Pick Slanting: Do you? Which way(s)?

**MarkRhodes** · 08-06-2016, 10:10 AM

I learned the term "pick slanting" from Troy Grady in his "Cracking the Code" series. Many people here have become familiar with the term through Troy's work. (Many may have used the technique for years without having a term to describe it.)

This illustration may help. The image on the left indicates pick slanting. ("Downward" means the heel of the pick is aimed toward the floor; "Upward" means it is aimed toward the ceiling. The angle upward or downward need not be sharp. The image on the right indicates "edge picking," which we are not concerned with here.
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**MarkRhodes** · 08-06-2016, 10:35 AM

Of course, after voting, feel free to discuss your approach to (or curiosity about) pick slanting.

destinytot · 08-06-2016, 10:42 AM

Dwps.

**Frank67** · 08-06-2016, 11:15 AM

Gypsy style, downward slant and (slight) leading edge, rest strokes and mostly downs.

**lammie200** · 08-06-2016, 12:46 PM

I will have to check my desk drawer. Piles of picks in there that I don't use since I am a fingers only type.

**christianm77** · 08-06-2016, 01:08 PM

Dwps mostly

**Thumpalumpacus** · 08-06-2016, 01:08 PM

Downward slant, leading edge about 15° low. Allows for circle-picking when speed is useful, maintaining a more consistent tone.

**MarkRhodes** · 08-06-2016, 01:32 PM

Originally Posted by FrankLearns

Gypsy style, downward slant and (slight) leading edge, rest strokes and mostly downs.

When I asked Frank Vignola about his picking, he said it was "mostly down" too.

**Frank67** · 08-06-2016, 01:36 PM

yes, that is the essence of the gypsy style - they often also have repeated downs on the same string and (almost) always a down on string change either direction.
I love Frank Vignola. He is so musical and so relaxed when he plays. IMHO, his right hand looks mostly like gpysy picking to me and I know that he is good in this style too.

**MarkRhodes** · 08-06-2016, 01:44 PM

Originally Posted by FrankLearns

yes, that is the essence of the gypsy style - they often also have repeated downs on the same string and (almost) always a down on string change either direction.
I love Frank Vignola. He is so musical and so relaxed when he plays. IMHO, his right hand looks mostly like gpysy picking to me and I know that he is good in this style too.

Frank won't even give advice about picking because, he says, he's seen so many pros do it so many different ways. He certainly has his picking together. (And every other aspect of guitar playing.)

**Frank67** · 08-06-2016, 01:52 PM

True, many amazingly succesful strategies coexist and one just has to find out what works for oneself.

**MarkRhodes** · 08-06-2016, 09:43 PM

Originally Posted by FrankLearns

True, many amazingly succesful strategies coexist and one just has to find out what works for oneself.

What I like about Troy Grady's approach is that he focuses on what the pick needs to accomplish. It's one thing to say "everyone has to find his own way," but it is easier to do that when you realize what the goal is: to manage switching strings without getting caught up in them!

**Shadow of the Sun** · 08-07-2016, 12:29 AM

This is just something I've been messing with, but if you want to be able to utilize two way pickslanting for whatever reason, try playing a repeated note on a single string and moving from downward to upward or vice versa.

**Thumpalumpacus** · 08-07-2016, 02:55 AM

Originally Posted by MarkRhodes

What I like about Troy Grady's approach is that he focuses on what the pick needs to accomplish. It's one thing to say "everyone has to find his own way," but it is easier to do that when you realize what the goal is: to manage switching strings without getting caught up in them!

Coming from a heavy-rock background this was it for me -- I wanted to be able to shift strings without losing any time at all. Hearing Eric Johnson and getting to understand circular-picking helped me in that regard. Angling the pick so that downstrokes are softened and upstrokes are strengthened (to balance out tone) was a biggie, too.

Not sure that's helpful in a jazz context -- speed is not the essence here, for me -- but I hope it works, because I like having a turn of speed when I need it.

**Frank67** · 08-07-2016, 04:47 AM

Originally Posted by MarkRhodes

What I like about Troy Grady's approach is that he focuses on what the pick needs to accomplish. It's one thing to say "everyone has to find his own way," but it is easier to do that when you realize what the goal is: to manage switching strings without getting caught up in them!

I agree. Troy Grady provides (amidst and sometimes almost obscured by all kinds of show elements) a detailed, rational analysis that is really helpful for developing an awareness of the issues involved and that is really helpful for developping ones own picking strategy.

**whiskey02** · 08-07-2016, 07:55 AM

Interesting, I've noticed at times a bit of dwps and always thought of it as a flaw in my technique. From an analytical sense, you'd (I) would think being "centered" on/above the string you're playing would be the logical thing to do. As for the edge, as long as it's not dead flat and you're happy with the tone you get, it's all good.

**MarkRhodes** · 08-07-2016, 09:40 AM

Originally Posted by whiskey02

Interesting, I've noticed at times a bit of dwps and always thought of it as a flaw in my technique. From an analytical sense, you'd (I) would think being "centered" on/above the string you're playing would be the logical thing to do. As for the edge, as long as it's not dead flat and you're happy with the tone you get, it's all good.

I used to think that way too. It makes sense. It just doesn't work!

For example, when I got serious about picking and started looking at articles about it, one of the things I read was that you don't want to have much of the pick tip showing and also, you want small motions. Neither of those is quite wrong but you can focus on picking with little of the tip showing and not be addressing the real technical concern (-being able to change strings without a problem.)

I noticed a long time ago that the way I picked, my upstrokes moved away from the string in a way my downstrokes did not. When Troy showed this--- that when using DWPS the downstroke 'digs into' the string below it, while an upstroke clears the string above it---- I realized, "That's what I used to do but I stopped because I thought in order to play fast I had to have my pick stroke the same in both directions!")

**christianm77** · 08-07-2016, 04:22 PM

Originally Posted by Thumpalumpacus

Downward slant, leading edge about 15° low. Allows for circle-picking when speed is useful, maintaining a more consistent tone.

Haven't tried circle picking.

**Thumpalumpacus** · 08-08-2016, 02:27 AM

I found it very useful in rock, with its more scalar approach.

**MarkRhodes** · 08-09-2016, 08:57 AM

Does anyone have a good picture (or illustration) of upward pick slanting?

**MarkRhodes** · 08-09-2016, 02:17 PM

15 of 19 votes (so far) indicate the voter uses pick slanting. That's nearly 70 percent.

The most popular way is downward and the least popular way is (only) upward. Many combine both approaches.I use downward.

**mikostep** · 08-10-2016, 02:41 PM

Uwps - look for Michael Angelo Batio.

**MarkRhodes** · 08-10-2016, 05:39 PM

Originally Posted by mikostep

Uwps - look for Michael Angelo Batio.

Wouldn't you know, Troy Grady has a feature on Michael....

**mikostep** · 08-10-2016, 06:04 PM

Yes, I saw that.
I'm actually using combination of Benson grip with two way pick micro slanting and also slanting of pick towards bridge and I pick with the edge of pick.
Wow, this really sounds ridiculous!