOL!) Anyways, to get an idea of what I’m talking about, try this: look down at your right/strumming hand; bow/bend your wrist quite a bit – creating about a 120-degree angle between your thumb-line and your forearm/wrist; now strum. See how with a bowed wrist, you end up rotating your right-forearm as a big part of the motion. That motion has worked GREAT for me whilst playing loose-acoustic-jangle or James-Brown/Disco-approved Funk! However, that motion is NOTHING like my single-note picking-motion! So what I’ve been trying to do is NOT bow my right-wrist (therefore now a 180-degree angle between thumb-line and wrist/forearm – in other words – a straight-line from the thumb through the forearm.) Now to be loose & funky, there has to be WAY more wrist hinge and almost NO FOREARM ROTATION! That forearm rotation (before) was a by-product of my “bowed” wrist. I KNOW I can make this work (IE: use the same range-of-motion for both single-note/small-ranges-of-motion & loose-strumming/large-ranges-of-motion.) My benchmark for this “sameness” is the GREAT Guthrie Govan! I’ll link you a clip here from the recent 2009 Winter NAMM show where he’s just jamming at the Cornford Amp booth. Guthrie (as you probably know) hardly ever repeats himself as he has a seemingly ENDLESS vocabulary to draw from! (Frightening!) In this segment he seems to be “funkier” and “jazzier” than I’ve sometimes seen him jam, but again, nothing surprises me from him, as I believe he is perhaps the most capable all-around electric-guitarist in the Instrumental-Shred genre! š® š
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CeeVIGm_08o
OK, watch his right-wrist when he’s playing the funk-rhythm. See how it’s extremely similar to his single-note motion (except of course, his single-note-motion has way more economy-of-motion instead of the momentum-based/loose funk motion which is obviously much larger. He doesn’t change his pick-grip or the angle of his wrist. These are the two technical things that I am focusing on while I practice my right-hand (rhythm & single-notes!)
OK, enough about me & Guthrie!!! (LOL!) š®
I haven’t seen you play in a LONG time, but all I can say about your old technique was that you did two different things when you played slow (demonstrating/tutorials) versus fast (full-speed demonstrating.) When you played slowly, you used NO arm motion, and isolated your motion to your wrist, except you allowed some extraneous thumb and index motion to creep in!) I saw this because that is the SINGLE-REASON why I overhauled MY picking! Now that is NOT to say that you weren’t any good at picking. Dude you ALWAYS smoked me! Seriously! However, you were the one who said that you lacked stamina and consistency, and I believe it could have stemmed from that thumb & index motion. Tha being said, I noticed that when you played full-speed, you NO LONGER isolated your motion to your wrist-only! Instead you allowed your forearm to help with the motion, so it ended up as a cross between wrist and forearm. Again, this is NOT always a BAD thing! With enough practice & strength, I think one can make just about ANYTHING repeatable and FAST! (LOL!) For example, your OLD motion reminded me of both John Petrucci (surprise!) and Vinnie Moore, both of which integrated their forearms into their hyperspeed picking technique! (Go check it out if you’re NOT sure!) š
All that aside,I am NOT surprised that you feel more confident and relaxed with your new technique! You’re a smart, diligent, and talented dude, and I would’ve been surprised if you HADN’T made such an improvement!!! š
Best-of-luck & TTYS!
~Bill Meehan~ š
whats up everyone um im new but anyway ive been playing for 6 years an the entire time i have picked with my extra 3 fingers bent inward an have noticed sometimes when i play fast i scratch the higher strings such as thee g an b strings but as well noticed alot of guitarist for example micheal angelo batio plays with his 3 extra fingers extended out an almost parallel with the guitar an anchoring his finger. so after playing my way for 6 years should i immediately chance an practice the alternative?
@I-love-my-ibanez 8351 wrote:
whats up everyone um im new but anyway ive been playing for 6 years an the entire time i have picked with my extra 3 fingers bent inward an have noticed sometimes when i play fast i scratch the higher strings such as thee g an b strings but as well noticed alot of guitarist for example micheal angelo batio plays with his 3 extra fingers extended out an almost parallel with the guitar an anchoring his finger. so after playing my way for 6 years should i immediately chance an practice the alternative?
Hey I-love-my-Ibanez! š
(Great screen-name BTW!) Anyways, hopefully all of my aforementioned (in this thread) pick-hand-overanalysis (LOL!) has not confused you! :confused:
I actually understand EXACTLY what you mean about your fingers “scraping” some unused strings AND the difference between what you’ve been doing versus what Michael Angelo Batio does! Mike does in fact have a peculiar right-hand “anchor-point” and resultant picking motion?!? :rolleyes: :confused: š
The positives of MAB’s technique/approach:
His “extended-pinky-anchor” provides a consistent “pick-guaging” (This is defined as the amount of the tip-of-the-pick that one uses – the less used, the less resistance created, the faster and more consistent one can play!) š
The (possible) negatives of MAB’s technique/approach:
Anchoring any fingers onto the body can (but does NOT necessarily guarantee) increased forearm-tension which can cause fatigue and lack-of-stamina! Also, MAB’s position also does NOT allow for a comfortable approach to palm-muting notes (especially lower-pitched/wound E6, A5, and D4 strings.) Once you would “flatten” your wrist out to contact the strings (which facillitates the palm-muting technique!) your position/technique will no longer feel ANYTHING like MAB’s “bowed-wrist” position! Also, since palm-muting has a LOT to do with most people’s approach (I know it does for me!) to muting-out unecessary adjacent lower-pitched string-noise (especially at loud/high-gain settings!) MAB’s “bowed-wrist” can make it very difficult to keep loud/high-gain sounds from “taking-off” and sounding “messy!” Allow me to remind you (and anyone reading this) that Mike Batio is NOT a sloppy player! He is an extremely articulate, talented, hard-working musician who plays the way he does because it works for him, OK? š
In fact, in the end, that’s what every guitarist & musician needs to do in regards to picking or technique in general: Find what works best for the individual! Trust me, you can find any number of fine guitarists who use varying different techniques with great results! For example Mike Batio and John Petrucci both do a “pinky-anchor” thing (although MAB’s anchor looks more pronounced I think due to his massively “bowed-wrist,”) whereas JP’s wrist looks more typically flatter (thus enabling him to much more easily palm-mute both used and unused strings more readily!) However, on the flip side, neither Paul Gilbert or Guthrie Govan (FAST and ACCURATE PICKERS I might add!) anchor their hand to the pickguard and instead they anchor their palm/side-of-hand” to the guitar’s body or bridge-saddles for a very convenient palm-muting position! So as you can see, they’re are many ways to get the job done.
Whatever you end up doing, be sure to do the following:
– Stay relaxed.
– Keep picking motion small (economy-of-motion.)
– Be sure your position/technique allows for palm-muting (used or unused strings.)
– Be sure that your picking motion can segue/transition easily into your rhythm motion.
– If anything works for you, you don’t have to change it!
– Don’t get too wrapped-up in technique to the point that you forget to focus on the music (NOT what your hands look like!)
– Enjoy yourself! Play in the “mind-of-a-child!” Feel free & uninhibited (like a child!) (BTW, this last point might be my MOST IMPORTANT piece of advice!
I hope you’ve gained some benefit from anything I’ve suggested/shared here! š
Peace! š
~Bill Meehan~ š
excellent thanks man. i realize paul gilbert doesnt but he tightens his extra 3 fingers when he does it an that isnt comfortable for me i just needed some good advice witch u definitely gave to decide if i should simply focus on them in or out haha i have a few more questions but before that how long have u been playing an what do u mostly play
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