Inside, outside picking

Playing Technique
#1

I have one of those questions that is probably obvious but I’m struggling with doing it.

It being outside picking.

I have never incorporated it and I do ok without however I see where it hinders me from lining out a better picking path at times. It feels so foreign that I’m afraid learning it will screw me up. I understand it will hinder me for a while for sure.

I use, swiping, up, down, extra note all the tricks we talk about here but not outside picking

Should I invest the time in it and do you use both equally? Do you use both or what are most of you doing

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#2

Hey! I think this type of question is very lick-dependent (in what context the outside picking is happening) and of course technique-dependent (what posture-joints are you using to generate your picking motion etc.).

The easiest way to go about this is to film a specific lick or phrase you are trying to do so we can take a look!

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#3

There are lots of virtuoso players who have adapted their vocabulary to some kind of restriction in the picking technique. Gypsy pickers like Django Reinhardt, Eric Johnson, Yngwie Malmsteen, Joe Pass and George Benson must start every new string with a downstroke, and that is just as much restriction as your inside picking.

If you still want to master outside picking, I suggest playing short bursts of the first five notes of a minor scale, with three notes on the low string and two on the high string. Start with five notes ascending, then pause and play five notes descending. Make sure you start and end with a downstroke. After a while you can extend it to nine notes, starting and ending on the same note (bottom or top). You can do this with a metronome while watching South Park, just check that you always start and end with a downstroke. I encourage a bit of distraction while practicing pure mechanics, you keep it going for a while without getting bored and suddenly your body figures something out by itself.

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#4

Thanks I will definitely add the drill you described.
I have been doing some since posting and I’m getting better at it faster than I thought I would.
I love excercizes. I actually watched a video of Paul Gilbert apologizing for the one he’s well known for due to it being really tricky for news. Lol. Thanks again for the reply

#5

I used to be a strict inside picker in the 80s. A lot of climbing up and down on one string. https://youtu.be/7kZnX7tKoeY?si=oftfJqHHA1NCwSLT

1 Like
#6

Nice stuff. I like the phrasing alot.