Very exited to be here

[hichembell]

I’m Hichem from Algeria North Africa . I’m 30 and I have been playing for 18 years. some guitarists label me as a good player, yet as you can clearly get it from this video, i’m just an average player who subconsciously try to avoid alternate picking it in his musical playing

Hichem Bell - impro on an Andy Timmons' theme

The thing is that, I love alternate picking and ironically the average level of technical abilities I acquired comes from a dedicated patience and hours of practicing on alternate picking. If all my dedication gave me strengths on my fretboard hand, my right hand is just unpredictable (Im a lefty playing like a righty). Although I manage to play my alternate picking licks at home correctly at moderate tempos, In a real musical context, it feels never the same and I end up sounding like a noob player if I insist too much on alternate picking.

This scientific like perspective on picking technique (pick-slanting/ hand motion) Troy and his team propose gave me hope to transcend my technical chains that prevent me to play the musical phrases that sounds constantly in my head but never reveal themselves as they should on my guitar amplifier. I feel the same excitement I experienced back when I was 16years old when saw for the first time Angelo Batio playing Speed Kills. And just for this breeze of motivation, I would like to thank the team working on all of this amazing content.

I understood from the youtube videos that two way pick-slanting is the way to go for the three notes per string patterns I DREAM OF to play with confidence . I already started to practice on two way pick slanting strategy for two weeks…it lead me to change my grip and some motions are different yet I start to feel an improvement in how the pick gently touches the strings now. nothing concrete yet…I’m really impatient to work more for a couple of weeks before posting my very first questions on the forum, and maybe a video of my playing.

I already read alot of topics around which are very informative here. You guys in the forum are amazing and inspiring…Happy to find musicians trying to achieve best musical abilities.
keep working on your music and enjoy.

[Shredd]

Man. I’m gonna go ahead and call you a good player. And not only that, but your text felt so well-articulated and on-point that I recognized my own habits from it too!

@hichembell

subconsciously try to avoid alternate picking it in his musical playing

@hichembell

I love alternate picking and ironically the average level of technical abilities I acquired comes from a dedicated patience and hours of practicing on alternate picking.

@hichembell

end up sounding like a noob player if I insist too much on alternate picking.

All these I can relate to, at least currently. I have to thank you for finding such good words for them!

Welcome and keep up the hard work.

[hichembell]

Hey Shredd, thank you for you answer. and believe it or not but it feels so good to know that other people are experiencing it the same way.

what I suspect is that there are some motions and habits that we acquired when jamming or playing in band practice context, which are maybe somehow little bit different from our alternate picking acquired technique. Maybe the difference is as subtle as we are not able to detect it yet.

The basic tip which I have learned from the videos is that one need to closely analyse his motions and movement. I think that at the end of the day you need to become your own Troy Grady. Sometimes i’m discovering things alone that confirm themselves later when watching some youtube videos.

This active mental process of seeking the right movements instead of classical practice seems to work on me and im starting to have this ability to replicate and recognize some hidden motions that I do when my alternate picking is not a total mess. Now I need to introduce those same movements to my regular playing progressively. Sometimes Im not even able to describe the movements yet I’m capable to feel it in my hands, which is enough to get personal improvement. At the same time this is what makes teaching alternate picking to someone an impossible task since I’m not even able to describe it …so thinking of prescribing is just impossible haha

This new approach in skill acquisition led me actually to change my picking grip…it feels so much different now since some of my runs sound like acoustic bluegrass picking when listening to the strings unplugged hahaha…its pleasing cause the sound is clear…i think it’s a good sign for better articulation. Yet, Im in the period where today it works and tomorrow I feel like starting from level 0 again.

I’m gonna work more before posting some results on the forum for the sake of exchange.

[Shredd]

Right on. I agree that there probably are some interfering old habits that keep interrupting the conscious efforts we’re making for efficient motion. Trying to recognize the correct motions from amidst all the habitual weirdness seems to be working. Even if it’s in a “two steps forward, one step backward” way.

@hichembell

This active mental process of seeking the right movements instead of classical practice seems to work on me and im starting to have this ability to replicate and recognize some hidden motions that I do when my alternate picking is not a total mess.

@hichembell

Yet, Im in the period where today it works and tomorrow I feel like starting from level 0 again.

Yeah, these happen to me as well. But I think I’m getting closer every day a tiny bit. The combo of experimentation and analysis are definitely working, but only when both are done. Whenever I disregard experimentation, things stop progressing. When I forget to analyze what I’ve got, I might neglect to admit that hey, there’s a problem that needs to be experimented upon.

I won’t hijack your introduction thread, but what you wrote reminded me of one of my old picking habit things that might be relevant in some way. I’ll link it to a new thread here: Crutches and The Fear of Bad Notes