Who would you like to see interviewed next by Troy and the team?

[dasein]

I think that just interviewing our favourite players to analyse their individual approaches is unnecessary if their approaches already fit into the established paradigms of DWPS, UWPS, 2WPS and crosspicking. Unless the focus is on interviewing players who do something unusual or novel to achieve these established methods, or do something unusual or novel outside those established methods, I think the interviews will lead to dead ends, and this focus would ultimately lead to stagnation.

Ultimately, I think that Troy and Co. have to figure out where they would like to see this project go.

If CtC is mostly limited to a study of picking technique, I think you’re correct in that there’s a natural limit to what can be covered. There are only so many ways to move a pick quickly and efficiently.

But if the goal is to study virtuosity in general, then there’s a lot more to potentially study. Left-hand technique, for example, hasn’t been looked at very thoroughly. Someone like Holdworth would have been a terrific case study – his left hand technique is notoriously difficult to replicate, and shrouded in the same sort of mystery and confusion that characterized picking technique for a very long time.

Then there’s the even more elusive “though process” – how certain musicians are conceptualizing what they play. It’d be particularly enlightening for jazz musicians and other improvisors, since they’re doing most of their playing on the spot.

But that’s all a ton of work, and frankly Troy has put more than enough time and energy into this project already. If he decides to limit it to mostly picking technique, I certainly wouldn’t fault him.

[element0s]

Lots of these guys would also be of interest to me!

[aliendough]

Fantastic post! This sums up a lot of what I was thinking.

It will be interesting to see where CtC goes next to keep things fresh. As you say, there are only so many ways to move a pick and I think it’s safe to say that UWPS, DWPS and 2WPS have been covered.

Maybe more acoustic stuff will come out?

A hybrid picker would sure be interesting to see, someone like Brett Garsed, or another interview with Martin Miller to study his hybrid technique.

It would also be cool to put the magnet on backwards and get some shots of a great legato player, like Allen Hinds, Joe Satriani or Tim Miller - who also happens to be an excellent hybrid picker.

2018 will be an interesting year for CtC for sure.

[TheCount]

I agree with everyone else. As much as I’d like to see a number of players, I think its inevitable we’ll run into the same mechanics a lot. I think @aliendough’s suggestion of more hybrid picking is a good one. More Marshall Harrison and maybe some country players. Some in depth analysis of finger style and legato could also be interesting. I’m sure Troy & Co have some great stuff planned!
Edit: some tapping could be good fun as well!

[nasierszyca]

[Dissonant_Timbres]

Brent Hinds would be a good person to interview for hybrid picking.

Brent Mason comes to mind for country hybrid pickers.

[nasierszyca]

Brett Garsed & T.J. Helmerich

[johnhorneguitar]

Frank Gambale
Pat Metheny

I think Metheny would be especially interesting as he definitely has a unique approach and voice on the instrument. He’s talked a bit about how recording the Reich piece “Electric Counterpoint” forced him to clean up his picking. I think he also said somewhere that he would love to study with Gambale himself if he had the time.

[johnhorneguitar]

@nasierszyca I love that Andre Nieri piece! Thanks for posting!

[nitro1976]

What I would like to see CTC evolve in is something like the Hotlicks instructional DVD’s SHOULD have been.

Players discussing their playing, techniques, recordings and their mindset when composing, practicing, improvising, playing live and gear, but this time with Troy around asking the right questions and feedback from the CTC community.

This concept can be continued indefinitely and would absolutely be interesting to a broader audience as well as the technically minded.

Imagine Troy interviewing Yngwie on his techniques and compositional style and also someone like Tom Morello or Al di Meola.

In the end it’s not just about cracking the code on picking, but also how the mind of these musicians works when composing, improvising and playing live as well as the gear they use and why.

For me this is a dream scenario and I hope CTC evolves into something like that.

[nasierszyca]

Speed and technique blablabla it’s hard to add anything revealing for this.

The Art of Phrasing is the most neglected area among guitarists.
Music is like speech, phrasing in different genres
is like slangs and dialects in different languages.

