Seems The Research Into How To Pick Properly Has Been Completed

Masters in Mechanics
#1

There are only so many different muscles and useful motions with which to move the pick. It seems to me that Troy and his team have pretty much completed covering the area of the different ways to alternate pick rapidly and accurately, aside from a thumb/index finger technique. I’m curious as to what Troy and his team believe they still have yet to cover on the subject of accurate, fast ways of alternate picking. What more could be left to still explain that they haven’t explained already?

I ask this because if they are finished or near finished explaining efficient alternate picking, then what would be some subjects they’re interested in covering next? The best ways to alternate pick seemed to be the biggest question among guitarists. Are there other areas of guitar playing they believe have just as much interest in them and as much mystery surrounding them as alternate picking once did? If so, what are they?

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Post gimmicks you tried down the years that didn't work
#2

To me the topic would be fretting hand finger strength.

If I look across Youtube and the internet, the kind of advice I get about this topic is: “practice, practice, practice!” or “it’s not that your left hand is slower, it’s just that your hands are not synchronized”. Basically, the same advice that I was getting before the CtC era concerning building picking speed. But now that I dramatically improved my picking (I am able to reach 180 bpm 16th notes, even 200 bpm 16th with some tension), I struggle to keep up with my right hand beyond 140 bpm even on a single string. I can do 160 bpm but I’ll be missing some notes and doing some sort of left hand muting and I can’t take it to multiple strings.

So I started trying to look at my fretting hand in the same analytical way that we here at CtC analyzed the picking hand. And I came to a clear conclusion: my 3rd and fourth fingers are simply too weak. Once I increase the speed, they just can’t fret or lift from the note fast enough. So, I started designing exercises that focus almost exclusively on these two fingers. This seems to help so far. I see some improvement already but I guess I need much more time to give my verdict on this approach.

I saw a video with John Taylor (I think it’s of the yet to be released material) where you can see him use a rubber band on the fretting hand to make fretting harder and workout his fingers. I am also tempted to try this approach. But also a bit worried about the risk of injury.

Anyway, it would be nice if CtC could look at this.

Anybody else facing the same issue?

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#3

I’m having the same problems. When learning a faster line, I often work out the picking fairly easily and then notice that the fretting hand is holding me back. For some reason this seems to be worse on the higher frets. I know my picking hand could go a lot faster with no problems, the fretting hand feels like it’s doing what it should, but the whole thing just doesn’t really work that well. The notes end up being poorly articulated or very short.

I should have a new phone soon that will be able to record in a higher frame rate, so hopefully I can record my fretting hand and see what exactly is going on.

Also, I’m still hoping for a proper crosspicking tutorial by the CtC team. I’ve improved my TWPS a lot and I’m really enjoying that, but crosspicking still seems out of reach for me.

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#4

Sorry to veer off topic but you should get a Planet Waves Varigrip. It is an exercise tool to strengthen your fingers.

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With regards to where will CTC go next? That’s an interesting one for sure. I think a cross picking detailed tutorial would be good. Personally I would like to see it done in a rock or fusion style rather than acoustic.

The Mika Tykksa interview should be a good one and that might bring some new analysis of techniques that haven’t been covered - such as sweeping.

The upcoming Oz Noy interview should have a few surprises as his style is quite unorthodox.

Apart from this I really don’t know!

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#5

The rubber bands John uses are called Riff Bandz. I’ve been using them for about 6 months, and they definitely help to build strength. I’ve also used them to help me build up the strength to do bigger stretches.

Like yourself, my ring and pinky are definitely slowing my fretting hand down. I’m always blown away when I hear guitar players say that their picking hand can’t keep up with their fretting hand. Though my picking still needs lots of work, it’s definitely my fretting hand slowing me down.

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#6

Devil’s advocate, I can’t think of a single aspect of a single discipline where “the research has been completed.” There’s always something new to be done.

