Worth changing to leading edge picking instead of trailing edge, after a long break from playing?

Playing Technique
#1

First time poster long time lurker. I recently took a long break from guitar after I got pretty bad carpal tunnel in my fretting wrist (thanks yngwie). Back playing 100% now but im at a crossroads in terms of technique.

I’ve been exclusively a trailing edge picker for the 10 years I’ve played, my tremolo speed is quick and the ability feels natural with this motion. But after a lot of researching from the videos and forum posts I tried to adapt to a leading edge picking motion as i felt this trailing edge was somehow hindering on string changes and overall cohesiveness to my playing , Troy saying he did something similar and it was a revelation motivated me. I tried this leading edge for 6 months maybe more and my overall playing was cleaner and more precise but man i just cant land the tremolo motion/speed. Tried a hundred different pick/pick grip/motion combos and it just felt unnatural and slow. Like my upstrokes kept getting stuck on the string no matter what I tried.

I’ve rambled long enough, but I’m curious whether now I’ve taken an extended break from guitar and I’m admittedly sloppy and somewhat amateurish, after the longest break I’ve ever taken, should I really commit to this leading edge methodology, as it may be the best opportunity i have to unlearn bad habits and relearn correct ones while at this new clean slate? Any advice is appreciated thanks in advance

#2

Shortest possible answer(s):

  • Try everything you feel like trying, and evaluate the result as objectively as you can.
  • You can have more than one technique at your disposal, and your trailing edge setup is likely memorized at this point, so it won’t go away if you experiment with a different setup.

Hope that helps :slight_smile:

2 Likes
#3

Cheers for the response Tommo!

I guess having two techniques may be workable. I’m just worried my trailing edge technique isn’t an end game technique for achieving ultra fast clean playing. In terms of my leading edge technique there’s something about the stability of my natural pick grip with this motion + the consistency at slow and medium speeds I love, I’m just hardcore struggling to find a working tremolo motion. Do you have any advice on finding something that clicks? I think my problem may be I’m stuck in downstroke escape motion for tremolo picking as this is my default trailing edge mechanic at high speeds. When I try to upstroke escape/downward pick slanting with my leading edge tremolo motions, my pick always feels like its getting stuck on the string on upstrokes.