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Guitar
Picking Technique Lesson
I have often been asked how I, and other players, are able to play really
fast without playing sloppy. Playing sweep picked arpeggios cleanly while
using a lot of gain (distortion) can be a big challenge. Many players have
a hard time keeping all of the lower strings from ringing out while soloing
on the higher strings, causing a sloppy noise.
When I was first learning how to develop a fast picking speed, I was sloppy
and had no idea how to solve the problem. The guitar teachers I
had at the time were not virtuosos and really didn't know how to
play both fast and clean at the same time. Fortunately in 1993,
I began studying virtuoso guitar playing with George Bellas, who
has flawless world class technique. At my first lesson I asked George
to show me how he developed his extremely fast playing so impeccably
clean.
Unlike most players who try to mute the lower strings with the palm of
their picking hand, I use my right hand (picking hand) thumb. The thumb
rests on all of the lower strings lower than wherever the pick is. Here is
an example: If the pick is currently playing a note on the B string, then
the thumb would be muting (touching) the G, D, A and low E strings. The
high E string would be muted by one of the fingers on the fretting hand
(usually the first finger).
Practicing this thumb muting technique can be frustrating at times and may
feel unnatural at first. The most common problem that players / students
have is the new positioning of the picking hand. If you are used to muting
with the palm, then it may feel awkward to reposition your hand so that it
is more parallel with the strings. The solution is to stop trying to rest
the palm on or near the bridge of the guitar. It may feel awkward at first
because you are not used to holding your hand this way, but keep practicing
and at will begin to feel natural soon.
Another common problem is inadvertently muting the
very string you are attempting to pick. This is caused by the thumb
getting in the way of the picked string and unintentionally muting
it. This usually happens when the thumb is not centered on the pick
and the tip of the thumb is hanging over the pick near the string
you are attempting to play. If this happens when you are practicing
this technique, reposition your thumb so it is holding the pick more
in the center and is not hanging over the edge of the pick.
Playing some very fast lines can really add fire and passion to
the music, but if those lines are not executed cleanly, you won't
get the desired effect. Getting my own picking hand disciplined
to keep my playing clean took a lot of work initially, but it has
paid off greatly for me and it can for you too if you keep working
on it and don't give up. My original goal was mainly to clean up
my arpeggio playing, but I later discovered the benefits of expanding
the thumb muting technique to all types of lead playing. Now I
pick this way all the time. If you decide to implement this technique
in your own playing, try the ideas above. If you discover, after
practicing it for awhile, that you are still having difficulty perfecting
the technique you should consider seeking out a guitar teacher that
can competently teach this well. See my previous article on choosing
a teacher, in that article I talk about how you can find a good
teacher who does not necessarily need to live near you in order
to teach you.
For more on picking technique see our Strength and Speed Exercises, Speed Picking Lesson, and Technique Lessons!
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