Questions tagged [picking]
Playing stringed instruments with a plectrum.
88 questions
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Light or heavy string gauge for alternate picking?
I am learning a high-tempo linear piece involving alternate picking and string skipping on an electro-acoustic guitar. There are no string bends involved. The piece is challenging, and I'm wondering ...
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Setting practice aside, are there resistance exercise recommendations for increasing the speed of short, fast bursts of notes on the electric guitar?
I've been playing the electric guitar for 16 years. I think I've learned most of what there is to learn about technique cues to improve economy of movement and minimize energy expenditure. For this ...
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Alternate picking issue
I'm an begginer/intermediate guitar player and I've been practicing alternate picking for a few months now. Everything's fine except for 2 things.
1)I can easily alternate pick at reasonable speeds ...
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How to play Guitar notes fast? 14 notes in 4 beats
I know the traditional explanation is to go slow, but I guess I need to change the technique here. How to do fast alternate picking?
There’s a song in which 14 notes are played in 4 beats. See the tab....
user87564
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Economy picking exercise that uses two consecutive upstrokes on the same string
I have started looking into Joseph Alexander's Complete Technique for Modern Guitar where economy picking is recommended. Before starting to practice, I want to understand the logic behind economy ...
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Keeping time on alternate picking in 4/4, 16th notes per measure, but melody grouped in 7s
I'm learning this exercise and I'm astonished at how it is difficult to keep on time.
He's playing 16 16th notes per measure, but the phrasing of the notes is in groups of seven. I sounds weird to me ...
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How do I hold/use a pick
Seriously. Most people say between the thumb and index coming out the side of your thumb, but I keep messing up, hitting wrong strings, bad rhythm/timing, etc. Any other ways of holding a pick or ...
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When to use open note or closed note for solo on acoustic guitar for the same pitch?
Suppose you want to hit E5 (which is 0 fret on 1st string) in a passage of your solo, what are the reasons you'd pick the open note or the closed note on 5th fret 2nd string?
In general for electric ...
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How do people play fast tremolo on guitar (with a plectrum)?
I've noticed that to play good, consistent sounding tremolo, especially on short, thick strings, you can't just move the pick back and forth because the sound is inconsistent - the string doesn't ...
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Touching muted strings with picking hand
When I move across strings quickly (e.g. on arpeggios), I can feel bumping lightly into muted strings. For example when I inside-pick E and A, I will start with an upstroke on E and then slightly ...
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Muting string technique with right hand only
I'm fairly new to the electric guitar and currently learning about string muting (as in noise reduction) while soloing. The usual advice is to mute the lower strings with your right hand and the ...
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My pick gets stuck and I'm trying to fix it with downward pickslanting. ( ~ 8 months of playing )
I've been playing for 8 months and I think that this is a common newbie problem: my pick gets stuck. I started to analyze my picking motion/hand and I realised that the pick is too flat ( ...
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Should you pick strings up and down in a straight line? Does it matter?
It may sound dumb but let's say we play A minor scale. When I change strings do I have to hit the next string in the exact same spot? Each time I change strings I keep picking closer to the bridge. ...
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alternate picking for single stroke in alternating strings
I am a beginner/ intermediate guitar player and today I started to learn how to play Seek and Destroy from Metallica, as shown in this tablature
Parallel to that I have been learning scales (major ...
- 284
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The proper right-hand picking technique for playing the electric guitar
When I was taking electric guitar lessons for a year I was told, by my former teacher, that the pick should be parallel to strings at all times and so he insisted on it.
The other thing he was very ...
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Strict alternate picking help for advanced player
I'm trying to learn strict alternate picking, but I cannot find lessons and/or exercises that address my problem. My problems is due to years of a self-taught regimen of hybrid/economy picking, or as ...
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Pick Makes Clicking Sound
When I play my guitar, my pick makes a clicking sound every time it hits the pickguard. I was trying to record a song the other day and the clicking sound is annoying. Am I holding my pick wrong? Is ...
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Background sound of pick hitting string
Whenever I try picking a string by itself (usually lower strings) it makes a background sound thats kind of like the pick rubbing against the string when I play that overshadows the actual fret sound. ...
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Recommended thumb position and motion when using a thumbpick on an acoustic guitar
I'm looking for specific best practices around hand position and motion while using a thumbpick on an acoustic guitar. I haven't found any specific resources on this. I have been impressed with Troy ...
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'pick rest' tecnique for improved alternate picking?
I am a beginner (perhaps intermediate) guitar player and a year ago, when I was at the very beginning, I came across a technique called 'pick rest' as demonstrated in
this video:
The technique ...
- 284
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Alternate picking from string 1 to string 3 - ACDC back in black
I am a beginner guitar player and I am currently learning how to play back in black from ACDC. I can already pretty play the whole song, though the part I struggle the most is on the first section of ...
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Does Edge Picking Break Strings Faster?
I started learning to play acoustic guitar several months ago, and have been mainly using Fender medium picks. I have noticed that the picks very quickly develop a sort of bevel on one side because I ...
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Guitar: How do I keep my picking hand from moving away from the soundhole and toward the saddle?
I'm having some trouble with advanced picking. When I am trying to move between strings etc. my picking hand tends to move laterally from over or just behind the soundhole, where it should be, to get ...
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Is there a special term for this type of alternate picking?
I'm looking to see if there's a special word for a type of alternate picking commonly heard in metal that involves playing a series of notes on a lower string while also playing notes on a higher ...
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Is pizzicato louder than finger picking?
