Hi, I’m an Italian guitarist, I’m a great fan of Michael Angelo Batio, I’ve got all the Troy stuff on Mike, and I’m studying the position and mechanics of Mike’s right hand.
He says he’s using a wrist and elbow combination, and his secret weapon is wrist flextion, but also use his fingers?
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That’s a good question! That’s what he says and I think he is right, or close to right. I have not personally tried to copy what Mike is doing but at slower speeds there is definitely a finger component. When he speeds up there is definitely an elbow movement. Is there also wrist flexion/extension? Possibly. Then there is the two-way pickslanting movement, which could be a combination of forearm and fingers.
In general, unless you have a need to copy Mike’s specific picking motions, the lines he plays can be done other ways which are more common and which we have a better understanding of: wrist mechanics, forearm, and so on.
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Troy, remember when you said that sometimes the way guitarists say they pick isn’t actually the way they pick either because they’re hiding a secret or more likely due to ignorance about what they’r actually dong when they pick? Well I met MAB after a guitar clinic he did in Gaithersburg Maryland back around 1994 and I asked him: “Do you get more of your speed form moving your wrist or your elbow”?
MAB replied “Elbow? I don’t use my elbow when I pick. My motion comes from my wrist and if anything else, my fingers too.”
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Hi Troy!
Sorry to insist on this subject, but I really can’t understand where the picking movement comes from. I’m also left-handed and play right-handed, I’m sure that understanding this would help me be a better guitarist and also clear up my debt that is over 20 years old. What it looks like to me is forearm rotation, but with the 3 fingers supported, and also with the wrist arched. If you could make a video explaining it better, I would be very grateful.
I can’t make a video on this subject because I don’t know the answer!
It is clear Mike has many slightly different motions, including finger motion. This is evident from his earliest video lessons, like Star Licks, where his technique looks “very fingers”. It’s an interesting subject, but it is not that relevant for the rest of us who are still learning.
Picking motions are complicated. There are many reasons why people have different experiences when trying to learn them. This includes anatomical differences from person to person, and also complex neurological factors like interference from previous learning. This makes it difficult to predict which technique you will be able to learn - especially in the short term.
This is why it is important to try different motions to find one that is comfortable and goes fast. Take the motion tests in the Primer, and make sure the results are good. Then try to reproduce different picking motions on the actual guitar to find one that works. Do not waste huge amounts of time trying to do one specific technique - try to find what is comfortable now, in the present.
If you have any trouble, make a TC on the platform with some video clips and we are happy to help.