Super speed picking

Rhoads555

Hi guys, i thought this would be the greatest place to ask, i have been for some time trying to get faster and better with picking but I feel limited sometimes with the slanting. it has done me great but I was a bit in doubt when i see other players who are even faster than people like Michael Angelo Batio who don’t seem to use it. I am frustrated because i am trying to learn songs that when speed hold me back.

I am learning all songs from the ‘Heavy Balance’ record by guitarist Tramaine who in his videos does not seem to use this technique and plays very very fast. even up to 220 bpm, and it is hard when even after weeks of no progress, am i doing something wrong? I hope people will be able to help, thank you and I hope my english is ok!

PolarityMan

Not sure about speed when it comes to lead playing but I can pick pretty fast for rhythm, what I've found though is that I slipping into a pick slanting approach in order to make it a bit easier, especially on the bottom string but it is detrimental to the clarity of the attack so I'm deliberately trying to unlearn it at the moment. 

Rhoads555

Thank you! I did try this method but i was not sure about it because Tramaine does not look like he uses this, but I will try again thank you!

Moonrunner

I have been focussing more on speed picking over the last year or so. It definitely doesn't come natural to me, but am seeing some progress, but over a long period of time. Before practicing speed picking, kind of blagged it with mixing in legato phrases. Although we have heard it a thousand times before, it is best to practice real slow and build up accuracy. I have found the way I hold the pick/plectrum with speed picking comes with practicing fast and constantly analysing where you're at. If that makes any sense at all.  

sweepy

Shawn Lane used to practice picking and fingering  as fast as he could as he found that building up slowly didn’t work for him. This probably highlights why there is no one hard and fast rule to building speed and accuracy

Rhoads555

Thank you guys for the advice it is very appreciated! I will try both of those and see what happens next

Bennyboy-UK

I really like Ben Higgins - I'm getting good results from his videos:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E__a61lfceU&t=215s 

Moonrunner

Btw, here's how I practice. Bit sloppy and hopefully have improved since. I did start a lot lower than 90bpm though, although the video shows a short exercise from 90bpm to 210bpm:

viz

Moonrunner said:

Btw, here's how I practice. Bit sloppy and hopefully have improved since. I did start a lot lower than 90bpm though, although the video shows a short exercise from 90bpm to 210bpm:

You’ve edited your post, so your youtube link has turned into a picture. 

grappagreen

@Rhoads555 ;;

Ben Higgins is a great resource as alluded to above.

There are a couple of points I would make that may help;

1. Realise that you have to start simple and build up. By this I mean that there is absolutely no point whatsoever practising a skill (say picking across strings) if you cannot tremolo pick on one string with consistency, accuracy, dynamics and equally (starting on either an down or upstroke). Picking is a 'set' of skills and hence you have to break it down somewhat before you can build it up.
2. Everyone's physiology is different but there are some generic things that you should at least think about. Thicker pick, holding near the tip, economy of movement, pick slant, rotating at the wrist. If you watch any of Troy Grady's stuff you'll see lots of unique things but some stuff/principles that are somewhat common. Try and think logically about this because when you do you realise why stuff works better/quicker than others. Rotating at the wrist is a classic. I've seen people develop great tremolo speed and then find that they are hopeless when they come to cross strings. They've often developed a planar motion that means they struggle to get the pick out of the way when they come to cross.. makes sense when you look at the physical motion/requirements. Wrist rotation solves this problem inherently if your not going the economy picking route and for other techniques that may be important to you.
3. Learn to experiment. I know we all want to make progress but sometimes you've just got to re-evaluate and try something different. If that means completely changing your picking motion/hand/pick position you've just got to be prepared to do it. You might be surprised at how little time it takes to get back to where you were and beyond and if you waste some time and it doesn't work out at least you can move on.
4. Try and pick movements that are absolutely repeatable. If you're constantly changing your picking hand position up and down the guitar for example then getting nanometer accuracy is going to be challenging! Again you need to think before you do...

There is no special magic in this and anyone can learn to pick faster and with greater accuracy. You just have to want to do it badly enough, be sensible/analytical in your approach and never give up!

