Pick hand exercises
- Thread starter Scream_ed
- Start date
guitar_phreak
New member
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then after that do from top string down
then shift up one fret, then later skip 1 string....etc
you get the idea
play precise and clear, before fast
this is just a basic exercise for strength and co-ordination
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then after that do from top string down
then shift up one fret, then later skip 1 string....etc
you get the idea
play precise and clear, before fast
this is just a basic exercise for strength and co-ordination
should use down stroke to begin the picking excercise......
in the case of chromatics.... 1234 , 1234...etc... starting with a down stroke would = down , up , down , up .... thus the next string would be started again with a down stroke.. starting with upstroke.. would yield the same results... in terms of efficiency... as the whole chromatics exercise 's purpose is to make sure your upstrokes and downstrokes sound the same.
chromatics are great for warming up and working out your picking hand. i used to pick with my pinky anchored on my guitar body... or rubbing on the guitar body... it gave me alot of stability... but i lost clarity.... due to the stability i was able to play with tiny " vibrations " ... really small movements... so i just pumped the gain and wanked really softly...
now i am doing the exact opposite..my picking hand is clenched into a semi fist.... i pick much harder now... you must be able to hear the tat tat tat tat tat of EVERY note.... if you listen to players like dhaliff , justin from allmusic ...or even mr paul daniel ...they all play hard. and you can hear every note they play....
i suffered hand aches...and even some pain ..... but it will change your playing for the better.
in the case of chromatics.... 1234 , 1234...etc... starting with a down stroke would = down , up , down , up .... thus the next string would be started again with a down stroke.. starting with upstroke.. would yield the same results... in terms of efficiency... as the whole chromatics exercise 's purpose is to make sure your upstrokes and downstrokes sound the same.
chromatics are great for warming up and working out your picking hand. i used to pick with my pinky anchored on my guitar body... or rubbing on the guitar body... it gave me alot of stability... but i lost clarity.... due to the stability i was able to play with tiny " vibrations " ... really small movements... so i just pumped the gain and wanked really softly...
now i am doing the exact opposite..my picking hand is clenched into a semi fist.... i pick much harder now... you must be able to hear the tat tat tat tat tat of EVERY note.... if you listen to players like dhaliff , justin from allmusic ...or even mr paul daniel ...they all play hard. and you can hear every note they play....
i suffered hand aches...and even some pain ..... but it will change your playing for the better.
guitar_phreak
New member
Most of the time, it is adviced to play a little harder especially in "Live" situations, coz if you play softly, it may come across muffled.
Also, if you "cheat" and play softly and with a loud volume, the danger is that your mistakes would be amplified....but then again, Paul Gilbert does it all the time to "relax" on stage...
Also, if you "cheat" and play softly and with a loud volume, the danger is that your mistakes would be amplified....but then again, Paul Gilbert does it all the time to "relax" on stage...
ChanMin said:
Starting that exercise with an upstroke would be more efficient, which means you will be undoubtedly faster than if you started with a downstroke.
I think Malmsteen hits the strings softly from the videos I've seen. His right hand also vibrates in tiny motions. I believe that you should let the amp do most of the work for you.
I think it is very BAD advice when u tell a noob to play through pain....if it hurts, STOP! If you carry on, you risk damaging your tissues permanently and you can give up the guitar. Stress and tension when you are playing is never good....the key to playing difficult licks effortlessly is to be totally relaxed. You won't tire out as fast too. I don't mean to brag but there is no tension in my muscles at all when I play and this has improved my playing by miles.
bluepowder
New member
The worst thing u can do is play through pain....some very good guitarists gave me some tips on how to pick....the secret to picking is a relaxed right hand and the power should come from your wrist not your forearm or elbow...look at people like jason becker....or john petrucci,,,,also important is to anchor your right hand with the pinky...many guitraists dont including some greats but i think it makes it easier to pick uniformly.....
Ithin whenever you have a problem its best to break it down part by part,....pick a pattern and play it in one position and then move it up and down the same string...use a metronome....increasing and decresing the speeds in intervals.....then after one string is mastered....(by mastered i mean u stretch yourself to the speed that is possible at that point)....you then move on to the adjacent string ...and u know just keep expanding....after you have covered all strings u can move onto string skipping...as for the configuration i follow marty friedmans advice and say ...do what comes easiest for you....if instead of alternate picking something u would rather sweep it...why not....it also gives a distinct style to your playing...know what i mean.....i think the guy who picks the best according to me is John petrucci....or maybe jason becker....pick anyone....depends on your taste!
