Picking Lessons / Instruction + Pick Thickness (need help developing picking hand)

[FTLOSM]

It has been many years since I played guitar, just took it up again here and my left hand fingering is getting much better faster and comfortable, yet my right hand picking is still feeling akward and even before when I last played 15+ years ago my picking hand was always behind my fingers on the fretboard on scales and playing faster/leads etc.

Wondered if there are any particular picking lessons online or dvd that I should look into and maybe its technique but also pick thickness?

Currently I am using Dunlop 60mm and 88mm mainly, and the styles of music I play are rock, classic rock, blues and a tad of 80's metal, I can learn a lead finger it fine yet my picking hand is behind and akward feeling.

I am about to where I was way back in terms of playing again after about 2-3 weeks here but obviously now that I am older I want to learn and progress more and picking hand speed, technique, etc are lacking and I see that, wondering what thickness pick most rock players use for leads and maybe if anyone has or knows of any good instructional vids lessons or something that might help me fine tune that picking hand I would greatly appreciate it.

MODS if this needs to go in lessons thats fine too, just more of a general question and pick thickness question.

Bill

[El_jalepeno]

Hey FTL, it's great you are getting back in the groove of playing guitar. I personally use Fender Heavy picks. Somehow I just gravitated to them as I progressed as a player. I also use quarters occasionally. I would recommend you buy a few different sizes of picks to find what works best for your playing, and build off that. A lot has to do with how you hold the pick, finger calouses (assuming you hold the pick close to the point), and your attack to the strings.

Using heavy picks, and I use mostly 10 gauge strings, but my attack is not that aggressive, and I very rarely break a string...

[FTLOSM]

I too use a set of strings that starts with 10's and goes upto 46's i believe, I do have quite a few picks from 38mm upto 88mm I tend to find myself using the 60 to 88mm might even try to move upto a 1 and see if i like it...

I just thought for speed (which is where im lacking on picking speed) maybe a thinner pick was better, heck I dunno but its my picking hand that has me stalled out here, I can finger notes decent and starting to get them faster even, yet my picking hand is behind feels unconnected to my fingering hand...

That is why i was wondering maybe i need to use a different pick (thicker maybe?) altho i know most of it is practice and a good player can adapt and play with about anything in his or her hands, I just feel like my technique is off or something and wondered too if a thicker pick may make a difference...

Thanks for the input here tho

It is nice to be playing again, altho i can't wait for my guitar to come, right now I am using a OLP that came with my guitar port, its not too bad but the neck is a bit high action wise and sound wise its nothing spectacular, had an EPI les paul that was nice but came broken (rhy treb switch broken, input jack didnt work, one string stuck UNDER tailpiece, dunno how it got out that way, action was SUPER high too yet once I lowered it a bit it buzzed away, jiggled cord got to play a few mins on it, even with all that stuff going on it sounded 3x better than my olp here, I returned it and am waiting on a jackson that I ordered thru musiciansfriend as an alternative to the Epi Les Paul...

http://www.musiciansfriend.com/produ...ric?sku=511579
Once the Jackson comes I hope it sounds & plays good...

Bill

[thectrain]

Well my picking is pretty bad but I do know that after I was done laughing at the Dunlop Jazz III pics they turned out to be amazing. The are really small but really thick. Because it is so small and doesn't bend it almost feels like a part of your hand which imo is awesome for speed picking.

[Mike M]

The Jackson looks sweet - bet you can't wait to break her in.

I've payed (rock/metal) for around thirty years off and on, including professionally. Through most of that time I used small but heavy picks - usually the small black Gibson ones. I always found that the softer ones, although I could get some great tone out of them, always felt like they were screwing with my picking - maybe the pick hasn't stopped vibrating before you strike the next note - I dunno 'cos I'm not a scientist. They just didn't feel as "definite".

I guess what it boils down to is experimentation: go and buy a couple of dozen different picks and just do it! Good luck.

[axe2grind]

Hey welcome back to the land of Giuitars.....I also use red dunlop Jazz III picks (always have done as when I first started, that's what my older guitarist brother used and gave me a few of his ones!). I think they are great for alternate picking, they have a great attack on the string and are comfortable to hold which I think is important. I don't consider myself a monster player but I think my picking improved 10 fold just by picking one note on a string to a beat using alternate up/down, just one note until I could speed pick that one note in time to the beat, you have to start off very slow and build the speed up once you get comfortable with a certain speed. Then start experimenting with a few notes on one string and then moving between two strings playing 3 notes per string etc. If you start off slow and take your time, you'll soon be playing a lot faster than before or at least with a lot more control which is key to getting speed.

Good luck with it, have fun and don't get stressed if thing don;t progress as fast as you like. Patients is a virtue on this my friend.

[keihan]

Originally Posted by FTLOSM

I just thought for speed (which is where im lacking on picking speed) maybe a thinner pick was better

For speed, you will certainly want a pick that is medium to heavy. The more flexible the pick, the less speed you'll attain because the bends from string to string and slows you down. You want a pick that is fairly rigid.

To develop speed you will want to practice a few drills. I'm not even remotely good at sweep picking, but alternate picking will give you the speed you desire, but it takes patience and lots of practice. Start out slow... trust me, it gets boring, so do it while watching TV or something.

Don't do anything intensive or even anything that makes sense (at first). The best exercises are chromatic. You start with a down stroke on the first note then an upstroke and continue that pattern. An easy drill is something like

---6--7--8--9---

Do that on each string ascending and then descend using..

---9--8--7--6---

Now, what you want to strive for...is to play each note with very little wasted motion.

When picking, be sure that you do not go too far beyond the string on each up and down stroke. The pick should barely leave the string and only long enough so the note sounds out clearly. This of course requires tight synchronization between right and left hands and is the reason for such drills. Take it very slow at first and use a metronome or drum machine.

Now, the left hand also must conserve motion for speed so this requires that your fingers always remain as close to the strings as possible...you'll find it is more comfortable after awhile to play this way and requires less effort than you'd imagine. I always found it more stressful on my left hand when I pulled off the strings too far, the closer I stayed to the strings, I attained better speed and it didn't tire my hand out as much. Use as light a touch as possible and remain relaxed.

I hope that all makes sense, I'm at work so kinda in a hurry writing hehe.

---Will

[keihan]

Ughh... double posted...

[FTLOSM]

The Jackson comes either tomorrow (Monday or Tuesday) I noticed too they SOLD out of that one on Musicians Friend, I ordered it on a whim actually but hoping it turns out to be a nice little guitar and with a few other small things it ended up being 12 months no interest on MusiciansFriend card so can't complain there either

Just hoping it arrives without any damage since they have NONE left, also in the local market for another electric or two maybe a copy les paul or a charvel or maybe even a mexican strat...But will be watchin locally to see what else pops up, this OLP here is really out of whack setup wise, I wish I knew more about setting guitars up it needs it all , action, intonation, fret buzz issues, etc... but i didn't buy the setup for the guitar actually got it for the guitar port and software which i really am digging, now to get a few real guitars here and have some REAL fun (soon)...


Bill

[Midnight 260]

Great that ur getting back into playing. I have an olp they are pretty goood guitars, once they are set up.

[Mike M]

Originally Posted by FTLOSM

this OLP here is really out of whack setup wise, I wish I knew more about setting guitars up it needs it all , action, intonation, fret buzz issues, etc...

Try this site: there's a lot of good tutorials on doing set up - http://www.projectguitar.com/

Enjoy!