The Jazz Guitar Chord Dictionary
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  1. #251

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    I'm amazed at the differences in tone one can get on flatwound strings. I seek a bell-like tone and sometimes I hear it when I play and suddenly it goes away, then returns, and I look at my hand and have to figure out what changed. It's not always easy!

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  3. #252

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    Still plugging away. Next week, I'll send another video to JC Stylles for evaluation.

    Hope everyone else is keeping at it and making progress.

  4. #253

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    I'm at the limbo stage where I'm not quite that good at benson picking yet but my old technique now feels totally awkward and I have to struggle to get a "normal" grip onto he pick. However, I do see a little but of progress every day :-)

  5. #254

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    Quote Originally Posted by AlainJazz View Post
    I'm at the limbo stage where I'm not quite that good at benson picking yet but my old technique now feels totally awkward and I have to struggle to get a "normal" grip onto he pick. However, I do see a little but of progress every day :-)
    I know the feeling! Now, a 'normal' pick grip feels odd to me. I have the basic shape down but there are subtle elements that I'm still refining. For example, there are times when everything is 'just so' and the pick motion flows even across all strings, but other times I seem to 'roll away' at unexpected times. It's amazing how much difference in tone, feel, and angle can come from a slight (otherwise unnoticed) change in hand position. But I'm far enough along that I don't want to go back the other way.

  6. #255

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    Question about the pinky. JC stresses curling the pinky in. I know that Mark Cally (setemupjoe) does this too. Here is my question about that curl: do you curl from the middle joint only or also from the knuckle too? There's a real difference in the hand if one curls in from the knuckle. (It's more like a fist.)

  7. #256

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    Heard from JC again, after submitting a second video. He wrote a long reply and this part especially pleased me:

    >>>>Your technique with the "banana thumb" as you call it is sound- you have
    demonstrated great facility with it clearly. You say you don't have the
    dynamics you are hoping for, but that is only because you are yet to focus
    on what is the minimum exertion you need to apply in order to make the
    string vibrate. Right now, you have basically got the technique together
    probably from a lot of practice and hard work. That was essential to get
    the basic shape together and understanding of how everything sits. NOW-
    you merely need to focus in on the detail<<<<<

    After years of frustration with my right hand, it is now coming together. Much work remains but since I know a) what I need to do, and b) how to do it, I'm thrilled. So many blind allies in my past, so many hours practicing in ways that did not help. It feels good to be on the right road at last. And a fair way down it, at that!

  8. #257

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    A few thoughts about B picking: everyone that studied picking techniques for a wile knows how important is the coordination between both hands.

    Having this in mind i think that left hand muting is half of the equation for this technique, and i am not referring to muting unwanted string with whatever finger is available at the moment; but to the specific muting achieved by lifting the fingers right after playing the notes (And i have seen footage with benson explaining and exemplifying this).

    This wile extremely counter intuitive at first allows you to play the fretboard with a very light touch and with almost no strain whatsoever allowing you to achieve an extremely balanced sound across all strings and the ability to make huge position shifts across the neck effortlessly with almost zero strain.

    Best

    Nuno

  9. #258
    Quote Originally Posted by nunocpinto View Post
    A few thoughts about B picking: everyone that studied picking techniques for a wile knows how important is the coordination between both hands.

    Having this in mind i think that left hand muting is half of the equation for this technique, and i am not referring to muting unwanted string with whatever finger is available at the moment; but to the specific muting achieved by lifting the fingers right after playing the notes (And i have seen footage with benson explaining and exemplifying this).

    This wile extremely counter intuitive at first allows you to play the fretboard with a very light touch and with almost no strain whatsoever allowing you to achieve an extremely balanced sound across all strings and the ability to make huge position shifts across the neck effortlessly with almost zero strain.

    Best

    Nuno
    Totally agree. After training my pick hand to use "something like" the B technique I found it necessary (because of rogue ringing strings) to look at what GB was doing with his left hand.
    I've mentioned this before but I think it's almost too much for people to contemplate that they have to rethink how they make a note with their left hand.

    If you listen to early GB you can hear even through fast passages and even with a touch of amp break up that there is a gap between every note. It's beautiful to me.
    Still trying to get a handle on it but I have moments when it happens.
    It's a light touch and telling your brain to release the string before playing the next note.

    GB is particularly good at doing it when playing arpeggios. Crossing strings and leaving the string he played muted but with no right hand palming.

    A fundamental technique……..that I somehow missed!

  10. #259

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    The JC tutorial video has already tweeked my approach a bit and I'm getting a better tone.... including a really nice tone on a dreadnaught acoustic.

  11. #260

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    Quote Originally Posted by fep View Post
    The JC tutorial video has already tweeked my approach a bit and I'm getting a better tone.... including a really nice tone on a dreadnaught acoustic.
    Great! Shall we soon hear a sample?

