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  1. #1
    Hi Everyone & greetings from South Africa

    I think I am overthinking my picking technique.
    Firstly, I am not trying to play "face-melter" type solos.
    I just want to increase my speed and remain fluent and clear.
    I've only ever used alternate picking and I have recently started incorporating economy picking.

    Currently, I use 3 fingers when holding the pick - thumb, index & middle.
    I've seen so many "change your life"/ "3000% percent faster in 10 mins" type videos and all recommend 2 fingers only - thumb & index.
    I've also read somewhere that using 3 fingers is the worst thing you can ever do and you might as well never pick up a guitar again - paraphrased of course

    I have tried using 2 fingers but I feel like it's just not stable enough for me unless I grip it excessively which then goes against the idea of keeping the picking hand completely relaxed.
    The point of the pick also starts moving towards the inside of my palm as I play.

    Should I move to 2 fingers or keep at it what feels comfortable for me? I feel like I am answering myself here but I guess I'm just looking for some advice...

    I have attached a picture of how I currently hold it.

    Where should the movement be coming from when picking, especially when working on developing speed?
    Is it the wrist, the fingers or the elbow?

    Any advice?


    Thanks
    Attached Images Attached Images Overthinking picking technique-pick-png 

  2.  

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  3. #2

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    Picking technic is what you feel the best for your play.

    Here is a close look to Bruce Forman picking, interesting I think :



  4. #3

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    Quote Originally Posted by SicilianNajdorf
    Hi Everyone & greetings from South Africa

    I think I am overthinking my picking technique.
    Firstly, I am not trying to play "face-melter" type solos.
    I just want to increase my speed and remain fluent and clear.
    I've only ever used alternate picking and I have recently started incorporating economy picking.

    Currently, I use 3 fingers when holding the pick - thumb, index & middle.
    I've seen so many "change your life"/ "3000% percent faster in 10 mins" type videos and all recommend 2 fingers only - thumb & index.
    I've also read somewhere that using 3 fingers is the worst thing you can ever do and you might as well never pick up a guitar again - paraphrased of course

    I have tried using 2 fingers but I feel like it's just not stable enough for me unless I grip it excessively which then goes against the idea of keeping the picking hand completely relaxed.
    The point of the pick also starts moving towards the inside of my palm as I play.

    Should I move to 2 fingers or keep at it what feels comfortable for me? I feel like I am answering myself here but I guess I'm just looking for some advice...

    I have attached a picture of how I currently hold it.

    Where should the movement be coming from when picking, especially when working on developing speed?
    Is it the wrist, the fingers or the elbow?

    Any advice?


    Thanks
    My advice is check out some of Troy Grady's videos on youtube. He's not a jazz guy but as far as I am aware his work on the mechanics of using a plectrum is one of the most thorough & advanced, and he has interviewed and analysed some jazz players.

  5. #4
    Thanks all

    I get that there isn't one right way to get this right, if this was the case, everyone would be shredding away.
    I'm worried that I might be doing the "one wrong thing you should never do".
    I'm extremely neurotic at times, I'll be doing what I feel is most comfortable for me, read a forum that says the complete opposite of what I'm doing then go and try that.

    The 2 finger grip, I just can't seem to get it to feel comfortable.
    On the other hand, I'm worried that the 3 finger grip might be slowing me down.

  6. #5

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    Quote Originally Posted by SicilianNajdorf
    Thanks all

    I get that there isn't one right way to get this right, if this was the case, everyone would be shredding away.
    I'm worried that I might be doing the "one wrong thing you should never do".
    I'm extremely neurotic at times, I'll be doing what I feel is most comfortable for me, read a forum that says the complete opposite of what I'm doing then go and try that.

    The 2 finger grip, I just can't seem to get it to feel comfortable.
    On the other hand, I'm worried that the 3 finger grip might be slowing me down.
    Pat Metheny grips the pick with three fingers.

  7. #6

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    Listen. Feel. Practice. Listen to what you hear in your head and find a way for your fingers to play it.
    I know a lot of really good players and none of them, when pressed, would ever tell someone to play the way THEY discovered worked for them.
    Does trial and error take more time? Yes.
    The kind of music you play, the kind of hands you have, the natural tendencies of your own muscles are things you work with, not ignore in favour of somebody else's course.

