Question about alternate picking

[djobson101]

Hey guys, I've just been practicing some exercises out of a Paul Gilbert DVD recently. I've been trying to incorporate some of the routines in to my practice schedule. What I'm up to is picking 16th note triplets at about 80 BPM (I've been playing for 10 years but unfortunately have put off metronome practicing until recently, unfortuately). I've been doing this progressively up from 60 BPM in the past month or so, doing each exercise for 5 minutes then taking a break before starting again. The question I have is, I am having a hard time keeping the pick in a good position throughout the 5 minutes. After a certain amount of time, it sneaks away from the tip of my index finger and ends up around my first knuckle, which makes my picking sloppy. I've tried using an XL Jazz 3 to try to get better grip, but it almost always shifts over... what is a good way to prevent this from happening? I don't want to keep stopping during the workout to re-grab the pick.

[TheWannabeMusician]

I'd suggest observing why your pick goes there. Is it because you apply "upward" (finger's perspective... wtf) pressure on the pick instead of only holding it, do the strings push it there, etc. Because only if you know exectly what causes the problem, it's pretty much impossible to correct it. Maybe some other members have better advice, but I hope this helps at least a bit

[ONEbpm]

I've just been practicing some exercises out of a Paul Gilbert DVD recently. I've been trying to incorporate some of the routines in to my practice schedule. What I'm up to is picking 16th note triplets at about 80 BPM (I've been playing for 10 years but unfortunately have put off metronome practicing until recently, unfortuately

This is exactly what I did two years ago...PG was the first vid I got into and I never used to practice with a mentronome! Not only that, I used to hold the pick like I was passing a joint instead of holding it like PG suggests in the vid. So you coulds say I started from scratch.Thinking thicker is better as far as picks, I went with the big stubby picks they're made out of Lexan and produces a mellower tone that the nylon Jazz III's. I scored them all with a knife and it helped some, but they still slipped. Eventually I went back to Jazz III's...anyway, I was having the same problem with the pick shifting as I did exercises. It still happens...though not to the degree it happened when I started and, like you, it happens when I'm picking for an extended period of time. I did two thing that minimized the problem:

1) It's been said that holding the pick at a 45 degree angle to the stings is the way to go. For me, this works up to a point. Once you get to a certain speed or a very long practice exercise, this causes drag. What I do now is hold the pick almost at a 90 degree angle to the pick (Shawn Lane holds it this way too...althought the vid was deleted on Youtube). Since I anchor my hand on the bridge, this is more noticeable when picking on the B and high E strings. So, on the low E string, it's about a 45 degree angle and increases to a about a 90 degree angle as I progress through to the thinner strings. This sounds like the pick changes the attack angle drastically, but I really didn't even notice it until I looked. It almost at a 90 degree angle.

2) The second thing is that I only use the very tip of the pick and only enough force to get the sound out. When looking down, I look between the pickups and you don't see a lot of the pick dip below the strings. Sometimes I want to dig in for the tone, but most of the time I picture the pick as having wet paint on it and all I am trying to do is put a small amount of paint on the string.

I'm wanting to give the Jazz III- Max grip a try...

http://accessories.musiciansfriend.com/product/Dunlop-Nylon-Max-Grip-Jazz-III-Guitar-Picks-6-Pack?sku=582855&src=3WFRWXX&ZYXSEM=0&CAWELAID=435963376

[blank]

I have found plec sizes to be thrown up to personal choice.

I saw an instructional video from Batio once where he commented that if your pick is sliding all over you're never going to be able to shred right. After that my picking went down the toliet haha. Try different ways to pick, but not in a way where it hinders your ability to reach your current speeds. The way you describe it moving up your index finger sounds like your thumb is putting more pressure near the tip than needed.

[djobson101]

Thanks for the replies guys... It's getting gradually better, I actually find what's helped me lately is using a smooth surfaced tortex pick... only because by getting used to not having extra grip there I'm learning how to hold the pick more gently. I guess the main thing too is staying in my speed range... it's so tempting to attempt at the speed he plays it in the videos. Years of practice showcased in a 10 second lick can be deceiving!

[TheWannabeMusician]

it's so tempting to attempt at the speed he plays it in the videos. Years of practice showcased in a 10 second lick can be deceiving!

Amen

[Far_beyond_the_fun]

I use Jazz III XL pics and I have my thumb in the very middle of the pic. Not sure how to explain so the pic in this link should give a better description. I hold it like its held in the picture but with my thumb a little more toward the tip. http://aaronmatthies.files.wordpress.co ... /pick1.jpg Hope I could help bro.