slash_ragnarok
06-24-2009, 08:17 AM
Hi,
As I mentioned in another post I can (could?:() alternate pick 16th notes at 160 bpm comfortably. Now, after analyzing my technique carefully, I realized that my technique when picking at slow speeds is completely different from when I'm picking in the 140+ bpm range.
Firstly at slow speeds my hand moves casually as if I'm strumming chords making large movements and my knuckles kinda make an angle to the guitar body. That is my knuckles would point at someone standing in front of my neck facing the neck. At slow speeds I anchor my pinky to the guitar body, sometimes the first string even to get a feel for where the other strings are and my pick slant is much less because I have all the time in the world to fight the resistance offered by the string to my pick.
At high speeds my whole hand from the wrist freezes up and there is no contact between any part of my picking hand with the guitar with the exception of my picking hand thumb muting the lower strings and the heel of my palm occasionally grazing the strings to deaden them or mute them. My pick is much more slanted as I have to resist the string with my pick in a much shorter time period and my knuckles face in a direction in front of my pickups. The large picking hand movements have now been reduced to the pick not getting anywhere farther than maybe 0.1 mm or even less from the string it is picking.
Now the dilemna:
Mr John Petrucci, in his video Rock Discipline, says that your technique when playing slow should be exactly the same as when you are playing fast. Now who in their right minds would ignore His advice?
I try my small movements, no anchoring, pick hand stiff approach at speeds below 120 bpm and voila, my whole arm tenses up. My shoulders, my triceps all freeze up and in a few minutes my arm feels like it's been pushing a wall.
Mr XYZ Shredder on the other hand supports my earlier technique and says fast picking is as different from slow picking as walking is from running. Running aint fast walking. The technique changes when we run.
In all probability I'll return to my previous technique. But before I throw John's suggestion out of the window I'd like to ask you, where did I go wrong with John's suggestion. I mean I get all the "It works for Him and not for You" stuff but hey! jump off a building, the good man gets as badly hurt as a bad man. I mean it's all science isn't it? The laws are same for everyone.
Any comments on my dilemna is appreciated. Thanks.
As I mentioned in another post I can (could?:() alternate pick 16th notes at 160 bpm comfortably. Now, after analyzing my technique carefully, I realized that my technique when picking at slow speeds is completely different from when I'm picking in the 140+ bpm range.
Firstly at slow speeds my hand moves casually as if I'm strumming chords making large movements and my knuckles kinda make an angle to the guitar body. That is my knuckles would point at someone standing in front of my neck facing the neck. At slow speeds I anchor my pinky to the guitar body, sometimes the first string even to get a feel for where the other strings are and my pick slant is much less because I have all the time in the world to fight the resistance offered by the string to my pick.
At high speeds my whole hand from the wrist freezes up and there is no contact between any part of my picking hand with the guitar with the exception of my picking hand thumb muting the lower strings and the heel of my palm occasionally grazing the strings to deaden them or mute them. My pick is much more slanted as I have to resist the string with my pick in a much shorter time period and my knuckles face in a direction in front of my pickups. The large picking hand movements have now been reduced to the pick not getting anywhere farther than maybe 0.1 mm or even less from the string it is picking.
Now the dilemna:
Mr John Petrucci, in his video Rock Discipline, says that your technique when playing slow should be exactly the same as when you are playing fast. Now who in their right minds would ignore His advice?
I try my small movements, no anchoring, pick hand stiff approach at speeds below 120 bpm and voila, my whole arm tenses up. My shoulders, my triceps all freeze up and in a few minutes my arm feels like it's been pushing a wall.
Mr XYZ Shredder on the other hand supports my earlier technique and says fast picking is as different from slow picking as walking is from running. Running aint fast walking. The technique changes when we run.
In all probability I'll return to my previous technique. But before I throw John's suggestion out of the window I'd like to ask you, where did I go wrong with John's suggestion. I mean I get all the "It works for Him and not for You" stuff but hey! jump off a building, the good man gets as badly hurt as a bad man. I mean it's all science isn't it? The laws are same for everyone.
Any comments on my dilemna is appreciated. Thanks.