Benson Picking on a... Selmer?!

**Jehu** · 06-10-2015, 12:47 AM

I haven't read that 50-page thread and know little about the technique, but is this perhaps the gypsy equivalent of Benson picking?

**Hep To The Jive** · 06-10-2015, 01:00 AM

Reading that thread I figured GB uses medium pick, pinky on pickguard anchoring, alternate picking on descending lines. Gypsy players use extra heavy pick, floating hand, picking with reststrokes both directions. This guy seem no different... But man, he sure played his ass off! Just killed it!

**Frank67** · 06-10-2015, 01:09 AM

Wow, impressive player!

Doesn't look like either Benson or Gypsy picking to me. His right hand technique is great though. He hits the strings at an unusual angle for gypsy picking and if these are rest strokes, they do not seem to be overly pronounced. But it works for him and he has great control in the right hand, nice tone, phrasing, dynamics, timing, all there

**pingu** · 06-10-2015, 04:13 AM

thats great !
anyone know how to do the semitone
below chord lick at 2:20

**MarkRhodes** · 06-10-2015, 09:53 AM

That was impressive. And most enjoyable. (The two don't always go together.)

**Jehu** · 06-10-2015, 04:11 PM

Yeah, he's really got this whole guitar thing well under control. He's one of the stars of the new generation of GJers; here's a good interview with him:

Interview with Sebastien Giniaux | Blog

Hep -- interestingly, like a lot of the new school gypsy players he actually doesn't use a giant pick, just a purple (1.5mm) dunlop tortex.

**Jehu** · 06-10-2015, 04:14 PM

Originally Posted by pingu

thats great !
anyone know how to do the semitone
below chord lick at 2:20

I think he's alternating this:

11 12
12 12
12 12
11 11
x x
x x

... but just wiggling his second finger back in forth to move between 11 and 12 on the high e. Crazy kids!

**Dioxic** · 06-11-2015, 01:50 PM

Wow, he's great! It's more "trailing edge" picking with a locked thumb. He also uses the round end of his pick. All of it is uncommon for gypsy jazz and the trailing edge aspect is uncommon for most guitar players. George Benson and Shawn Lane also had a similar pick grip with the locked thumb, but the mechanics of the Benson thing are still pretty different. The wrist rotates on a different plane for both.

That being said, thanks for showing me this video. I've been experimenting with different pick grips and doing the Benson thing for awhile, but I tried switching my grip to something that's more of a locked thumb, but in "normal" position and a floating hand similar to his and I think it's going to be here to stay.

**Jehu** · 06-11-2015, 10:44 PM

Hey, works for him!

Interesting that he mentions in the interview that he mostly learned by just playing along with records that he liked, and trying to pick out things that jumped out at him. So another vote for that approach.

**add4** · 06-12-2015, 07:44 AM

Originally Posted by Jehu

Hey, works for him!

Interesting that he mentions in the interview that he mostly learned by just playing along with records that he liked, and trying to pick out things that jumped out at him. So another vote for that approach.

Well he was talking about playing guitar. He actually has a full classical training as a cello player if i'm not mistaken.
So everything he did on guitar was "just" instrumental technique, voicings, etc ..
but he certainly had a pretty good idea of everything that's going on in any record he listened to.

anyway in addition to being a great guitar player, he is also a great person, very humble, likeable, lots of ideas, open to all forms of arts, ...
one of the most interesting voices in gypsy jazz today in my opinion

**christianm77** · 06-12-2015, 12:22 PM

Thank you posting this wonderful video. I need to listen to more of his playing.

He encapsulates the best of GJ to me - a sense of tradition and killer technique, but also open, creative and imaginative - just like Django!

**mr. beaumont** · 06-12-2015, 12:25 PM

He and Moignard represent the "best of the best" in the gypsy jazz world young guns...they have all the technique and flash AND the creativity and melodicism.

**christianm77** · 06-12-2015, 12:36 PM

More to the point - that is unusual - inclining the pick to encounter the string with the trailing edge. I use a fat pick which is bevelled so has a leading edge angle built in. With a flat pick I've also tried it angled the other way, but I might have to give this go.

It does appear that he has some tension or inflexibility in the wrist, but this appears to be part of the technique - he's 'locked it up' as far as I can tell. This is like Benson picking. When I play I follow the advice to be as loose as possible.

One issue I have when playing with a thin pick is I get much less volume on single note lines compared to effort - particularly when going through an amp. Maybe adopting his approach will help. Using a fat pick does come with some disadvantages...

**christianm77** · 06-12-2015, 03:40 PM

PS: I had the chance to check out a young Adrien Moingard up close when he came over to the UK around ten years ago and was making the rounds of the London jam sessions. he was already a great player. It's fantastic to see how he's developed as a player.

**teok** · 06-12-2015, 04:01 PM

Yeah, he's a fantastic musician. I dig the Hendrix-y R&B chord thing he throws in @ 1:20 of this clip and he makes it work. Very eclectic.

**3625** · 06-12-2015, 08:36 PM

Great player. Looks to me like he has a hypermobile thumb joint so the trailing edge angle is very natural for him. People with thumbs like that can get the pick to lock in place without feeling strained at all. If you don't have a hypermobile thumb then copying that position could cause an injury pretty quick.

**Dioxic** · 06-12-2015, 10:46 PM

Originally Posted by 3625

Great player. Looks to me like he has a hypermobile thumb joint so the trailing edge angle is very natural for him. People with thumbs like that can get the pick to lock in place without feeling strained at all. If you don't have a hypermobile thumb then copying that position could cause an injury pretty quick.

Yeah, you're correct. In order to do this you've gotta either be double jointed or have "hitch hikers thumb." Fortunately I've got the latter. For me locking my thumb, but closer to normal
position seems to "lock everything in place" and allow my hand to just kinda glide over things. I've gotta practice with it more to make it feel really natural, but I'm really digging it!

**Jehu** · 06-16-2015, 04:54 AM

Here's another one with a second camera on his right hand:

**Pocket Player** · 06-16-2015, 05:10 AM

This was just posted !!!2 days ago, and i think it's relevant to the Benson picking , and rotational picking. thought this episode was great !

**christianm77** · 06-16-2015, 05:41 AM

Just thought I'd mention after 4 years of strict gypsy picking, these videos have encouraged me to try the Benson technique for GJ (I too have a hypermobile thumb so it works right away for me.) It doesn't seem to hard to adapt, although upstrokes feel a bit weird at first.

I believe that this is the GB technique - some GB pickers put their hands below the strings, but GB himself doesn't do this (at least not always) although the potential exists.

I prefer the sound you can get this way, particularly on the onset of the note. It creates a really beautiful tone on both acoustic and electric instruments. There is also plenty of volume when compared with gypsy picking and a that 'nasality' in the sound that I think would help it to carry, on the Maccaferri. You can hear this in Sebastien's playing.

I beleive this is because of the pick angle with respect to the string - you can get this just fine using a conventional gypsy grip on the pick (many trad GJ pickers get the same nasality in their sound) but I find it a bit awkward. Most of those big gypsy picks have a bevel which creates the angle for you. Of course, I'm quite attracted to the idea of being able to use a cheap, easily obtainable thinner pick instead...