Si

DLM

Rhoads555 said:

‘Heavy Balance’ record by guitarist Tramaine

Ooh, he does some interesting stuff! I'd not run across him before, I quite liked some of the tunes/licks I watched. \m/ 8)

I'd encourage you to answer your own question about pick slanting/angling/edge picking/whatever by exploring Troy Grady's Cracking The Code stuff. There's so much of it to trawl, including his own forum, that you might not even need to pay for his premium content to access what you want to know and progress as you wish.

Oh, and your English is just fine.

Dominic

sweepy said:

Shawn Lane used to practice picking and fingering  as fast as he could as he found that building up slowly didn’t work for him. This probably highlights why there is no one hard and fast rule to building speed and accuracy

Andre Agassi revolutionised Tennis ....he started the immense amount of Topspin and developed the highly acute angle of holding the forehand grip.........The way he started was similar ;
Just hit the ball as hard and fast as you can........don't worry about getting it in the court .....we'll worry about refining it later
Once he could hit very hard and with immense topspin his coach gradually tamed the style and refined the technique until 9 out of 10 balls stayed in court but the power was all there ..........he was unstoppable and changed the game.
  It's the same approach.....
Go mental ,get the speed then worry about refining the technique .

xscaramanga

I don't think Ben Higgins' approach to picking is helpful. That idea of keeping the pick stuck like glue to the string at all times is just a recipe for tension—the only way to do it at slow speeds it to tighten everything up. And for my money, you can hear that in his playing at higher speeds. It sounds uneven to me, the product of all that tension. That is not how the famous alternate pickers play at all. I don't mean to start a fight because Ben's a good teacher and better known than me, but I really think that approach can lead to other problems, and even when it doesn't it cause injury, it gives a poor tone. I've toured with a few blazing pickers now, and they do not play the way Ben describes.

Paul Gilbert is the obvious example, and he's relaxed as anything. If Paul plays something slowly, his pick will travel quite a distance from the strings. You need to focus on staying relaxed; the movement will refine itself at high speeds. It doesn't need to be a small movement at slow speeds. You don't run the same way you walk. Martin Goulding is good on this stuff.

Vibetronic

I find the more relaxed the better. The only way that really helps is a shitload of practice/finding what works for you/more practice 

Vibetronic

jonnyscaramanga said:

I don't think Ben Higgins' approach to picking is helpful. That idea of keeping the pick stuck like glue to the string at all times is just a recipe for tension—the only way to do it at slow speeds it to tighten everything up. And for my money, you can hear that in his playing at higher speeds. It sounds uneven to me, the product of all that tension. That is not how the famous alternate pickers play at all. I don't mean to start a fight because Ben's a good teacher and better known than me, but I really think that approach can lead to other problems, and even when it doesn't it cause injury, it gives a poor tone. I've toured with a few blazing pickers now, and they do not play the way Ben describes.

Paul Gilbert is the obvious example, and he's relaxed as anything. If Paul plays something slowly, his pick will travel quite a distance from the strings. You need to focus on staying relaxed; the movement will refine itself at high speeds. It doesn't need to be a small movement at slow speeds. You don't run the same way you walk. Martin Goulding is good on this stuff.

Are you still playing with Kee Marcello?

xscaramanga

Vibetronic said:

Are you still playing with Kee Marcello?

No, I left the band last year. He was one of the players I had in mind though.

sweepy

Paul Gilbert has a circular picking technique which works for him 

Vibetronic

jonnyscaramanga said:

Vibetronic said:

Are you still playing with Kee Marcello?

No, I left the band last year. He was one of the players I had in mind though.

thought I recognised the name  Yes, he's a great player; those super-quick pentatonic picked lines are ace. 

DLM

jonnyscaramanga said:

the movement will refine itself at high speeds. It doesn't need to be a small movement at slow speeds. You don't run the same way you walk. Martin Goulding is good on this stuff.

Wis'd for this.

gringopig

.

soma1975

jonnyscaramanga said:

You don't run the same way you walk. 

Excellently put.