New to the site, want to master Alt Picking

Playing Technique
#1

Hi All
I am new to the site, came across it a couple of days ago after a mention on the JustinGuitar web site.

I have not fully subscribed yet, just checking out what is here etc for a few days before pulling the trigger.

I have a few questions which the more expert players here may help me with please?

I have been playing a little under 5 years. I play Blues, a little Jazz (slower standards, not the crazy fast be-bop stuff). So I guess the first question is if the information here applies to what I want to play? I admire the great high speed shredders for sure, but it is not for me as a player. I am more BB King than Eric Johnson :slight_smile: I play in a Blues band, most rhythm and riffs, but my picking is slow and sloppy. I want to start doing some lead work but need to get the plating up to speed before taking that on.

If the information here IS for me, how do I know if I am doing it right? I play some 3NPS exercises and struggle to get above 90BPM with triplets. Pretty rubbish really, so I feel I must be doing something wrong. And to be honest, the last thing I want to do is take on a practice regime that is not working for me, or worse still, I am learning it wrong!

I hear people say ‘Find a good teacher’, but that is easier said than done. It seems every man and his dog who knows a few barre chords seems to think they are qualified to teach. I dont want a teacher to show me some Guns n Roses lick. I want someone who can look at my playing and tell me what I need to do to get better. Sounds easy but after many different teachers in the local (and not so local) area, believe me, it aint!

I love to practice but like most people, practice time is precious, I dont want to waste it.

Hope someone here can offer some guidance.

Many thanks
Mark
(From the UK)

3 Likes
#2

Generally, the first thing to do would be to post a video of your picking! Record yourself playing a line that gives your picking hand trouble (like 3nps) at a “Code Friendly Angle.” If you can use a phone or camera that can shoot in slow motion, then that is even better!

Looking forward to seeing your picking!

2 Likes
#3

Hey Mark, welcome to the forum! Yes, if you want to improve your picking, you’re in the right place :slight_smile: We’ve got players of all genres here.

This is a reply from Troy on another similar topic, I think worth checking out as it hits on our general “getting started” suggestions. To summarize: as a single place to start, we suggest watching the Intro to Picking Motion workshop and trying out the different motions.

Posting a video of your playing, as @Sguitar mentions, is also great to get specific feedback. But it’s a good idea to start with the Intro to Picking Motion as it establishes some important common vocabulary to work with, and will help orient you to a variety of possibilities for your picking motion. Choose one motion that feels comfortable, try it out for a bit, and feel free to post a clip to #technique-critique if you’d like feedback as you go!

#4

Hey! Just wanted to follow up and see how things are going.

I also wanted to let you know we recently put together a new “getting started” guide. If you haven’t yet checked out the material referenced here, it outlines what’s currently our best intro to our stuff:

https://troygrady.com/start/

Please let us know if you find this helpful, or if there’s anything else we could add / clarify to better address what you’re looking for.

#5

Hello again
So it has been over 2 years since my last posts into this thread. I thought an update was in order.
So I worked like crazy on timing and rhythm for a longgggg time. My metronome was very definitely my friend. But I think it paid off as I feel my timing is pretty good now.
We (my Wife and I) formed a band (in the US for winter season playing in Arizona) which is a blast. Not there this year for obvious reasons :frowning:
BUT
Still really struggling with picking technique. It wasn’t an issue so much at first with the band as I played pretty much only rhythm. But things changed and I started needing to pick up some lead duties. And boy was/is that a struggle.
To be clear, we play Americana, Country, 60s etc. Typical cover band fodder. So nothing fast. Fastest thing we do is Johnny B Goode (168 bpm eighth notes & triplets) and that can be a bit hit & miss ;). So pretty much all pentatonic 2NPS stuff and some chord tone/arpeggios etc. Definitely no hi-speed stuff and no 3NPS.
All blues scale, major pentatonic or melodic major scale riffs.
Don’t get me wrong, I admire the guys that play the super fast neo stuff, amazing skills. It just isn’t where I am at.
So, 2 years on and to be honest I don’t feel my picking technique has improved much. Sad but true. Yes I know loads of songs, play in a band and have lots of fun. But the demon on my shoulder keeps whispering in my ear about my crap picking accuracy and speed.
And trust me, it is not for the want of trying. I have spent countless hours with the metronome and exercises from Troy Nelson ‘Guitar Aerobics’, Desi Serna ‘ Guitar Picking Mechanics’, Clause Levin ‘ Ultimate Alternating Picking Class’. All go the same way. I get so far and full stop. The hands just say no! :slight_smile:
Some numbers
An exercise in Troy Nelson book. Am Pentatonic, box 1. String skipping going up scale, E string, D string, A string, G, D, B, G, E. You get the idea. 100 bpm and I am just about ok. 110 and I am all over the place. It’s embarrassing!
So…
I can’t help feeling I am doing something wrong physically.
‘Go to a personal teacher’ they said. I tried. As I mentioned 2 years ago, guitar teachers are few and far between in this area (Worcester U.K.) and the ones I tried were great but not what I needed to identify and help with technique.
So now 2 years on I am back here and hoping I can find my way around the site enough to get some answers.
Thanks for reading my ramble!
Can anybody suggest a way forward? A plan? Where to go from here? I am a bit at a loss right now and need to get my chops in order by October. All being well (COVID etc) we are back in USA for the winter season playing 3 gigs a week for 6 months. Wonderful fun but I have to get my lead playing chops under control.
Any help very gratefully taken!
Cheers
Mark

#6

Me too Mark - I’ve been “stalking” the website for a few years - I have been playing for about 40 years now but never THOUGHT about what I was doing mechanically on the guitar until I discovered Troy’s work - I grew up in the 80’s like Troy, and have tried for years to achieve a “breakthrough” on the guitar, in terms of speed and accuracy, and occasionally surprise myself - right now I’m at the overthinking stage and constantly looking down to make sure I’m doing the right things with my right hand - is that common? I also struggle with practice time and discipline, but I can’t help but think that’s everybody’s problem - especially if you are a hobbyist that just wants to do something well, that is unique and personally satisfying like executing a fast melodic run

In any event, anything that inspires us to pick this thing up and see what happens has to be good - I’m inspired by Troy’s amazing program and look forward to getting as good as I can - time to stop clicking and start picking (yuk yuk - hat tip Ben Eller)

#7

Thanks for the msg @Scones61 Glad I am not alone in this no-mans land of no progress!
I just joined up fully for 6 months to see if what is going down here will help. What can the harm be eh?
I will post a video or two of my efforts and stand well back to await feedback! I watched the freebie video Troy did about StringHopping and that does strike a chord (pun…) with me. I reckon that could be one of my picking issues.
Big question is, how to practice NOT doing that. I joined hoping there will be some further information on how to fix it rather than just lots of (very interesting) stuff about what the problem is and what you should do.
We shall see. Maybe there are some ‘experienced’ “Code Crackers” (@Brendan ??) that could suggest exercises etc to get from A to B, from StringHop to DPS and with it hopefully improved speed and accuracy.
Time to dig in…