I have been playing for many years now and have reasonable control over my picking. I have been following CTC for a while now, and have recently started to really crack down to try take my picking to the next level. So far I have been struggling to find a solid foundation with which to build. I have tried many different variations on grips, anchoring, motion mechanics to seemingly limited success. So far I am unable to find any combination that really feels good and comfortable to me, and whenever I increase my speed I can visually see inconsistencies in my motions and excess motions. I have also found that all of these different factors seem to be reliant on one another (ex one anchoring position may lead to a certain pick grip and motion mechanic for the most success, but if a change in the anchoring position may require also a change in the pick grip and motion mechanic, etc). This observation might be off base and I may be over thinking things, but I am looking for a good first step and something to build off of, something more than just relax your hand over the bridge, as I am the type of person who works well following specific instructions. If it helps at all my biggest issue seems to be finding an anchoring position that is comfortable and allows the freest motion.
Any input would be greatly appreciated! 
Hi! Thanks for stopping by. I think the big challenge here is figuring out what you mean by âlimited successâ. The actual checklist of things you need to be able to do successfully is pretty straightforward:
- Can you move the pick back and forth on a single string?
- Can you do this with hand synchronization, like with a simple repeating fretboard pattern?
- Can you do it with a pickslant, either uwps or dwps (doesnât matter which one at this point)?
- Can you now do that across a pair of strings, repeating without hitting anything during the string changes, as per whichever pickslant you are using? (requires some knowledge of string switching / pickslanting concepts)
etc.
If youâre new to breaking down your technique this way, what is âcomfortableâ for you may be less relevant, since all these variables may still feel weird. I took a drum lesson once with one of Mike Sternâs drummers and asked him how he holds his sticks. And he said, well whatever way is comfortable. Then he stopped himself, and looked at me and said, well⌠you probably donât know which way is comfortable yet. And I was like, bingo! I was really glad he said that.
So best thing to do is pick any collection of these variables and post a video in âTechnique Critiqueâ moving as far along this checklist as you can. If you canât decide which combination is most comfortable, then just guess. You gotta start somewhere, and ârandomâ is as good a spot as any. Thatâs how we all started!
Thanks for the reply! That really helps a lot, I always assumed comfort was something that would come right away, but what you said makes perfect sense and has already helped a lot! I will get to work and post a video (possibly with many more questions) in the near future.
Try this:
Fret the 12th fret of your high E string. Or any string, really. Begin to tremolo-pick this string to the best of your ability, aiming to create the smoothest, most even stream of notes possible. Donât worry about changing notes. Focus purely on creating a decent tremolo sound on a single note at a fast tempo. Try not to think about how your picking hand is making the movements, just focus purely on the results.
Once youâve gotten a hold of a decent tremolo-picking sound, itâs time to start paying attention to the movements youâre making. Take what youâre using to play your tremolo technique and use that as your starting point.
Thank you, thats a good idea I will record that and submit it to be critiqued. Though when working on the high E string I tend to fall into an anchoring position that cannot be effectively moved across the bridge, so I think I will work on the B or G string to start off.