I have shitty technique any help would be appriciated. (guitarists)

[victimofchanges]

I can't pick for shit, I can only do like one thing that I can pick almost cleanly very fast. If I try to play MR.Crowley forget about it, I just cant seem to keep control of my pick hand.

 

[Nefarious_]

Where do you pick from? I'm mostly a bass player, (so guitarists correct me if i'm wrong) but I always thought you were supposed to pick from the wrist and have as little forearm and upper arm movement as possible. This gives you maximum speed and controll with the least amount of movement, meaning it takes a lot longer before your arm gets tired. Practice too I guess, technique is something that just kinda happens, everyone has their own slight variation on the "standard" technique, keep practicing and eventually it just becomes second nature.

 

[Indiooo]

Just slow it down and practice until it's nice and clean. Fast picking isn't a gift, you know? It takes a lot of practice.

Edit: Yep, don't move your forearm, only your wrist. Sometimes motion comes not even from the wrist, but from your fingers, in a circular motion.

 

[TheMonkeysAteMySoul]

there have been guitarists able to play fast from varius parts of the arm/hand, just look at micheal angelo batio he picks with pretty much his whole arm, my advise would be to practice using each method and just try to notice which is more comfortable, not neccaceraly which is the fastest, just the most comfortable don't really try to chaange it, if you try to notice which is more comfortable your technique tends to adjust by itself, don't worry if it doesn't, it will eventually, another thing take notice of the relaxation in your arm hand shoulders and back, also take notice of the slice of your pick, by slice I mean the angle that your pick is to the strings, if it's perpendicular to the strings it will produce a greater tone(this probably won't even be noticable with distortion) and a pick at an angle can produce a bit of a scraping sound when you pick but is faster, also look at some players who are genrally veiwed as having good technique such as joe satriani, john petruci or paul gilbert or players of different styles who are considered to have good technique alot of jazz players often have good technique and of course classical players, you don't need to look at these peoples picking hands but the way they stand or hold the guitar youll find your picking might not only be influenced by your arm but the tensionin your entire body, you might want to look at people who don't even play guitar, people like jacos pastorias or just any really good musicians you know

 

[Barking Pumpkin]

TheMonkeysAteMySoul...I just have to say, you have the funniest signature I've ever seen....and so true. Sounds like something Steve Vai would say.

 

[Barking Pumpkin]

Oh wait....Frank Zappa said that, didn't he?

 

[Melodeath]

Where do you pick from? I'm mostly a bass player, (so guitarists correct me if i'm wrong) but I always thought you were supposed to pick from the wrist and have as little forearm and upper arm movement as possible. This gives you maximum speed and controll with the least amount of movement, meaning it takes a lot longer before your arm gets tired. Practice too I guess, technique is something that just kinda happens, everyone has their own slight variation on the "standard" technique, keep practicing and eventually it just becomes second nature.

Yeah, the ideal is to use only the wrist. It keeps your arm from getting tired and you have the ability to go faster.

 

[G-Master]

To enhance your picking technique, relaxation should be the primary objective. First, acknowledge your posture as well question on whether or not you feel pain in your shoulders, neck, or biceps. If this is so, you're technique is indeed incorrect-the shoulders, neck, and biceps are not connected directly with the muscles that are used to pick. Traditionally when picking, the wrist is the proper technique to go with, however, you should go with whatever is comfortable. Some of the greats use their entire arm-Steve Morse to name one-but the majority will use the wrist.

Work on alternate picking, it's the most common and the most natural. Work on just one string-from the first fret all the way up the fretboard-then continuing to the next string, paying close attention to the down and up picks. Come up with exercises of your own by skipping strings and such. Start off slowly, no one starts off playing 200 miles an hour, speed will come. Besides, if you can't play it with precision slowly, you can't play it quickly. Forget about distortion while you're working on this. And use a metronome, this is absolutely vital in determining your progress and steadily increasing the speed. Just be sure to pay attention to your form (use a mirror) and relax your wrist and forearms. Tension is your enemy.

Work on it at least 30 minutes to one hour a day. You'll get the hang of it soon.

 

[TekChef]

get the two following things-

1.A metronome-this is critical for picking development. Playing fast and IN TIME is your goal-so by working with the metronome, you start out slow and work up speed slowly.