  12. #261

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    Quote Originally Posted by Philco View Post
    Totally agree. After training my pick hand to use "something like" the B technique I found it necessary (because of rogue ringing strings) to look at what GB was doing with his left hand.
    I've mentioned this before but I think it's almost too much for people to contemplate that they have to rethink how they make a note with their left hand.
    Not. Ready. For. This! )

  13. #262

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    Quote Originally Posted by MarkRhodes View Post
    Great! Shall we soon hear a sample?
    I'd like to practice the technique a bit more, I've only had the tutorial for a few days. When I do, I'll post something with an acoustic since someone had asked about that.

  14. #263

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    Mark, good for you! I agree that the challenging thing is getting the left hand/right hand synchronization right. Basically, we're not used to the right hand being able to pick so fast and so cleanly. The left hand basically can't keep up. What I've done is gone back to practicing at slower speeds until I can play really cleanly. This technique has definitely led to a significant jump in my playing. I wasn't even planning on working on this since I had tried it in the past with no success. Then I saw your post and thought what the heck I might as well give it another shot. I'm glad I did!

  15. #264

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    Interesting above comments about left hand technique - going to give it some more thought...

    One thing I've noticed about my left hand since switching to GB picking is that I naturally adjusted to using a lighter touch which I think could be due to the unique angle and pickstroke of this technique. Because when GB picking, the pick's attack on the string is very positive due to the 'reverse angle', the string vibrates very clearly and the left hand just has to 'finger' the note and not squeeze too hard to compensate. At least that's the way it feels to me. I've been using 12's for months now with no problems, whereas before (pre GB) I had to keep going back to 11's because of mild tendonitis.

    With the reverse angle of GB picking, the note really pops out even if your right hand is relaxed, whereas with the way I was picking before with 'traditional' grip - if I picked lightly, the pick would only 'brush' the string, whereas if I wanted a strong attack, I'd have to exert more force - and end up squeezing my left hand sympathetically as a result.

  16. #265

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    Quote Originally Posted by Philco View Post
    Totally agree. After training my pick hand to use "something like" the B technique I found it necessary (because of rogue ringing strings) to look at what GB was doing with his left hand.
    I've mentioned this before but I think it's almost too much for people to contemplate that they have to rethink how they make a note with their left hand.

    If you listen to early GB you can hear even through fast passages and even with a touch of amp break up that there is a gap between every note. It's beautiful to me.
    Still trying to get a handle on it but I have moments when it happens.
    It's a light touch and telling your brain to release the string before playing the next note.

    GB is particularly good at doing it when playing arpeggios. Crossing strings and leaving the string he played muted but with no right hand palming.

    A fundamental technique……..that I somehow missed!
    Just want to add that this enables you to finally have a complete control over your time and feel. The sound really becomes "punchy" with a snap after you fret the notes.

    One other thing that is instantly noticeable is that there are no more difficult places to play on the neck. You jump up and down on the fretboard and you can play as fluently on the low F as above the 12 fret on the 1st string.

    And one last thing, GB picking it's really not about rest picking on downstrokes. That is something that can be done in places and as it's uses, but doing it every downstroke will have a huge negative impact on your playing.
    Last edited by nunocpinto; 07-22-2014 at 08:43 AM.

  17. #266
    destinytot Guest
    Quote Originally Posted by MarkRhodes View Post
    Heard from JC again, after submitting a second video. He wrote a long reply and this part especially pleased me:

    >>>>Your technique with the "banana thumb" as you call it is sound- you have
    demonstrated great facility with it clearly. You say you don't have the
    dynamics you are hoping for, but that is only because you are yet to focus
    on what is the minimum exertion you need to apply in order to make the
    string vibrate. Right now, you have basically got the technique together
    probably from a lot of practice and hard work. That was essential to get
    the basic shape together and understanding of how everything sits. NOW-
    you merely need to focus in on the detail<<<<<

    After years of frustration with my right hand, it is now coming together. Much work remains but since I know a) what I need to do, and b) how to do it, I'm thrilled. So many blind allies in my past, so many hours practicing in ways that did not help. It feels good to be on the right road at last. And a fair way down it, at that!
    Good job, mark - go for it!

  18. #267
    destinytot Guest
    Just want to add that this enables you to finally have a complete control over your time and feel. The sound really becomes "punchy" with a snap after you fret the notes.

    One other thing that is instantly noticeable is that there are no more difficult places to play on the neck. You jump up and down on the fretboard and you can play as fluently on the low F as above the 12 fret on the 1st string.
    I completely agree with these observations.

