Guitar Picking Speed

[javierfiji]

you are right, when I am improvising is complety different, I don't time to think in the best "fingering" or bet picking option. That kind of things are the ones harder to figure out how practice.

[nick1994]

yes you are right about the Bach partitas, I'm working my way through one at the moment and there are some large intervals that are pretty nasty to pick for me. They are also great examples of outlining changes.

[edh]

Where do you get these Back partitas?

[nick1994]

Where do you get these Back partitas?

I got mine from my teacher which he photocopied from a book, I'm not sure which one though. I have heard of the website petrucci music library that has a large collection of scores if you want to have a look.

[Reg]

So do you have picking and fingerings... that you don't need to practice? What do you do naturally without thinking.

[GuyBoden]

Warne Marsh used to advocate very slow practice because you were more likely to come up with spontaneous ideas.

I agree.

[coolvinny]

I think slow practice can be really great, but practicing fast is also important. Otherwise you will flail when it comes time to solo on a fast tune. You don't have to play a lot of notes at fast tempos, but pocket becomes really important. All part of a balanced practice diet.

[md54]

One of my great failings is the ability to pick fast. I have tried for years to be able to play fast passages and pick every note similar to John McLaughlin. I can play with speed when needed but it is because I have been able to develop a good left hand for slurring.


I am a pretty old dog, but believe I can learn some new tricks. Any suggestions?

Sorry, I have come across this thread late and I haven't read most of the posts but I would suggest that you do everything possible to not sound like John McLaughlin or any other of the speed kings. Why?

1, You will go nuts trying to emulate these Olympic athletes of the fret board.
2, These athletes have nothing to offer but speed which is actually boring as hell once you ask yourself the question is what they do actually musical and of some artistic significance. Or is it just showing off to other wannabe guitarists?
/

[Jazzmanouchelessons]

If you like my technique I can give you some advice for speed picking

[Vladan]

Nije lose, Pavlovicu ;-).

[Rob MacKillop]

Looked at from another perspective: can you listen fast? I'm not a speed player by any means. When it comes to Blues, give me B B King any day, though I do love to hear Pat Martino play his long, blistering lines. But for many years I didn't like to listen to him or to any shredder. I think one of the "problems" is that I perhaps listen in a different way from those who live and die in the fast lane. I want to hear each note against the chord, as opposed to what seems like a blur. Consequently I'm disinclined to spend hours practising speed.

I do feel people hear differently. What I hear as a blur, others hear a succession of single notes against a harmonic backdrop, or somewhat differently, an emotional rush which excites something in their aural cortex.

Miles or Bird?

[mr. beaumont]

miles or bird?

both.

[edh]

ditto to the above.

[christianm77]

Looked at from another perspective: can you listen fast? I'm not a speed player by any means. When it comes to Blues, give me B B King any day, though I do love to hear Pat Martino play his long, blistering lines. But for many years I didn't like to listen to him or to any shredder. I think one of the "problems" is that I perhaps listen in a different way from those who live and die in the fast lane. I want to hear each note against the chord, as opposed to what seems like a blur. Consequently I'm disinclined to spend hours practising speed.

I do feel people hear differently. What I hear as a blur, others hear a succession of single notes against a harmonic backdrop, or somewhat differently, an emotional rush which excites something in their aural cortex.

Miles or Bird?

I think the different way we each hear music is one of the things that makes it interesting.

I don't know about you, but I've found I've changed a lot in the way I listen. Now I listen much more to time and phrasing than I did 10 years ago. That's what's becoming interesting to me... Not saying it's better or worse to hear that way just different.

But yes, I've come back to players like Grant Green and Jim Hall that I never really liked that much before. Now they're my big heroes. Nothing wrong with a lick of speed. Almost everyone in London seems to play at 800mph, for example, because that's the way London feels. But it would be nice to be able to stay a bit serene at the centre of the urban madness. It's amazing that people like Miles were able to do that in NY. Others (Bird) embrace the speed and chaos, at least outwardly, in their music.

I daresay that from an internal, subjective point of view of the performer you still have to find that 'stillness' whether you play 600 notes or 3. I think it's a problematic 'hang up' to get to concerned with how your music manifests itself in the heat of the moment. (Which by the way is not a way of justifying not practicing haha.)

That said I'm starting to *get* Martino's playing. I think..... A lot of listeners (inc. me) struggle with him because of the 8th note thing, but there's so much shape to it.