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Post subject: Your preferred method of plucking the strings?
Posted: Wed Nov 09, 2016 7:43 am
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What's your prefered method of plucking the strings...

Hybrid
Legato
Economy
Alternate
Or other
....and reasons why...I know different ones will give a different feel and work in different applications ....probably be best doing them all ..but reaching a high standard in all of them would be very hard .. then there is the problem of mixing them all up...I'm sure that there are people who do it this way though.

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Post subject: Re: Your preferred method of plucking the strings?
Posted: Wed Nov 09, 2016 9:34 am
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I am sometimes a finger-picker.
When I finger-pick I use fingers only.
I am not a hybrid picker and I don't use any individual finger picks.

I am normally a modified flat-picker.
Flat-picking is what I do 90% of the time.
I say modified because I don't hold my plectrum the same way most people do.
I tilt the pick to an angle approximately 30 degrees from parallel to the strings.
That's for both upstrokes and downstrokes.
When my (Tortex) pick strikes the strings it does so on the edge of the pick rather than the face.
My picks all develop bevelled edges with time as the strings slowly grind the edges.
Also the rounded point wears out and the radius increases with time due to wear.
I began holding the plectrum that way while playing acoustic in an effort to reduce the snapping sound of the pick as it releases the string.
I was pleasantly surprised to find that in addition to noise control I also had more control over how hard I was plucking the strings so I adopted it as my normal method.
I suspect most people would find my technique objectionable because with the pick on an angle it makes reaching in to select one individual string more difficult because the pick is effectively about 1/4" thick, depending on how far I reach in.
Picking this way has definitely cleaned up my right hand technique.
I sometimes choke up on the pick for a different attack.

As far as how I sweep my arm goes, I guess I'd have to say I don't really have a set style.
I just do what needs to be done and it varies a lot.
About the only thing I can say is truly consistent is where I sweep which is almost always between the middle and bridge pups on a Strat and about the same linear distance from the bridge on other guitars as well.
I deviate from that sometimes but only because I temporarily want a different sound.

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Post subject: Re: Your preferred method of plucking the strings?
Posted: Wed Nov 09, 2016 12:18 pm
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I am 90% a fingerpicker.
Most of the time, I use P (the thumb) on the three bass strings and IMA (the three next fingers) on the trebles, one per string. I.e. PPPIMA
When I don't have a pick, I use the index finger instead of a plectrum for fuller chord strokes, both upstroke and downstroke.

But that varies - as I also play a little flamenco guitar, I also do PPIMAC, as well as rasgueando, i.e. downward strumming with multiple fingers in succession, and golpe, i.e. tapping with the thumb on the pickguard. Yep, also on the electric guitar.


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Post subject: Re: Your preferred method of plucking the strings?
Posted: Sat Nov 12, 2016 6:19 am
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I'd say I use alternate picking or economy picking about 90% of the time. I will occasionally fingerpick, using the fleshy tips of my fingers (as opposed to nails) and my picking hand off of the body of the guitar (I briefly took classical guitar lessons and this was how my instructor showed me how to do it).

I suppose, ideally, one would want to have all of the picking techniques you mentioned available in his or her repertoire. But there are only so many hours in the day -- tough to practice them all enough to be fluent in them.


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Post subject: Re: Your preferred method of plucking the strings?
Posted: Sat Nov 12, 2016 9:05 am
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BMW-KTM wrote:
I say modified because I don't hold my plectrum the same way most people do.
I tilt the pick to an angle approximately 30 degrees from parallel to the strings.
That's for both upstrokes and downstrokes.

I believe Ola Englund does that too, as he started out as self-taught.
And Brian May who picks with a rather fat old sixpence coin.
And many pickers who use squealies a lot.
So you're in good company there!

BMW-KTM wrote:
As far as how I sweep my arm goes, I guess I'd have to say I don't really have a set style.
I just do what needs to be done and it varies a lot.

I don't think I ever sweep with the arm at all, unless I want to be theatrical. The wrist and fingers move a lot, but the arm only moves to change where the hand goes.

I think using the wrist almost exclusively is something I got from my early violin days, where my teacher would hold my arm still and force me to bow as much as possible with just the wrist and fingers, which we have better control over and can move and stop much faster.
Offloading most of the work to the more agile body parts works great for guitar too, or pretty much any instrument, I should think. Even drums, where good drummers seem to use their wrists and fingers far more.


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Post subject: Re: Your preferred method of plucking the strings?
Posted: Sat Nov 12, 2016 1:04 pm
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My wrist is involved as well but my arm does move.
The action of my wrist is slightly up and down but it is also a little bit of a rotational thing.
Kind of both at the same time plus a little arm swing.
I get more arm swing and less wrist action when I move towards the neck for some fast full strums, sort of like how Stevie and Doyle do.
I don't do that a lot though.

I prolly miscommunicated a little bit there.
When I said sweep I was more referring to where my plectrum contacts the strings.

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Post subject: Re: Your preferred method of plucking the strings?
Posted: Sat Nov 12, 2016 7:16 pm
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I'm sure this isn't proper by any means, but sometimes I pick with my index finger pinched with my thumb, striking with the fingernail part.

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Post subject: Re: Your preferred method of plucking the strings?
Posted: Sun Nov 13, 2016 3:44 pm
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I have used the Richard Pick method. I did try some times to use the Jack Cecchini method but found it difficult.

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