Is pizzicato on a violin family instrument louder than finger picking an acoustic guitar?
It seems that way, since those instruments are played in large concert halls that a guitar would probably need ...
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Use picking instead of hammer-ons and pull-offs
In my learning, I'm nearing that point when the notes just seem too fast to be picked individually. Most tabs I come across contain hammer-ons and pull-offs for fast notes. However, I'm finding that ...
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How can I improve my picking speed and accuracy
I've been playing acoustic guitar for almost 4 years and I just started electric. The way I see it there is a lot more picking involved in electric which I'm not so good at. Are there any exercises I ...
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My alternate picking technique has reached a plateau
I've played guitar for over ten years, and my alternate picking really blows when it comes to fast stuff like 7 to 10 notes per second range. I sometimes wonder if I have reached my natural limits? ...
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Concerning individual string picking - when (it what situations) should the pick be angled, and when should it be perpendicular to the string?
I've learned a lot of guitar stuff from YouTube videos. But this really irks me: some YouTubers insist that their technique is the only way you should play guitar, and that any other way is a "mistake"...
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Difference between Strike, Brush, Crescendo and Arpeggio
When playing guitar I stumble upon tabs that either have striking the chords, brushing them with the pick, doing a crescendo or playing them as an arpeggio. As far as I learned when you strike you hit ...
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What Kind of Right-Hand Picking Technique is Being Used in This Lick?
I'm having the toughest time learning this lick because I don't know if inside picking is being used or a double down stroke. This conundrum seems to be present in guitar riffs that use hammer on/pull ...
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Combining fingerpicking with guitar pick
So I've been playing acoustic guitar for years and have developed a certain fingerpicking style as well as a really good strumming technique. However, I have never used a pick and always thought it ...
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Gym exercises for picking speed
When I was younger, I could never get my riffing speed up to where I wanted it to be, even tough I excessively practiced.
After years without progress I got frustrated and kind of gave up on fast ...
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Tremolo picking, anchor palm or not?
I'm learning tremolo picking and until now I've been resting my palm just above E string and anchoring with my pinky. I noticed that when picking 2 strings at the same time I also mute the first of ...
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Why is a plectrum banjo played with a guitar pick and not with finger picks?
I have a four string plectrum banjo, which is essentially like a five string banjo but without the short drone string.
Why is a plectrum banjo played with a guitar pick and not fingerstyle or with a ...
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Alternate double palm mute picking between notes
Some songs that I really like feature double palm-muted notes (usually open strings or low pitch frets) between lead notes. Those are played by one guitar.
Good examples would be:
Parkway Drive - ...
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Save Tonight - sounds wrong
I been trying to learn and master my first guitar piece, which is Save Tonight, by Eagle Eye Cherry. The following image what I have done to see the chords easier for myself. This is the youtube link ...
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Bass picking technique
I play the bass in a metal band, so I usually need a pick to get both a more fitting sound and reach the right speed. But I cannot find the right technique to use it and I don't have much precision ...
user25101
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Difference in action between pressed and unpressed strings too much?
When pressing an individual string at lower frets on the fret board, I sometimes miss the string with my pick due to its height in relation to the other strings. In other words, I feel like the ...
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How to best play this Los Lonely Boys run?
I'm trying to perfect the run at the end of the solo of "Heaven" by Los Lonely Boys which occurs at about 2:13.
I think this is how the left hand is played:
E|----------------------------------------...
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Is it OK to pick over the neck pickup?
I am experimenting to get a jazz sound on my semi hollow body Ibanez. Of course it involves my hand, the amp and its settings, the pick and the strings. This topic is only about picking.
I found ...
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Should I now relearn my picking from mainly alternate to economy?
I was learning (jazz) guitar for 4 years. There was some pause, but now I am back in track and learning again for 6 months. I do some 0.5-1 hours/day scale and pattern practice with a metronome, then ...
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How to train for faster picking speed on guitar?
I've been training on speed picking on major scale as my daily routine, following this Justin Guitar's guide on scale picking for one year since last year June, but until now my G major scale picking ...
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When should you change your pick?
Sometimes when I try to play a solo I feel that I can't pick the notes because the pick is too short, and when I look at it, it is about 0,5mm shorter on the end than a new one.
When should you ...
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Guitar Alternate vs. Economy vs. Directional Picking Styles
Paul Gilbert has this simple lick in his Intense Rock 1 video (see video).
The notes are:
d u d u d u
e|----------12-----------|
B|-12-13-15----15-13-----|
G|-----------------------|
D|---...
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Developing good muscle memory and avoiding bad
If I'm practicing say, alternate picking with just my right hand for speed and wrist rotation am I better off just stopping and going on to something else if I'm just not dialed in that day. And for ...
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Speed picking on electric guitar
I have an Ibanez GIO electric guitar and I'm trying to improve my picking technique to play 16th and 32nd notes(alternate picking). I've been playing guitar for 2.5 years.
Whenever I try to play ...
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Playing with a pick with less pick-sound
I have two types of guitars, electric and acoustic and have been playing for over a year. How does one learn to or adjust their strum so that there's not so much sound of hitting the strings (as ...
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Why picking direction indicators in music?
In music notation specifically for the guitar, there are often picking symbols meaning to pick up or down. What is the purpose of these picking indicators (sorry, don't know the real term for them)? ...
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Learning Appropriate Finger Picking Styles with Alternating Tunings
I play with alternate tunings on my guitar. I've noticed several things.
No matter how I play it, the key of the song will be whatever my tuning is. Open C tuning leads to the song being in the key ...
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