Pickslanting for rhythm?

Playing Technique
#1

Hey guys, enjoying this forum. I’ve been playing for 25 years now and recently signed up because I have changed my picking technique as of last week from and anchored pick hand to a floating style, and I am struggling. This website has made me understand things about my own technique that I had been doing (pickslanting) but not even realizing. I changed my RH technique because it wasn’t consistent always on the lower bass strings for me, and I found myself not attacking as much as I would like from the wrist of my pick hand.I have found that the last 25 years of playing with an anchored pick hand, my DWPS would kick in subconsciously while doing quick runs.

My question is simple. Is pickslanting something guys do while playing rhythm or is it primarily for lead? I’ve noticed when I apply it to riffs, it compromises the sound a lot. I guess my question is from Mr Grady… do you find yourself pickslanting while playing riffs and rhythm guitar?

#2

Are you talking about holding the pick in a way that looks slanted? Or are you talking about using a picking motion that moves in a way that is slanted? Because I only call the first thing pickslanting. Neither one really should have any effect on sound.

Brendon Small is a good example. His forearm rhythm technique uses a downward pickslant, and it sounds great, of course:

This technique does not use a slanted picking motion. This is an all-downstrokes technique so it’s a circular picking motion that only hits the strings on the downstroke.

By comparison, Brendon’s elbow rhythm technique uses an upward pickslant, and also a DSX motion path. This is the diagonal motion you see in alternate picking. These two things commonly go together:

And again, this also sounds great. For a refresher on what we mean by these different types of motion paths, and how this is different from the way the pick itself is being held in your grip, check out the “Code Core” section of the Pickslanting Primer, here:

We’ll be adding more to this over time, but the motions are covered pretty clearly here with some nice closeup shots of players we all recognize.

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