Most guitarists speak the same language among different “cultures”.
“Hi, how are you,I’m fine,thank you,goodbye”. - 100% of my vocabulary

[RockStarJazzCat]

Neal Schon
Robert Fripp
Rick Graham
Pat Metheny
Vernon Reid
Mitch Chmara
Guthrie Govan (fast strumming in particular)

[aliendough]

I think Metheny would be especially interesting as he definitely has a unique approach and voice on the instrument. He’s talked a bit about how recording the Reich piece “Electric Counterpoint” forced him to clean up his picking. I think he also said somewhere that he would love to study with Gambale himself if he had the time.

good point! Metheny hates his picking so I think he could learn a lot from Troy.

Troy also shot a Frank Gambale interview so that could be in the pipeworks.

[Acecrusher]

Before you stop covering alternate picking and start covering something else in depth, I don’t see how any complete coverage of efficient alternate picking techniques could be complete without a Dannyjoe Carter interview. He has the fastest alternate picking (17 notes per second according to Guitar World magazine which ranks him as the fastest alternate picker in the world), and also the most economy of motion in his picking of anyone I’ve ever seen. His economy of motion is so amazing that sometimes it’s difficult to even see his picking hand moving which led to the nickname “the possessed picking hand.” Have you tried to contact Dannyjoe yet? He uses only his thumb and index finger to move the pick which seems to enable the greatest economy of motion possible in alternate picking.

[TheCount]

We actually have a thread about Dannyjoe here! Dannyjoe Carter and finger mechanics

[Acecrusher]

Thank you; I read it. There is some misinformation there that what he is doing is tremolo picking and not picking all the notes. I watched him play in my own house. He picks every note on the licks that were being discussed. I stood right in front of him and could barely see his picking hand move. It’s unlike anything I’ve ever seen or heard of in guitar playing. It’s just the most extreme, speed, accuracy and economy of motion.

[nasierszyca]

Mike Dawes

[Brendan]

Thanks to everyone for so many great suggestions. Keep 'em coming — we’ll be going through and taking notes We’ve got a big spreadsheet where we keep track of everyone viewers recommend we check out, and this has led us to discovering some amazing players!

Also a particular shoutout to those of you offering thoughts / ideas on future directions for Cracking the Code. This is always something we’re thinking about and it’s great to have community input as we think about what to prioritize for the rest of the year and beyond.

@Tom_Gilroy

I’d like to see focus widen further

@element0s

I’m finding myself more drawn to discussions on learning, memorization and improvising ideas than the purely technical discussion as of late.

@dasein

But if the goal is to study virtuosity in general, then there’s a lot more to potentially study. Left-hand technique, for example, hasn’t been looked at very thoroughly.
…
Then there’s the even more elusive “though process” – how certain musicians are conceptualizing what they play. It’d be particularly enlightening for jazz musicians and other improvisors, since they’re doing most of their playing on the spot.

@nitro1976

Players discussing their playing, techniques, recordings and their mindset when composing, practicing, improvising, playing live and gear, but this time with Troy around asking the right questions and feedback from the CTC community.

We hear you, great points here. Definitely open to suggestions not only for players to meet with, but also particular questions and areas of investigation you’d most like to see explored.

[Jakku]

Players I’d like to see and hear their views on:

1. Andy James
2. Rick Graham
3. Brett Garsed
4. Chris Brooks
5. Glenn Proudfoot (there’s 3 reasons to visit Australia already)
6. Tommy Emmanuel
7. Mr Doublespeed (just kidding)

There are only so many ways to play a note but sometimes hearing it from additional sources re-enforces it. I also like watching players learn about themselves.

What I’d like to see more of:

1. I wish the chronological webisode nature of the CTC youtube series had continued.
2. Maybe a cleaner flow of information cause it can be overwhelming (and a hard nut to crack in organising a website I’m sure).

[Jakku]

I suggested him too. Without realising it, Brett sort of does have a system for picking, with 2 notes per string + legato a lot of the time, and in the 90s he made hybrid picking standard fare for the technique bag of the fusion style that would follow.