    There's a lot of good advice out there. Don't turn your back on it but know that jazz is a personal thing and your sound is personal. How you get there is a journey of discovery.
    I know a player who has the smoothest sound. He told me he devotes a lot of time to playing into an amp with no effects and into headphones. He had to evolve his picking technique into something that would meet those standards. The way he plays is enviable but I could never play with the technique he developed. He shares his technique if you ask but he never recommends it as a way to play.

    Practice and play a lot, as much as you can. You will evolve into the most efficient for you.
    My opinion.

  8. #7
    Quote Originally Posted by Jimmy blue note
    Listen. Feel. Practice. Listen to what you hear in your head and find a way for your fingers to play it.
    I know a lot of really good players and none of them, when pressed, would ever tell someone to play the way THEY discovered worked for them.
    Does trial and error take more time? Yes.
    The kind of music you play, the kind of hands you have, the natural tendencies of your own muscles are things you work with, not ignore in favour of somebody else's course.

    There's a lot of good advice out there. Don't turn your back on it but know that jazz is a personal thing and your sound is personal. How you get there is a journey of discovery.
    I know a player who has the smoothest sound. He told me he devotes a lot of time to playing into an amp with no effects and into headphones. He had to evolve his picking technique into something that would meet those standards. The way he plays is enviable but I could never play with the technique he developed. He shares his technique if you ask but he never recommends it as a way to play.

    Practice and play a lot, as much as you can. You will evolve into the most efficient for you.
    My opinion.

    Thanks
    This instills a lot of what I thought already. Do what works for ME

    There are so many articles/posts/videos etc etc professing that for example, the 2 finger method is the only method that works.
    Like I said, I'm extremely neurotic and I overthink everything.

  9. #8

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    Right hand picking technique is a can of worms as a subject. There’s so many variations and variables. If it bothers you so much that most players hold a pick with 2 fingers, then make the switch and commit to it. What feels comfortable to you is only what you’ve spent the most time developing.
    I completely reworked my right hand technique when I was in my 30’s at the suggestion of an amazing guitar teacher I had started working with. It was uncomfortable and weird for a long time but watching him play gave me the perseverance to push through. Now 30 years later, it’s deeply ingrained in my playing. My point being, decide what you want to go for and commit to it. But know that whatever technique you decide there will always be some guy playing the guitar a different way that makes you doubt your own decision. That’s just human nature.
    My right hand technique is based on George Benson’s right hand. Lately I’ve been watching Pasquale Grasso and thinking “damn why didn’t I develop that right hand technique?” Then I just laugh at myself.

  10. #9

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    Quote Originally Posted by setemupjoe
    My right hand technique is based on George Benson’s right hand. Lately I’ve been watching Pasquale Grasso and thinking “damn why didn’t I develop that right hand technique?” Then I just laugh at myself.
    I look at the incredible power and fluidity of Django's left hand and I think "How did he come up with that?" then I say "Um, thanks but no thanks"

  11. #10

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    We are who we are, to a great extent.

    Pat Metheny, Wes Montgomery, George Benson, Pat Martino, Charlie Christian, Tal Farlow, etc., all developed idiosyncratic picking technique and all are among the greats of the instrument. Their picking techniques shape how they play; how they want to play informs their picking technique.

    What works for us is what works for us.

    Is your picking technique actually holding you back from playing what your hear? Or just creating an imaginary barrier? In my case I have learned that sometimes I have to play fingerstyle, sometimes with a pick, depending on what I am trying to play. I do best with a small teardrop shape (358) which lets me feel the edge of the pick (and thus the orientation of it) and a very light grip. A Jazz III is about as big a pick as I am comfortable with... and I'm 6'3" with hands that are proportional.

    There is some tendency to think there is an absolutely correct way to pick, to hold the guitar, to finger scales, etc., but there really isn't. If your technique works to get your music out, it's good enough.

  12. #11

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    The way I hold my pick confuses other guitarists, so I'll refrain from suggesting it. However you hold it, hanging on to it and maintaining its position is fundamental. You can teach your right hand to do that automatically so that you never have to give it thought. The important word is "maintaining" which means establishing your grip on the pick, maintaining pick orientation, and recovering slips instantly and automatically.

    Hold your guitar unplugged while watching movies or shows. Every minute or so play a few notes, then force a complete recovery by flipping the pick over, re-establish your grip, and play a few more notes. Don't look at your fingers when you do this, let them feel how to do it. At first it may take a few seconds but eventually the time span of "last note - flip - recovery - next note" will approach a half second... fast enough to do it between phrases at tempo. You will know your hand is learning independence when all you have to do is think "flip" and its done.

