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It's hard to make out. When I pause the video, I never get a clear shot.
Originally Posted by Philco
Whatever he's doing certainly works, though.
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10-01-2014 09:34 AM
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Agreed... Originally Posted by fumblefingers
I use it am am trying to get away from it after decades...not easy. I do some bluegrass flat picking and three fingers is NOT the best for tone. When I use a two finger traditional grip my tone is much fatter but it's still feels awkward.
The more fingers the more potential loss of energy transfer.
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That's a cool tune... I read the head with an alto a few weeks back at some gig. Was fun. Great players.
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Didn't realize you did this, Reg. I'll have to go re-watch some of your videos. Originally Posted by Reg
I've been playing with it, a bit, as the Benson picking position that JC Stylles teaches seems to lend itself to doing this pretty easily.
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Originally Posted by Philco
looks like two fingers to me. pinky anchor.
sweep picking a chord a 3:48
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Ok got it from an earlier clip. Around 2009. Definitely 3 fingers. Holding in the second finger and resting the index on the top. He has changed his Pick Tech since then.
So we are not alone when we choose to deconstruct and rebuild!
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Great shot! Thanks. I've found myself doing that, where the index is against the side of the pick. Not really pressing, just there. Originally Posted by Philco
Ok got it from an earlier clip. Around 2009. Definitely 3 fingers. Holding in the second finger and resting the index on the top. He has changed his Pick Tech since then.
So we are not alone when we choose to deconstruct and rebuild!
One of my perennial problems is hitting the strings (sometimes) with my fingers as well as the pick. The 3 finger grip seems to cure me of that. (It may cause another problem later, but I do like that aspect of it.)
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That's my take too, Evan. It's not a big change, but for me, it is cleaner. I don't get the over-steep angle I tended to get before. (That angle was great for playing certain things blazingly fast but it wasn't much good for anything else!) Originally Posted by ecj
I've noticed with this that my comping (-esp Freddie Green style) is a little clearer. Also, it's easier to mute. I couldn't play (well) SRV's "Pride and Joy" with the JC Stylles grip (-perhaps he could but I couldn't) but it sounds fine with the 3-fingered grip.
I wonder if this thread will eventually run 30 + pages.... ;o)
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I wonder if this thread will eventually run 30 + pages....
Just wondering that myself.
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I realized that I've been unconsciously doing this for strumming for the greater stability. Originally Posted by MarkRhodes
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Some time ago I posted a picture of George Barnes holding his pick with a three finger grip that I scanned from The George Barnes Guitar Method.
I've searched the forum for the post but I haven't been able to find it and I deleted the photo from my hard-drive after posting it here.
Barnes held the pick between his first and middle finger with his index finger along the pick's edge. He said that by increasing and decreasing pressure on the pick he could control his volume without having to touch the controls on his guitar.
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This guy did it, too:
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I didn't use to do this much but now that I've chanced upon it, I want to keep this grip in my bag o' tricks. It is a much more stable grip. Originally Posted by ecj
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Thanks, Monk. I thought it was George Barnes. I remembered you mentioning that somewhere, but just now, I'm not sure where.... Originally Posted by monk
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I did not realize I did this until I saw this thread and started looking at my picking hand again. Depending on the attack I want I subconsciously add or remove pressure with my 2nd finger. I usually have two fingers on the pick for single note lines and one for strumming patterns (or mostly one, I think I just use less pressure with my second finger).
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Well, I saw this thread and so I thought I'd give it a try. I've always used a finger and thumb grip on a pick; of late I've been trying to get faster and wondering why I'd hit a wall.
So I tried this 3-digit grip.
OMG (as the young people say).
Faster, yes. I felt like I was gripping the pick easier, and could even feel where there was a reduction in tension. Also, because of the angle at which I tend to hold the guitar nowadays, my finger & thumb grip had me striking the strings at an awkward angle, resulting in a thin tone and less facility in jumping between strings. Using the 3-digit grip puts the plec parallel to the string for me and it sounds better and plays easier.
Making a change like this is not going to be easy at my age (56, aaagh!) but the results so far have made me want to give it a go.
Just another reason why I love this forum - thanks guys!!
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Interesting discussion. I use three fingers for ballads only because as some have mentioned it slows you down. But I like the tone I get with three fingers. Another downer though is, that it's bad for hybrid picking one less finger to use.
So, I only use it occasionally - just my two cents.
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I just noticed that I seem to alternate from using two fingers for the bottom three strings and one finger for the top. It's almost as if I have to be more gentle when I get to the higher registers.
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I used the thumb & 2 fingers grip 40 years ago when I was a rocker using large triangle pics. If felt comfortable and worked well at that time. Shortly after that the Jazz players were using the tiny fender jazz picks and I switched to those. My thought was it's less plastic to move across the strings and hence faster. Eventually I switched to a slightly larger pic, the dunlop jazz III.
Another grip to consider is using the thumb and first finger as usual, but press the edge of the pic on the side of the 2nd finger. This stablizes the pic a little yet the 2nd finger is still available to fingerpick (for us hyprid pickers). If I'm playing a song that's mostly playing rhythm, I'll switch to a medium fender pick.
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I've done that. It does stabilize the pick. Originally Posted by bobby d
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Just watching an old Jim Hall DVD and for single notes he's regular thumb and index finger, but said for big rhythm strumming he'll use thumb and middle finger. Originally Posted by bobby d
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On Saturday, I went to the Workshop band that I often attend - hadn't been there for the best part of 2 months as I've been attending University Open Days to find the right Uni for my daughter for next year. They've been every Saturday during September, so I've not been around to play.
When I arrived, I was running late and after I'd set up, I was thrown into doing a solo on "Nice Work..." almost before I'd had time to catch my breath. However, I was determined to persevere with the 3-finger grip thang and I managed OK, maybe even a bit better than that. The guy who was running the session, one of our pro players, came over to have a word at the break and complimented me really rather extravagantly on the improvement in my sound. Since he's a guy whose playing and knowledge I respect, his opinion matters to me.
Then last night I had my first lesson with my teacher in a while (please see above excuse!). Straight away he spotted the difference in the sound. His description was that I sound more committed to the note. Yes, bigger better sound, yes playing more fluently, but above all, more than tone, he said "people you play with will notice a change in the conviction in your playing".
Wow. I can live with all of the above. This is the way forward for me.
Other points:
*this feels better for sweeping chords and also for clean octave playing than the old grip.
*have gone to a larger pick - currently Golden Gate big rounded triangle mandolin picks, https://www.long-mcquade.com/23256/G..._Pick_each.htm, nice soft sound; though I would like to try the Pro Plec equivalent now.
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