Simple.

Willem186

Hit a road block yesterday. A huge ass road block, kinda like the ones you get in December on the N2. The way I was holding the plectrum and the angle that I had my arm, relative to the strings, was inhibiting my ability to play shit cleanly. I cannot for the life of me play with a consistent picking technique without switching stance(?). I just end up doing either the pinkie anchorage on the bridge pickup(1), or the stiff arm of retribution like Petrucci(1). This causes me to fumble the first couple of notes as my arm and hand adjust to the layout. Thing is though, the pinkie on pup style works like a boss for alternate picked stuff and sweeps. The stiff arm of retribution is orsum for string skipping and legato. I tried hard to find a balance between the two, to no avail.

So I sat on the end of my bed, watching every guitar video/tutorial I own trying to find some idea of what I was missing, what I could change. You know what I found after about 4 hours of long haired guitarists, 1000 times better than me, playing all the crap I wished I could play... THEY DO THE EXACT SAME SHIT? In the G3 video's, Petrucci goes into "strong hand mode" just before he plays something that stops the earth from spinning and kills millions. Steve Vai slightly tucks the pick further into his claw and also uses his "strong hand" while making his "O" face. Guthrie Govan, Jeff Beck, Buckethead, Dimebag, Kirk HamSandwich... they all do it. So WTF? Why can't I?

It was the piece of plastic in between my thumb and index finger, not my technique. Simple as that. I switched to a smaller plectrum by chance, and I found that I fumbled less. Of course there is the new learning curve, that's part of the fun? Just then I realised that in me looking for the most complex reasoning as to why something doesn't work, I overlooked the simple things. The most important things. Like using the right pick. Simplicity is the hallmark of genius. I leave you with one of my favorite quotes...

“The simplest explanation is always the most likely.”
― Agatha Christie

psyx

I recently bumped into the same stumbling block... My picking is holding me back more than anything else... I'll give a smaller pick a shot and see how it goes

AlanRatcliffe

Willem186 wrote: “The simplest explanation is always the most likely.”
― Agatha Christie

I wouldn't give Christie the credit for that one. Better known as "Occams Razor" (Ockham was a 14th century logician/monk), it actually dates back nearly 2000 years:
"We consider it a good principle to explain the phenomena by the simplest hypothesis possible" - Ptolemy 90 AD - 168 AD

Sorry to be pedantic, but I'm not a fan of Christie. ?

singemonkey

Alan Ratcliffe wrote:
Willem186 wrote: “The simplest explanation is always the most likely.”
― Agatha Christie
I wouldn't give Christie the credit for that one. Better known as "Occams Razor" (Ockham was a 14th century logician/monk), it actually dates back nearly 2000 years:
"We consider it a good principle to explain the phenomena by the simplest hypothesis possible" - Ptolemy 90 AD - 168 AD

Sorry to be pedantic, but I'm not a fan of Christie. ?

Haha. I was thinking the same thing.

ZarK

I've gone through hundreds of picks to find the one that works well for all the techniques I need to be able to do. The Jazz III XL (red) has changed my life!!!

Willem186

Made such a big difference to my playing, I am actually experimenting with different picks now. I found that larger picks work better for certain styles(Rock/Blues). Where the smaller ones are better for metal and shreddy stuff. I find now that I don't alter my grip as much as before. I also made a slight adjustment to the height of the strings. I raised them ever so slightly to give better sustain and tone. It makes playing some pieces slightly more difficult, but it was a worthwhile endeavour ?

domhatch

ZarK wrote: I've gone through hundreds of picks to find the one that works well for all the techniques I need to be able to do. The Jazz III XL (red) has changed my life!!!

funny. i love that pick as well. the black one too - the jazz ii - also dig it. and my fave of all is the stubby 1.0mm, the clear one. like they don't disappear all by themselves efficiently enough, they have to make them see-through as well?!? i have about three of these left, and i can't find a steady supply of them anywhere...

Nitebob

For a moment in that forst post I was trying to figure out how you practice gutar while driving... ???

Just this past weekend I bought some red Jazz III's and I must say, I lifted an eyebrow. Excellent stuff for Hybrid picking (yes, I finally learnt to). However my strumming when I switch gears sounds a bit off to me, but I'll give it some time, and see maybe my technique adapts... ?

RJN

Hey quite funny to see a thread like this.

I have been focused on finding that "pivot point sweet spot" for the past two weeks now . I slowed everything down and i have found that i am using a mix between the Pinky anchor and the palm on the bridge. When i Reach the G , B and E strings, i found my right hand whobbling. I then just concentrated on keeping my alternate strokes closer to the strings......After much attention to this small detail, while keeping things slow, I do feel more confident when increasing speed.

I will try experimenting with picks. I have always used the Dunlop torex's .77mm , never considered anything else . Your thread has given me something to consider . Thanks !