    What this is doing is teaching your hand how to establish and maintain pick grip automatically. You will know this is happening playing in practice or performance when your fingers are able to monitor, detect, and adjust continuously and instantly on their own without you having to feel when there is a slip, without you needing to direct your hand to fix it, without you even knowing that it happens.

  13. #12

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    There are many ways to use a pick, but whatever you choose, make sure everything is relaxed and loose. The key is finding a way to use as little energy as possible (although not everyone plays this way), and develop an economic, effortless approach. Try experimenting with different techniques, grips and movements for a while, to see what your hands like, what feels more natural. Maybe work with a really good teacher just for that.

    Trying to develop speed too soon can be dangerous for the hands if you overdo it, so be reasonable about it.

  14. #13

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    Quote Originally Posted by Jimmy blue note
    I look at the incredible power and fluidity of Django's left hand and I think "How did he come up with that?" then I say "Um, thanks but no thanks"
    It's funny cos Django's technique is one of the better understood ones. There's tons of instruction material on how to do it, a whole folk tradition of people growing up playing Djano not for note in Manouche communities, and we even have some film footage of him doing it that's been pored over by Django-heads for years.

    The left hand technique is fun to emulate - there's lots of single finger runs and clever arpeggio fingerings. Most serious gypsy jazz players spend time looking into the two finger thing. You can get an idea of his physical limitations by taping the third and fourth finger together.

    The pick technique is similar to Cuban Tres, Arabian Oud, Indian Sarod and some other traditions of picked string instruments around the world (I think Tony Rice used a variant of this as well). I would advocate this approach - which I tend to call 'rest stroke picking' - for acoustic guitar pick playing. It sounds really full and loud and works great for many styles of music.

    The story I heard is that Django adapted his guitar picking from classical banjo technique (he started on banjo) but I haven't been able to confirm from any other sources. Anyone?

  15. #14

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    Quote Originally Posted by Alter
    There are many ways to use a pick, but whatever you choose, make sure everything is relaxed and loose. The key is finding a way to use as little energy as possible (although not everyone plays this way), and develop an economic, effortless approach. Try experimenting with different techniques, grips and movements for a while, to see what your hands like, what feels more natural. Maybe work with a really good teacher just for that.

    Trying to develop speed too soon can be dangerous for the hands if you overdo it, so be reasonable about it.
    One thing I've run into lately is that I personally hold the pick rather loosely. In rest stroke picking the energy of the stroke comes from the wrist and elbow but the pick is held rather lightly. When I started playing this way I kept dropping it, until I learned exactly how much pressure I needed on the pick to keep it stable.

    I've always held the pick lightly, even when I pick with different approaches.

    However, now I've started work on hybrid picking I've hit an interesting snag, which is that when I use my fingers I have to hold the pick more firmly. To adopt a Pasquale style Chuck Wayne finger movement approach to picking, which is how it feels natural to pick when hybrid picking a Bach piece or whatever, I actually have to hold it a lot firmer than when I'm doing the big acoustic guitar sound thing with rest stroke picking. It's pretty counterintuitive.

    I understand for true benson picking a bit more pressure is also needed; in that grip I've always tended to stabilise the pick with an extra finger. TBF Metheny and Kurt both do a similar thing. I used to pick a lot like Kurt in my pre-Gypsy Jazz days.

  16. #15

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    Quote Originally Posted by Jimmy blue note
    Listen. Feel. Practice. Listen to what you hear in your head and find a way for your fingers to play it.
    I know a lot of really good players and none of them, when pressed, would ever tell someone to play the way THEY discovered worked for them.
    Does trial and error take more time? Yes.
    The kind of music you play, the kind of hands you have, the natural tendencies of your own muscles are things you work with, not ignore in favour of somebody else's course.

    There's a lot of good advice out there. Don't turn your back on it but know that jazz is a personal thing and your sound is personal. How you get there is a journey of discovery.
    I know a player who has the smoothest sound. He told me he devotes a lot of time to playing into an amp with no effects and into headphones.
    +1 on this as a practice activity which I sometimes do myself. I often ask students to get rid of all their effects, reverb and so on, and play with the most unforgiving sound so that they can hear all the imperfections in unforgiving detail. Headphones without ambience is particularly brutal. Then when you are in a room with an actual acoustic and a good amp and so on, you'll sound really good. That's the idea anyway :-)

    As the saying goes, if you sound good when you are practicing, you are not really practicing.