Ithin whenever you have a problem its best to break it down part by part,....pick a pattern and play it in one position and then move it up and down the same string...use a metronome....increasing and decresing the speeds in intervals.....then after one string is mastered....(by mastered i mean u stretch yourself to the speed that is possible at that point)....you then move on to the adjacent string ...and u know just keep expanding....after you have covered all strings u can move onto string skipping...as for the configuration i follow marty friedmans advice and say ...do what comes easiest for you....if instead of alternate picking something u would rather sweep it...why not....it also gives a distinct style to your playing...know what i mean.....i think the guy who picks the best according to me is John petrucci....or maybe jason becker....pick anyone....depends on your taste!
marshall_law
New member
Practice alternate picking. Up and down. Regarding whether up stroke on the 1st note or down, it's totally up to yourself. Something i start with up stroke something i start with down stroke. And remember to relax your hand. Many great guitarist will tell you to relax when you play. Start out slow and then increase your speed slowly. After you master alternate, it's time for sweep picking. Just remember no matter what type of picking you do, just relax your picking hand. Do not rush. If your hand ache stop and rest.
if you practise for 2hours. you will experience ache due to lactic acid build up. same for every muscle === pain in a mild degree....
well aniways guitar technique is subjective la... but clarity in your playing can be heard.
haha i was just sharing with you some new techniques i learnt from mr pd... i guess theres no wrong way to play as long as you are happy with it.
oh yah. malmsteen plays really hard. movements look small... but the strength is there... you can hear the strings rattling.
well aniways guitar technique is subjective la... but clarity in your playing can be heard.
haha i was just sharing with you some new techniques i learnt from mr pd... i guess theres no wrong way to play as long as you are happy with it.
oh yah. malmsteen plays really hard. movements look small... but the strength is there... you can hear the strings rattling.
penta-tonic
New member
haha. secret of shredding? sit down with a metronome to play everything. start with accuracy den build up speed lo. im learning too. but i haf to say tt method really works. dun rush to build speed. it will come naturally when u haf accuracy. 
well ...after the hard work..and hand aches... and practise... well my picking has improved... at least my band mates can tell the difference instantly ... in a mere two weeks...
i tihnk my technique now is wayyyy better then the vibrating pick technique i used before..... where i use more gain to cover my relatively sloppy playing. In other words more gain makes you noisy and covers your mistakes.
by playing hard....you use the mass of your whole fist/hand... and control that mass... anchoring your pinky on anything is well... abit like cheating. but thena gain no right/wrong here... just my opinion.
i can do most of my fast licks with little gain or even on the clean channel. and by using say a simple distortion pedal... i can really get the Chopping sound now...riffs sound heavier etc... all a result of playing harder.
Though i am still far from being as zhai as the pros here..ah...
well vaiyen is right. To say that if you experience pain you should slow down or stop... and rest...to prevent injury...
but no pain no gain applies to virtually everything in life including guitar playing...
i tihnk my technique now is wayyyy better then the vibrating pick technique i used before..... where i use more gain to cover my relatively sloppy playing. In other words more gain makes you noisy and covers your mistakes.
by playing hard....you use the mass of your whole fist/hand... and control that mass... anchoring your pinky on anything is well... abit like cheating. but thena gain no right/wrong here... just my opinion.
i can do most of my fast licks with little gain or even on the clean channel. and by using say a simple distortion pedal... i can really get the Chopping sound now...riffs sound heavier etc... all a result of playing harder.
Though i am still far from being as zhai as the pros here..ah...
well vaiyen is right. To say that if you experience pain you should slow down or stop... and rest...to prevent injury...
but no pain no gain applies to virtually everything in life including guitar playing...
Good for you that your technique is much better now.
Gain. It's a double-edged sword. Like you said, it can cover your mistakes. BUT, it can also amplify your flaws. Every open string accidentally struck, every sour note, every un-muted string, is painfully obvious for all to hear.
To play super clean with very high gain is the pinnacle for all aspiring shredders. Check out Chris Impelliteri.
I cannot fathom how anchoring your pinkie or whatever finger is akin to cheating. If anything, it gives you stability and also reduces stress.
And 'no pain no gain' does not apply to guitar. Many pros have said so. You can practice like hell, but it doesn't have to hurt.
I guess we should agree to disagree
Gain. It's a double-edged sword. Like you said, it can cover your mistakes. BUT, it can also amplify your flaws. Every open string accidentally struck, every sour note, every un-muted string, is painfully obvious for all to hear.
To play super clean with very high gain is the pinnacle for all aspiring shredders. Check out Chris Impelliteri.
I cannot fathom how anchoring your pinkie or whatever finger is akin to cheating. If anything, it gives you stability and also reduces stress.
And 'no pain no gain' does not apply to guitar. Many pros have said so. You can practice like hell, but it doesn't have to hurt.
I guess we should agree to disagree
guitar_phreak
New member
bluepowder said:
I wont say this is wrong; coz when performing, most times you will be quite nervous and your hands will shake, so anchoring is quite ok.
However, I still advice against making anchoring a habit. Chances are your hand will become stiff and your will loose a level of dynamics and flexibility when picking.
Then again, its really ur preference....Billy Sheehan believes it's folly to "NOT" anchor your hand
marshall_law
New member
I've seen some guitarist no anchoring their pinking. They prefer their hand to be floating above the strings. Chose what's comfortable for yourself not for the others.
There's no pain no gain in guitar. But the pain is not physical pain, it's mentally pain. The process of learning makes one give up and takes great pain to learn simple thing like picking. But it's rewarding after you've master it.
There's no pain no gain in guitar. But the pain is not physical pain, it's mentally pain. The process of learning makes one give up and takes great pain to learn simple thing like picking. But it's rewarding after you've master it.
