physics and the art of picking

[nuclear81]

Tongiht I just discovered how centrifugal force directly relates to the speed of your picking. Until now I have been holding my pick hard if I wanted to play fast and lightly if I wanted to play slower. But I realized that because of the centrifugal you build up with the motion of yyour wrist you will actually pick much faster if you holf the pick lightly. It follows the same prinicipal of a roller coaster and why you don't feel as if you are goiung to fall out when you go around a loop. Gravity falls at 9.8 meters per second squared, and thus if you move faster then gravity you can basically negate it's force in movement assuming it doesn't change to it's oppisit direction. Waht this means is that if you have a fluid and smooth motion in your wrist as you pick, you can barely hold the pick, but yet moive it much faster than if you gripped it hard.

[forgottenking2]

You're leaving one element out of the equation though: Friction. The resistance of the strings' tension will knock the pick out of your hand unless you have a firm grip on it. You can reduce the friction and resistance of the strings by reducing the area of the pick that comes in contact with the strings (i. e. leaving only the tip of the pick out) that way you're also gaining torque and reducing the amount of presure your thumb needs to apply to keep the pick from being knocked out of your hands.

You're esentially right, if you relax your hand you'll play a lot faster. It's the physical principles applied that don't convince me :p

[Bizarro]

I'm not convinced of the physics here... :) It is true that you should be relaxed when playing and don't have the pick in a death grip! But the physics explanation, that has nothing to do with it! ;)

Bizarro - full time engineer, part time physicist, half-axe guitarist :O

[Mateo150]

I used to try to come up with scientific explanations for playing better. Dunno if any make sense or not, I don't anymore cuz I don't buy it as much these days. Ask yourself whats behind the explanation? But whatever helps you believe will help I suppose. Whether it be physics, mojo, soul, practice, talent, whatever. But for me, it helps if I look for more introspective/internal explanations as a source for my playing (such as I'm relaxed and free flowing) rather than explain it through physics or external components which are the result of the internal mechanisms and my will.

[EricV]

That is an interesting suggestion, and might just work for some people. However, from my experience, most fast pickers prefer to hold the pick firmly, with a tight grip. Which kinda makes sense as well... that way, the pick does not move into any direction once you hit the string.
What I mean is: if you hold it loosely, and then hit a string with a downstroke, the pick will touch the string and then will move upwards a bit before it clears the string again, a little bit like if you use a thin pick.
That is one problem that might occur. The other reason for people to hold the pick in a firm grip is that you can pick harder, which is an essential part of a certain picking sound. I might be wrong, but I believe that, in order to get that loud and agressive Gilbert-style picking sound, you do need to hold the pick in a firm grip.
It´s an interesting topic though, and if the approach you described works for you, then go ahead. =)
Just wanted to add a few thoughts
Eric

[progg]

I might be wrong, but I believe that, in order to get that loud and agressive Gilbert-style picking sound, you do need to hold the pick in a firm grip.


Not to mention Zakk Wylde! Awesome at picking hard! If anyone have heard him playing an acoustic you know what I'm talking about. Amazing.

[Bizarro]

Only hold it with as much force as necessary. You shouldn't clench your hand, IMO.

[forgottenking2]

I'm not convinced of the physics here... :) It is true that you should be relaxed when playing and don't have the pick in a death grip! But the physics explanation, that has nothing to do with it! ;)


Hey man I used to be a Biology-Chemistry major and now I'm a music major so physics have never been my strongest subject (actually shhh... I almost failed 11th grade 'cause of physics :p )

[SkinnyDevil]

Al di Meola: Super-relaxed, super-fluid, super-fast.

Steve Morse: ***FLEX*** super-fluid, super-fast.

I suspect it comes down to whatever works best for you. I try to hold my finger & thumb tight and let my arm turn to jelly (hahaha!!!), but since I'm not in their ballpark I suspect that's of little relevance.

Time to ask Rusty & Fra.....

[btangel]

interesting discussion. Personally I hold the pick firmly but not very very tight and dig in when it calls for the tone and lightly for faster licks. I've tried a bunch of stuff and that seems to work best for me.

[jan 87]

i just hold the pick like you would hold a babies hand, you hold it so the babies hand does not fall out of yours, but then you dont want to hurt the baby now do you?

there is nothing you can't play, it is just the speed at which you play it.

[live]

I'm in a mess atm because I dunno how to pick in special situations, that's what I work on now... Physics don't play a heading role for me in this point!

live

[jord]

yeah i keep my wrist and arm loose so your muscles don't tense up this works great in a lot of different picking styles like sweeping and circular picking