    He had to evolve his picking technique into something that would meet those standards. The way he plays is enviable but I could never play with the technique he developed. He shares his technique if you ask but he never recommends it as a way to play.

    Practice and play a lot, as much as you can. You will evolve into the most efficient for you.
    My opinion.
    My tendency as a teacher is 'if it ain't broke don't fix it'. I love the way Jim Hall used to teach - 'oh I notice you do this when you pick, I do this when I pick' - no judgement or prescription but a real attention to detail and awareness. Very cool.

    However I'm not sure if I agree with you. There are so many guitarists who seem deeply hung up on their picking technique (including some quite famous ones) that I can't help but feel this is a bit of a cop out if I was to say this to someone as their teacher. The physical side of playing is important, and I think jazzers tend to be a bit 'oh we are above such considerations and are just in to the music' or whatever. There are approaches to technique - not just classical style technique - that will work for everyone and keep them healthy and can serve as a base for them to adapt to their own personal needs.

    While there are quite a few 'right' ways to play, there are also many 'wrong' ways to play that don't support the player; in serious cases these could be damaging to long term playing health. Being able to when someones technique is in fact 'broke' is important. And for them as well as beginners, I think it's really important to have something systematic to teach that you know will support them in the long term.

    Much of the advice given in books etc seems rather vague IMO. For example - they'll talk about which pick strokes to use for example rather than how to physically make those pick strokes (caveat - I don't really know what the Berklee approach is on guitar technique, I'm speaking more from a UK perspective on jazz edu). I also feel there's a needless and unhelpful mystique around good technique that is getting in the way of the music.

    While I really enjoy the diversity of the way my favourite players play, the 'do your own thing' line on technique would be pretty hard to imagine for any other instrument.

    OTOH, Adam Rogers, Sheryl Bailey, Cecil Alexander, Dan Wilson and Miles Okazaki all use the same right hand technique, and they couldn't be more individual, and they all have fantastic fluency and so on; so one school of technique does not necessarily lead to uniform playing.

    That said, there is also diversity in other instruments, in the way great jazz pianists played for instance. The flat fingered style of Monk, or the way Barry Harris played just firmly enough to work the mechanism and didn't pass the thumb in contrast to the traditional school of arm weight pianism and so on. But I see these as choices these players made based on their basic awareness of piano technique. (yes including Monk)
    Last edited by Christian Miller; 09-05-2022 at 06:14 AM.

  17. #16

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    Quote Originally Posted by SicilianNajdorf
    Hi Everyone & greetings from South Africa

    I think I am overthinking my picking technique.
    Firstly, I am not trying to play "face-melter" type solos.
    I just want to increase my speed and remain fluent and clear.
    I've only ever used alternate picking and I have recently started incorporating economy picking.

    Currently, I use 3 fingers when holding the pick - thumb, index & middle.
    I've seen so many "change your life"/ "3000% percent faster in 10 mins" type videos and all recommend 2 fingers only - thumb & index.
    I've also read somewhere that using 3 fingers is the worst thing you can ever do and you might as well never pick up a guitar again - paraphrased of course

    I have tried using 2 fingers but I feel like it's just not stable enough for me unless I grip it excessively which then goes against the idea of keeping the picking hand completely relaxed.
    The point of the pick also starts moving towards the inside of my palm as I play.

    Should I move to 2 fingers or keep at it what feels comfortable for me? I feel like I am answering myself here but I guess I'm just looking for some advice...

    I have attached a picture of how I currently hold it.

    Where should the movement be coming from when picking, especially when working on developing speed?
    Is it the wrist, the fingers or the elbow?

    Any advice?


    Thanks
    sorry, finally address the OP after posting three quite long replies to other posts lol.

    TBH the answer, frustratingly is 'it depends' - I'd love to see a video of your picking in action, maybe on something demanding like a Parker head - doesn't need to be fast.

    My general thoughts are the quality of picking motion is much more important than pick grip.

  18. #17

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    I cannot remember exactly where I read or heard it (I think either Dennis Sandole’s “Guitar Lore” or a longer Johnny Smith video interview by one of his students) but it made a lot of sense to me (this is for putting the pick on top of the bend index finger and then then thumb on top of that):

    Try to keep the thumb as relaxed as possible so the muscle in your palm at the bottom of your thumb stays as relaxed as possible. You can experiment with moving your thumb holding the pick without bending too much in either direction and checking the tension of that muscle with the fingers of the other hand.

