The Pick Thread
- Thread starter Inflames626
- Start date
GuitarStv
Sock Market Trader
'Better' is very much subjective here. FWIW, I don't prefer the sound of straight on picking usually.
Inflames626
New member
I like some give to the pick so it makes way for the string. Otherwise you're just muscling it through there. For some reason I find this harder on unwound strings than wound ones.
Flat and perpendicular has the best tone to my ears but takes more effort and slows down tremolo picking.
I tried those Dunlop Big Stubby picks years ago. Everybody says play with super thick picks and so on. It felt so clumsy.
Conclusion: I've never found a pick I 100% like.
Flat and perpendicular has the best tone to my ears but takes more effort and slows down tremolo picking.
I tried those Dunlop Big Stubby picks years ago. Everybody says play with super thick picks and so on. It felt so clumsy.
Conclusion: I've never found a pick I 100% like.
Phantasmagoria
watch where you point that sabre
The trick is to not pick every note (economy picking). For example Petrucci's solo's went from pretty sweet (I&W/Awake etc to fucking rubbish : Train of w/e) when he decided it was more important to pick every note and impress his friends/Rudess than play a decent solo that's actually musical/memorable...
Stubby's work great for me, though they took a little adjustment/getting used to initially. I still use Jazz III's if I want less attack/a softer feel..also they're a bit easier to control....Stubby's can make you fly off the rails :laugh2:
Stubby's work great for me, though they took a little adjustment/getting used to initially. I still use Jazz III's if I want less attack/a softer feel..also they're a bit easier to control....Stubby's can make you fly off the rails :laugh2:
Inflames626
New member
I like that whole Paul Gilbert every note sounds clean and clear thing--even 16ths at 240 bpm, which is the upper end of speeds I've seen since 2000 or so. I know Dirk Verbeuren can double bass 16ths at 240 bpm and any guitarist/bassist worth his salt should be able to lock into that tightly and match.
People say beyond certain speeds (probably 180-200) blur the notes, ease up on grip, etc. It then becomes a sloppy mess. Holding it near the tip helps in some ways but makes the pick less forgiving each time it hits the string because your fingers are closer to the edge, so you have to push it harder to get it through the string.
16ths at 240 bpm is bad enough. Now try and match this by picking on bass.
Distortion/delay make it a little easier. I always feel faster through my rig than playing unplugged.
Legato can help I suppose but then you are trading off right hand speed for syncing hammer pulls and making sure your left hand fingers can do 16ths. Going between pinky and ring at 200 bpm is not something I enjoy practicing.
We used to have this old game from the late 70s/early 80s on Atari 2600--Decathalon. How fast you ran was determined by how quickly you wagged the stick from side to side.
I swear practicing guitar right hand technique feels exactly the same as that game--painful and frustrating in the name of fun.
People say beyond certain speeds (probably 180-200) blur the notes, ease up on grip, etc. It then becomes a sloppy mess. Holding it near the tip helps in some ways but makes the pick less forgiving each time it hits the string because your fingers are closer to the edge, so you have to push it harder to get it through the string.
16ths at 240 bpm is bad enough. Now try and match this by picking on bass.
Distortion/delay make it a little easier. I always feel faster through my rig than playing unplugged.
Legato can help I suppose but then you are trading off right hand speed for syncing hammer pulls and making sure your left hand fingers can do 16ths. Going between pinky and ring at 200 bpm is not something I enjoy practicing.
We used to have this old game from the late 70s/early 80s on Atari 2600--Decathalon. How fast you ran was determined by how quickly you wagged the stick from side to side.
I swear practicing guitar right hand technique feels exactly the same as that game--painful and frustrating in the name of fun.
Phantasmagoria
watch where you point that sabre
Funnily enough back in the day..I pretty much gave "solo artist" type (Shrapnel etc) shredder's a miss in favour of guy's who were in bands (Andy LaRocque, Tommy T Baron/Vetterli, Alex Skolnick, Tony Fredianelli etc) and though PG was in Racer X (Mr. Big was'nt my kinda thing)..I've never been a huge PG fan cuz I never found him to be as musical sounding as say Yngwie or Marty Friedman who were probably the only "solo type shredders I cared for back then...apart from a few albums involving Vai (& I own all their albums ie Yngwie's stuff w/ Alcatrazz & all his solo's albums upto Parabellum & likewise w/ MF..solo stuff Cacophony/Megadeth stuff etc...as opposed to one Paul Gilbert album..forget the name)
...and now that I think of it it probably boils down to the difference in picking styles. I just vastly prefer the way economy picking sounds to PG's 'picking every note no matter what and everything else is secondary' thing..
I like the fluidity/musicality that comes w/ economy picking/mixing things up a bit...
