Blog: The Importance of Technique for your Picking Hand

[Evan Skopp]

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[formula73]

Re: Blog: The Importance of Technique for your Picking Hand

I'm no shredder.

Let's start with that.

From there, I have to disagree with most of the advice on the blog and agree with a friend's appraisal: stop changing up. There are plenty of guys out there, as mentioned early in the blog, who make do with whatever feels right. Marty Friedman's right hand technique is so odd that he can't do pinch harmonics. Just get your feel and stick with it.

It'll come.

[everdrone]

Re: Blog: The Importance of Technique for your Picking Hand

I do whateva feels right, but only after I studied techniques and ergonomic efficiencies to avoid injury from finger gymnasticz

[aleclee]

Re: Blog: The Importance of Technique for your Picking Hand

From there, I have to disagree with most of the advice on the blog and agree with a friend's appraisal: stop changing up.

I'd say it depends on how your picking technique affects your ability to do what you want with the instrument. About six years ago, I realized that my picking mechanics were making fast picking more difficult and tremolo picking almost impossible. I started changing my picking technique to overcome that and it was definitely helping, though I thought my tone was suffering. A few months later, I changed picks with a much different shape and thickness. That did the trick. With that new pick, I could get both the speed and tone I wanted without changing my mechanics any further.

My lessons learned were

1. Picking mechanics (as well as the pick used) have a big effect on tone. I believe that right hand technique has a much greater effect on timbre than left hand technique.
2. Picking mechanics can hold you back as far as speed and accuracy. Practice helps but it can be like trying to pitch consistently with the wrong arm slot.
3. Over the years, I kept looking for the right pick for me. My search was too narrow and the plectrums I was using were not helping me overcome my shortcomings in technique. Trying something outside my comfort zone helped me find the right one for me.