  19. #18
    Quote Originally Posted by Christian Miller
    sorry, finally address the OP after posting three quite long replies to other posts lol.

    TBH the answer, frustratingly is 'it depends' - I'd love to see a video of your picking in action, maybe on something demanding like a Parker head - doesn't need to be fast.

    My general thoughts are the quality of picking motion is much more important than pick grip.
    Thanks
    Trust me, you would not want to see the horror show that is my "picking technique".
    Will be 10 times worst knowing that it's being recorded.

  20. #19
    I have spent an exorbitant amount of time now going back & forth. Time I could have spent practicing in a way that feels comfortable, as non-conforming as it is.

    The 2 or 3 finger debacle wasn't the end of my crisis, I've also gotten myself into a back & forth with picks themselves, swapping between the Dunlop Jazz III and the Stubby 3mm. My silly, ignorant mind probably deduced that I'm gonna find the magic combination that solves all my problems.

    I've decided that I'm gonna stick with one thing that feels comfortable for me and practice the crap out of that.

    Not everyone is the same and I'm sure that what works for one might not necessarily work for the next.


    Not sure if this makes any difference but I have been practicing on a classical guitar, it's all I have for now
    Last edited by SicilianNajdorf; 09-05-2022 at 02:23 PM.

  21. #20

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    There is an aspect here related to the individual player's nervous system.

    There is a body of research on pencil grip -- how you hold a pencil to write.

    Most people use something which has been called the "dynamic tripod". But, this is not natural for other people and they use a different grip.

    At one point, maybe still, elementary school teachers would try to get kids to use the dynamic tripod. But, some don't ever get comfortable with it. And, it turns out, some people with beautiful handwriting use other pencil grips.

    One theory relates to the ennervation of the hand -- that it's different in some people and they need more, or different, fingers to stabilize the pencil.

    Seems to me that the same reasoning would apply to picking. In fact, more so, since you can write at whatever tempo you choose.

    So, the point is, one size probably doesn't fit all and your challenge is to make what fits you also fit the music you're trying to play.

    Bear in mind that some of the icons of jazz guitar did not pick the way that most players pick. Charlie Christian used all down strokes. Wes played with this thumb and the rest of his right hand splayed out (which I believe makes a big difference in tone). Pat Metheny uses a light pick, holds it bent and doesn't pick a lot of the notes he plays.

    Some players are revered for great playing which requires massive chops -- with amazing right hand technique. But other favorites, like Jim Hall, were not speed demons at all.

    All that said, I wish I could play burning eighth note lines at high tempi, but I'll never be able to do that and I'm not quitting.

  22. #21

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    Quote Originally Posted by rpjazzguitar
    There is an aspect here related to the individual player's nervous system.
    Another aspect of that may be right/left handedness,
    especially lefty guitarists who play with righty guitars.
    Like me and these guys...

    Duane Allman
    Billy Corgan
    Robert Fripp
    Mark Knopfler
    Shawn Lane
    Gary Moore
    Steve Morse
    Johnny Winter

    When playing I send what I wish to hear to my left hand;
    the right hand gets everything it needs to know from the
    solution selected by the left hand (which string, what the
    next thing coming is, time) So I only talk to my left hand,
    not my right hand, just supports my left hand's solutions.

  23. #22

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    Quote Originally Posted by SicilianNajdorf
    Thanks
    Trust me, you would not want to see the horror show that is my "picking technique".
    Will be 10 times worst knowing that it's being recorded.
    Well maybe if its that bad it's better to rebuild it all from scratch?

    I reckon one can get a good command of a new picking technique with around sixth months of mindful practice. I have done it myself.

  24. #23

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    Quote Originally Posted by rpjazzguitar
    There is an aspect here related to the individual player's nervous system.

    There is a body of research on pencil grip -- how you hold a pencil to write.

    Most people use something which has been called the "dynamic tripod". But, this is not natural for other people and they use a different grip.

    At one point, maybe still, elementary school teachers would try to get kids to use the dynamic tripod. But, some don't ever get comfortable with it. And, it turns out, some people with beautiful handwriting use other pencil grips.

    One theory relates to the ennervation of the hand -- that it's different in some people and they need more, or different, fingers to stabilize the pencil.

    Seems to me that the same reasoning would apply to picking. In fact, more so, since you can write at whatever tempo you choose.