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#7

“Devil’s advocate, I can’t think of a single aspect of a single discipline where “the research has been completed.” There’s always something new to be done.”

I think there are related concepts that could be explored such as what is the optimal amount of practice time? 3 hours a day? 6 hours a day? Twelve?

As far as studying the actual mechanics of how to move the pick for the greatest speed, accuracy, and tone, what is one thing you can think of that Troy’s team hasn’t covered yet? I’m sure they could find a decent guitarist who does things differently than anyone they’ve covered, but they’ve covered the way the best players do it. After studying the technique of guys from McLaughlin and DiMeola to Yngwie, Michael Angelo Batio, and Paul Gilbert, whose alternate picking is better who also uses a different technique than any of them? Shawn Lane is dead so they can’t interview him. I’ve mentioned Dannyjoe Carter’s thumb and index finger motion of alternate picking but they don’t want to interview him and I don’t even know if he would want to be interviewed, so again the question is for learning superior alternate picking mechanics, who and/or what is left?

BTW, I consider this a positive thing as in, Congratulations, you’ve finished!

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#8

Hey, my understanding is that relaxed, the fingers pop back to the flatter state after bending from the knuckle closest to the palm, when tension is released. There is likely more to examine without assuming strength per se. Just throwing that out there from studying classical technique. Peace.

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#9

Classical technique has the solution that works. The interphalangeal joints should be bent enough to make the distal phalanges approach the string close to vertical, and the interphalangeal bends should change only as little as necessary to help you adjust your reach between “near” strings and “far” strings. Most of the work of controlling which fingertips are “pressing” and “releasing” the strings should be done by the metacarpophalangeal joints. Note that doesn’t mean you are “squeezing” the neck like a vice, but it means the MCP joint controls which fingertip(s) is currently cantilevered against the fingerboard.

Which is the longwinded way of saying: don’t press the strings by curving and straightening your fingers; instead, keep your fingers curved at all times and do most of the “moving” at the place where the fingers attach to the palm.

There will be exceptions where you have to barre strings with the pad of a finger rather than the tip, or when you are bending strings, or where you will have no choice but to let your interphalangeal joints straighten a bit to make wide stretches, but for straightforward single note playing, the classical approach is the way to go.

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#10

Thanks! Just ordered one! Any recommendations on how often and for how long to use it? As I said, I have some concerns about injury. I never had guitar related injury in the past, but I prefer to be careful when trying something new like this.

Thanks again!

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#11

I use mine until I feel some tiredness in my fingers and then I stop. The more I use it the longer I am able to use it until my fingers get tired. A few minutes 2 - 3 times a week should be sufficient to keep your strength up.

You can adjust the resistance of each individual finger press thing too, which is good as your ring and little fingers will probably be a bit weaker than your index and middle.

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#12

Sorry, I’m late for this topic.
Just I got this in mind a few minutes ago.
It seems that most people agree that the way to add a new mechanic to the reportoire is playing and feeling if its right or wrong for them.
In the end that leads back to what we had before - sure with way more confidence and the knowledge that there IS a solution - which still means the worst case scenario is try and error. (Sidenote cause that sounds negative: threre is indeed i great progress to what we had before).
So imo the next step should be something pointing to self analysis and muscle memory. Chunking would be another thing that only touched the surface so far.
Anyway if the focus is kept on what we have so far, that’d be great too - i think in the end it might only make sense if Troy has some personal interest in upcoming things too, and he digged deeper than anybody before, so i have no claims on him.

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#13

What Frylock said. :slight_smile:

#14

There’s still room for discoveries. We wouldn’t be there otherwise. Now thanks to Troy and his team we know how picking mechanisms works theoretically, but still most of us don’t completely understand it, cause it takes time, and a lot of trials and errors. So for me the next step for Troy and his team could be help us unlock our speed, I mean help us applying speed to the principles we’ve learned so far, designing a path that not only helps us understand the picking mechanisms, but also helps us master those mechanisms with certainty…

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