Are These Mostly Picked Notes?

Playing Technique
#1

This is a song that for many years I’ve wondered if the fast section of the guitar solo which starts at around 3:36 or so is mostly picked or mostly hammer-ons and pull-offs. What do you think? I’m pretty sure it’s not all picked although I guess it’s possible and I know at least some of the notes are picked but what do you think it is mostly, picked notes or hammer-ons and pull-offs? The very first fast part is a trill, but after that I don’t know. This type of fast playing certainly has a different emotion and feel to it than most of what gets posted around here. It’s pretty ferocious sounding!

#2

Sounds like trills (rapid hammer on/pulloffs) to me or possibly tapping with a right hand finger (more likely the former I think). Doesn’t sound like it’s all picked in my opinion.

Cheers,
Brian

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#3

Bit of a mix of picking and hammer-ons and pulloffs. I like at 3:38 where he keeps a finger (pinkie maybe) on the whammy bar that makes it all kinds of nasty.

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#4

I like that effect he creates there too, but guess what? Wino doesn’t use a whammy bar. H plays a Les Paul; it doesn’t have a whammy bar. I remember watching Wino play in “Shine” one night in Rockville, MD at Manny’s and Shine had the same lineup as Spirit Caravan would have but this was before they changed their name from Shine to Spirit Caravan… I was watching them and the husband of my bass player at the time said to me just after Wino had played an amazing solo: “He makes his guitar sound like it has a whammy bar.” He really does! Wino’s great at that.

#5

Damn! I’d love to see how he does that. Could he be pressing down on the string behind the bridge and picking at the same time?

#6

Possibly. I think most of it is just using extremely wide bends and then gradually releasing the bend, then being it back up again, etc. I’m in the process right now of finding the best live version of it I can to get an idea of how he plays this solo. The one version I found so far isn’t more for note but it’s pretty similar and regarding the picked or not picked question, the majority is picked notes.

#7

OK, so far I’ve found 3 live videos and this one has the most close-up view and best lighting. He starts doing interesting things with the pitch around 2:42.