    So, the point is, one size probably doesn't fit all and your challenge is to make what fits you also fit the music you're trying to play.

    Bear in mind that some of the icons of jazz guitar did not pick the way that most players pick. Charlie Christian used all down strokes. Wes played with this thumb and the rest of his right hand splayed out (which I believe makes a big difference in tone). Pat Metheny uses a light pick, holds it bent and doesn't pick a lot of the notes he plays.

    Some players are revered for great playing which requires massive chops -- with amazing right hand technique. But other favorites, like Jim Hall, were not speed demons at all.

    All that said, I wish I could play burning eighth note lines at high tempi, but I'll never be able to do that and I'm not quitting.
    Wow, great post.

    Yeah, I always wrote in a funny way at school. Eventually I learned a more conventional pen grip, but it wasn't natural.

    The thing is, I like to stabilise both the pen and the pick with two fingers; people used to comment on how weird I held the pick but were impressed by my right hand speed - to give you an idea at that point my right hand looked like Kurt Rosenwinkel's, but it wasn't something I'd ever copied from anyone. I now use a more conventional pick grip, but I still often turn the pick around so I stabilise with two fingers (fine, but less convenient for RH muting and hybrid picking unfortunately). I wonder if this isn't the reason.

    Riffing on your post, and connecting to the OP ...

    I would say Django, Joe Pass and Wes's techniques were similar in the way that they made pick strokes (or thumb stroke), which is to say, into the guitar rather than across it. You can see this quite clearly from extant footage of Wes shot over the shoulder (what a thing to have! Thanks to that camera operator, must have been a guitar nerd haha.) I would be surprised that Charlie Christian's technique would be similar but of course that's an extrapolation on the info we have. This is the basis of rest stroke picking, as the pick (or thumb) come into contact with the next string on the downstroke while modern alternate picking would make a free or escape stroke and avoid the next string down.

    George Van Eps advocates a similar technique in his first guitar method (later we would become a finger style player) calling the next string a 'pick stop.'

    OTOH Benson does a very similar thing with a radically different pick hold.

    If alternate picking is even between up and down strokes, rest stroke picking favours downstrokes(and downward sweep/rakes) by something like 75%. While Wes did use thumb upstrokes (again you can see it on the vid) he didn't do it that frequently compared to downstrokes.

    This does tend to advantage a certain type of line - one that ascends arpeggios rapidly and descends generally in diatonic scales or pentatonics with few rapid descending arpeggios. If you look at the aformentioned players their lines all fit these characteristics.

    I would say this is the most traditional way to play jazz guitar as it is where you end up if you try to project on an acoustic guitar. If you start on electric I think you would be much less likely to use this approach. (Although Jimi Hendrix was also a rest stroke picker apparently, which might account for some of his strength of attack)

    I'd be interested in learning more about Cecil Alexander's approach because he is more of alternate picker than Benson, Pat Martino style, but he uses the Benson grip but apparently teaches rest stroke as the foundation of his technique. (He is now an instructor at Berklee AFAIK)

    So... my experience is that rest stroke picking is very learnable - and teachable - as it stabilises the right hand and give instant positional feedback to the right hand in a way that floating hand alternate picking really doesn't and it's pretty easy to build up agility and speed. I learned it in six months for instance, and there are basically no rest stroke style players I know of who don't have burning chops, so it works. There are potential issues with the technique - mostly to do with developing secure timing and evenness which free stroke alternate picking trades off against its relative difficulty.

  25. #24

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    I watched a couple of videos on gypsy picking.

    One made the point that the downstroke is from the elbow, but the upstroke is not. Apparently, the upstroke is more wrist or maybe arm rotation.

    I'm having trouble understanding how that works at high speed. If you've swung your elbow down to play a downstroke, when do you move it back to where you started so that it's ready for the next downstroke?

    Maybe the videos I watched weren't clear enough.

    Anybody have a video to suggest?

  26. #25

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    Quote Originally Posted by rpjazzguitar
    I watched a couple of videos on gypsy picking.

    One made the point that the downstroke is from the elbow, but the upstroke is not. Apparently, the upstroke is more wrist or maybe arm rotation.

    I'm having trouble understanding how that works at high speed. If you've swung your elbow down to play a downstroke, when do you move it back to where you started so that it's ready for the next downstroke?

    Maybe the videos I watched weren't clear enough.

    Anybody have a video to suggest?
    I replied to this on the partial chords thread