...and now that I think of it it probably boils down to the difference in picking styles. I just vastly prefer the way economy picking sounds to PG's 'picking every note no matter what and everything else is secondary' thing..
I like the fluidity/musicality that comes w/ economy picking/mixing things up a bit...
Inflames626
New member
I think it sounds more aggressive to hit every note clean and fast, but if you're not careful you become a human typewriter. Depends on the style you're doing, obviously. I've nothing against economy picking. If I swept more I would use it more. But I always found strict alternate picking to be more in line with what I do.
Zakk wouldn't be nearly as fast as he is without hybrid picking, and I would say most metal guitarists avoid that form of picking even though you can get to very fast pentatonic speeds without working very hard in terms of moving your hands quickly.
Zakk wouldn't be nearly as fast as he is without hybrid picking, and I would say most metal guitarists avoid that form of picking even though you can get to very fast pentatonic speeds without working very hard in terms of moving your hands quickly.
Inflames626
New member
Shawn Lane would probably be the best example of using a variety of techniques to build maximum possible speed.
Phantasmagoria
watch where you point that sabre
Mind you. I'm not saying I have anything against alternate picking per say. It sounds great for certain phrases/passages and as a way of mixing things up/providing contrast. But when it's all you insist on doing for everything I find that tends to sound unmusical/get kinda monotonous after a while.
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Phantasmagoria
watch where you point that sabre
That dude was a monster player.
Phantasmagoria
watch where you point that sabre
Ok, just wondering if anyone knows of a 3.0mm pick shaped like a Stubby that's the same size as a Jazz III? Cuz that would be my ideal.
When I tap I don't put the pick between my teeth/on my lap but have it curled up in the crook of my third finger so I can instantly slip it back and pick regularly w/ it gain when I need to... and a jazz III is the ideal size for that.
Stubby's are awkward to fit in that curled finger space/move around 'cause of their size....I do it anyway, but it's not ideal, especially when I want to use more than one finger on my right hand for tapping.
When I tap I don't put the pick between my teeth/on my lap but have it curled up in the crook of my third finger so I can instantly slip it back and pick regularly w/ it gain when I need to... and a jazz III is the ideal size for that.
Stubby's are awkward to fit in that curled finger space/move around 'cause of their size....I do it anyway, but it's not ideal, especially when I want to use more than one finger on my right hand for tapping.
Inflames626
New member
I prefer tapping with a finger but using a pick also works if I want a sharper tap tone. Another reason to prefer a metal pick with a narrow edge.
Phantasmagoria
watch where you point that sabre
Did'nt mean I tap with the pick ..I almost never do that. I just meant that the pick has to go somewhere when I tap. Most people put it it between their teeth/on their laps (if they're sitting down) but I keep iti n my hand curled up between my third finger and the top of my palm. A jazz III sized pick fits in that space perfectly..but nota stubby..it's a bit too big (though I still manage)
I mean like this (@ 0.42 secs) when I go from normal picking to tapping..I slip the pick into the crook of my curled up middle finger..and then it get's passed out to normal picking position again (between thumb & forefinger) when I'm done tapping. It's more effortless w/ a Jazz III sized pick..
I mean like this (@ 0.42 secs) when I go from normal picking to tapping..I slip the pick into the crook of my curled up middle finger..and then it get's passed out to normal picking position again (between thumb & forefinger) when I'm done tapping. It's more effortless w/ a Jazz III sized pick..
Inflames626
New member
I tend to keep it in between thumb and forefinger and tap with the middle finger. If I tap with the pick keep it in playing position but just turn it on its side. Where it gets tough is if you are doing 8 finger tapping. Then you pretty much have to put it down somewhere.
GuitarStv
Sock Market Trader
Yeah, this always made the most sense to me. I could never get the hang of switching the pick to some other spot to hold it so learned to give everyone the finger while I tap.
Phantasmagoria
watch where you point that sabre
Yeah, that's the way most people tap...it's practical. I just don't feel comfortable doing it that way myself.I get more control w/ my index finger leading..
Why I do "7 finger tapping" instead of 8 :lmao:
My tapping is just adding extra fingers so I don't need to stretch..
Or for extra speed.. (7 fingers are enough for that :bigthumb
ie...not like playing a piano on a guitar..
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Inflames626
New member
Yeah, that's the way most people tap...it's practical. I just don't feel comfortable doing it that way myself.I get more control w/ my index finger leading..
Why I do "7 finger tapping" instead of 8 :lmao:
My tapping is just adding extra fingers so I don't need to stretch..
Or for extra speed.. (7 fingers are enough for that :bigthumb
ie...not like playing a piano on a guitar..
That slide up the high E was pretty sick.
marcello252
Well-known member
Dunlop Tortex 1.0mm (the blue ones) FOR EVER . I still have some out of a double 72 pieces bags I bought years ago, when finished I'll buy it again
