Re: Using a .042 on the bottom but keeping a .010 on top?
I might make a fool of myself again (as per usual with my pre-breakfast/7a.m. posts), but I'd also try a heavier/higher tension set. I religiously used 9-46 sets all my life, but some time ago a string broke on one of my guitars and I didn't have any at home, but I did not want to leave the guitar without strings for days, so off I went to the nearest music store that was still open on a Friday night. They had nothing I liked in 9-46, so I left with a set of regular 10s (10-46). Strung the guitar up and what I noticed was that my playing on the unwound strings got cleaner and more articulate. I attribute this to the higher tension, as I cannot "push around" the strings when picking, but instead pick through the string immediately as it exerts more resistance.
Also, getting a good grip on the pick helps. I use fairly rigid and pointy picks (1,5 mm Tortex Sharp) and I instantly notice when my right hands gets sloppy: the pick is moving around between my fingers and the notes become mushy, my lines "stutter" as notes are not picked properly and the slightly wobbling pick and my hand movements get kinda "out of phase".