  19. #268

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    Quote Originally Posted by AlainJazz View Post
    Mark, good for you! I agree that the challenging thing is getting the left hand/right hand synchronization right. Basically, we're not used to the right hand being able to pick so fast and so cleanly. The left hand basically can't keep up. What I've done is gone back to practicing at slower speeds until I can play really cleanly. This technique has definitely led to a significant jump in my playing. I wasn't even planning on working on this since I had tried it in the past with no success. Then I saw your post and thought what the heck I might as well give it another shot. I'm glad I did!
    Alain, I agree. My right hand is faster and smoother than ever but my left hand (and the rest of me) retains doubts. Time should take care of that.

    Also, when I play tremolo things hyper fast to refine my picking and then play something at mid-tempo, my right hand wants to zip all over the place because it can. It's like being pumped up at the gym and wanting to hit something! But my left hand doesn't have a lot of material it's comfortable with that fast! (And let's not even get into The Trouble With Muting.)

    The good news is that I prefer these problems to my previous. I think practice will work them out soon enough.

  20. #269

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    Quote Originally Posted by MarkRhodes View Post
    Alain, I agree. My right hand is faster and smoother than ever but my left hand (and the rest of me) retains doubts. Time should take care of that.

    Also, when I play tremolo things hyper fast to refine my picking and then play something at mid-tempo, my right hand wants to zip all over the place because it can. It's like being pumped up at the gym and wanting to hit something! But my left hand doesn't have a lot of material it's comfortable with that fast! (And let's not even get into The Trouble With Muting.)

    The good news is that I prefer these problems to my previous. I think practice will work them out soon enough.
    Mark, i made the comments above about the left hand muting trying objectively to give you guys a clear idea about the importance of it; and how useless is to focus solely on the right. it's the left that controls the "input" of the right. One doesn't work without the other effectively.

    What happens is that you become good at holding the pick like GB but you can't control it and hope that the problem will fix itself trough practice and time but it wont.

  21. #270

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    Quote Originally Posted by MarkRhodes View Post
    Alain, I agree. My right hand is faster and smoother than ever but my left hand (and the rest of me) retains doubts. Time should take care of that.

    Also, when I play tremolo things hyper fast to refine my picking and then play something at mid-tempo, my right hand wants to zip all over the place because it can. It's like being pumped up at the gym and wanting to hit something! But my left hand doesn't have a lot of material it's comfortable with that fast! (And let's not even get into The Trouble With Muting.)

    The good news is that I prefer these problems to my previous. I think practice will work them out soon enough.
    Mark, I couldn't have described it better. This is exactly what is happening. The left hand retains doubts (like my pick hand couldn't possibly keep up with this). The doubt then leads to hesitation which brings the two hands out of sync.

    Still, the improvement in tone alone (and I think my tone wasn't too shabby before) is worth the effort.

  22. #271

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    Quote Originally Posted by nunocpinto View Post
    Mark, i made the comments above about the left hand muting trying objectively to give you guys a clear idea about the importance of it; and how useless is to focus solely on the right. it's the left that controls the "input" of the right. One doesn't work without the other effectively.

    What happens is that you become good at holding the pick like GB but you can't control it and hope that the problem will fix itself trough practice and time but it wont.
    I grant the importance of muting. Still, I think focusing on my right hand first was the way to go. I will ask JC about muting before my month of coaching ends.

  23. #272

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    You'll have to pardon me if someone else already mentioned this... but this picking technique looks very similar to Lute picking technique.

  24. #273

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    Quote Originally Posted by Phiberopttic View Post
    You'll have to pardon me if someone else already mentioned this... but this picking technique looks very similar to Lute picking technique.
    I think someone has mentioned that (-if not here than on another thread on this site.) Unfortunately, I never saw anyone play a lute... Which is what YouTube is for, right?

    Here's the first thing that came up for me:



    And here is a "first lesson" in lute playing. The hand position is explained a bit.

    Last edited by MarkRhodes; 07-23-2014 at 01:29 PM.

  25. #274

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    I posted this on another thread, but it was suggested I post it to this thread too.

    Along this topic there is an short interview with Sheryl Bailey in the August 2014 Guitar Player magazine. They mention her picking, she uses Benson style picking. What I found interesting is she said the Benson picking angle is similar to that of Classical guitarist when they fingerpick. She said she used medium thickness picks because they are about the thickness of a fingernail. Never heard anyone mention why the angle in Benson picking in those terms before.

  26. #275

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    I got the turorial video last week. I've worked on the first half of the video. Changed my grip a bit and I'm back to pratacing the Benson technique. I did this noodling on an Acoustic because someone asked if this technique would work on an acoustic.

    I can play acoustic, I can palm mute, I have to shift a bit to get to my hybrid picking position. I still don't play very fast, maybe in time.