2."Speed mechanics for lead guitar" By Troy Stetina. About $13-14 from Amazon.com. This book is THE shred/lead playing bible. It will let you gain ground FAST.

Practice your ass off

That simple

 

[Infinity Cubed]

I can't explain how I pick. I just do.

*makes another cryptic statement*

 

[Parachen]

Working on your P.P.S. (Potential Picking Speed) helps. Just choose a random string/fret and alternate (down/up) pick it at your max speed (make sure each pick stroke is nice and even!!). If you can't pick one note fast, you aint ganna do a dozen!!!

 

[IrfaanSE801]

These guys posted a lot of great advice, almost everything I would have told ya too. I kinda skimmed through it, but let me tell ya playing with a metronome helped me out with my technique to a hell of a great degree. I've been playing for awhile but stopped for a good long while. I started up again with a metronome going slowly and once you can do everything slowly (and more importantly cleanly), it won't be as hard to do things faster. Great technique will come when you start off slow, and as it builds it can't get worse unless ya start it off wrong....or if god hates you and you really weren't meant to play guitar. But either way good luck

 

[Rofocale]

or if god hates you and you really weren't meant to play guitar. But either way good luck

Heh! Heaven has nothing to do with us!

Seriously though this a problem I encountered and I nearly quit because of the sheer frustration it was causing me. I focused on it obsessively playing nothing but exercises for three hours a day and getting nowhere...

The problem was that the more I focused the more 'rigid' my playing became. My little finger on my left hand became an anchor and I directed all motion through my thumb and fore finger instead of letting it come naturally from whatever muscles on my entire arm the piece I was playing required. Because my hand was so static in rested pretty much firmly on the bridge.

It was a vicious circle: The more I practised the more rigid I became. It wasn't too long before I capped myself at 150 bpm. solos that I had played before at say 180 were almost impossible.

The key I found was to relax. There is no one right way. Individual pieces of lead require a different level of 'tightness' in your right hand. If you don't tuck your little finger in then let it hang loose providing only support on the scratch plate area IF you need it. That's not to say that it can't touch it just don't let it anchor your hand. Dont be afraid to adjust your hand especially when running through scales. Don't be afraid to add some weight or movement with your arm.

There were three actual Techniques (other than exercises) I used to get speed back.

!: Trem pick. Like the man said above if you can't play one note fast you'll never play a scale. It also helps keep you hand from being planted to the bridge. Use a metronome and just start at say 80bps and work your way up. When you find a level your struggling with, knock up the metronome a few levels and attempt that for a couple of minutes then go back and try the original speed. Sometimes it just helps to push you limits.

2: Do NOT neglect other styles. Arpeggios and String skipping with help keep your playing fluid. If you play scales for three hours a day and nothing more not only will you not be able to play anything else but you WILL stunt the growth of your speed as well. Holding a pick is not a natural process and your fingers need to get accosmed to it, you need to develop muscles that your body does not necessaily use in any other process than playing guitar. You need to able to 'pick up that pick' in such a way that it becomes a natural extention of your body that means it needs to grow beyond the extremley narrow 'up down' reflex you will be enforcing. Alter the environment even slightly (posture, sweat, temperture, grip, style etc) and your techinique will NOT adapt and this will frustrate you. The more varied your style, the faster you will grow as a speed player. Also the human brain assimilates information at a set pace; it takes an adult an average of 15 minutes to learn something and process it. Which means the majority of a three hour practice period where all you do is play the same exercises is going to be wasted.

3: Play standing up: This will increase the variables in your playing and allow your technique to adapt shaping you into a much more of a 'natural' player. This process starts off slow, it is more difficult to learn something standing up but I cannot recommend enough the need to practice standing up. The main reason for this is that while you are effectivley training your right hand to play at a certain angle, in a certain position, with a certain amount of weight displaced then as soon as you stand up this all changes enough to significantly lower the standard of your playing.

Hope this helps I have a few more tips but I think I've rambled on enough!

Stay Metal!

 

[Dead Winter]

BARKING PUMPKIN??? You wouldn't happen to have had webtv in the past, have you? Does music-rock ring a bell?

 

[Cythraul]

I can't pick for shit, I can only do like one thing that I can pick almost cleanly very fast. If I try to play MR.Crowley forget about it, I just cant seem to keep control of my pick hand.

Quit playing now before you realize 5 years down the road that all your efforts have been in vain.