Right hand technique

[tonezoneonline]

What is considered to be the proper right hand technique.
After 7 years of playing I'm still not fast enough t o play what I want to play and my instructor is blamimg it on my right hand.
I used to be a bass player so I naturally let my pinky or my pinky and third finger set on the guitar.
It's very awkward for me to play with my whole hand suspended.I also play mainly strats and see a lot of players rest their palm on the saddles.This also feels awkward to me.
I would like to just learn the correct way now before going any further with my bad habits no matter what it takes.
Any suggestions?

[harryjmic]

Do you use a pick? If so having your hand suspended above the guitar will be a little strange because you will have no support. I used to use a pick for 15 years then switched to fingers for the last 10 and I still cannot play as fast with my fingers as I could when I played with a pick.

Practice slowly, making sure everything is perfect, before speeding up. If you want use your pinky finger as the base and move your hand from there. Personally I wouldn't worry much about the speed if you can play sixteenth notes cleanly at a 120 to 130 BPM clip. I can't even play that fast and nobody in my band say's I play too slow. You can accomplish a lot with pull offs which can give the illusion of quickly played notes by the right hand. Too bad you didn't live closer I'd be glad to meet with you.

[tonezoneonline]

Yes.I use a pick and use my pinky or sometimes three fingers as a rest.This is what my last teacher had a problem with.
I try to rest them very lightly an it's working out better.
I'm not trying to shred.I play blues and some jazz stuff but juat can't play a lot of the things I want because of the speed.I can't play clean 1/16th notes at 120bpm but that's what I working on.
I guess what I'm asking is using your fingers as a rest really wrong or bad technique?A lot of the good strat players that I see rest the fat part of their palm on the bridge or saddles as does my last teacher.This is very awkward for me and I like to play over the neck PU a lot for the tone.
Is my technique that bad or do I just need more practice?
If your ever down this way Harry stop in and play some Tone Zone amps.

[harryjmic]

Your approaching it how a classical player would I never really hear people ripping classical guys. Some guys just aren't wired to play exceptionally fast, but I bet if you slowed down and really watched your picking making sure the "up" notes were "up" and the "down" notes were "down" you would find places that this is not happening. I play with my hand all over the place depending on what I want to do, I got over "this is the correct approach" thinking a long time ago. You probably learning something improperly a long time ago and it's coming back to haunt you now.

Play the 1st to the 4th frets on the low E using fingers 1 to 4 on the left hand. The picking strokes should be down, up, down, up. Just keep playing this over and over increasing the speed until you mess up. Then go back and watch to see what happened. Back the speed down a bit a keep practicing until you get past the breaking point.

Once you do this breakup the 4 note pattern by playing 2 to 4 on the low E and use the 1st finger to play the 1st fret on the A string. This will give you a string crossing obstacle to overcome. Start on the 2nd fret with a down stroke then play the 3rd and 4th fret low E string with the last note being the B flat with the 1st finger (this should be an up stroke on the 5th string)

There are many things you can try but this is a start. If you can read music playing a melody can uncover errors in technique, just choose a good one. One I used to use a lot "Straight no chaser" by Thelonius Monk. There are lots of long runs which require string skipping in order to be played.

[ducmike]

I read something in th Oct. 05 Guitar One mag. that really helped. There is an article on technique in that issue. In the article they ask you to look at how you pick. It says that if you try to play fast with the method of wiggling the pick back and forth with your finger and thumb (like writing in cursive), you lose control. The article says you have to play from the wrist. I have focused on this for aout 2 weeks now and it has really helped.

I used to rest a few fingers on the pickguard, but when I do that I start wiggling my fingers again. Now I kind of lightly rest the back of my palm on the strings, which also helps with my muting.

I have no interest in shredding or playing extremely fast, so it took me a few months to get around to reading this article. In fact if it were not the only mag. my wife pakced for me on recent weekend getaway, I would not have read it. I was pretty bored with the article until I stumbled on that paragraph. GC stores usually have seveal months of back issues still available, so if you can find it it might help.

[tonezoneonline]

That is pretty much my problem.I'm kind of in the middle between using my wrist and the wiggle.It's an old hablt and I'm trying hard to break it but I just can't find any position that feels as comfortable.I have lightened up the finger pressure on the pick gaurd a lot to where I'm just sweeping acrossed it.

[Mullet Kingdom]

The best thing you can do to improve your right hand is to keep it loose. Once it tenses up everything suddenly becomes a lot harder than it needs to and it seems to take twice as much effort.

Relax, Grasshopper.:)

[ducmike]

+1 on relaxing. I like to practice technique with my eyes closed, it helps me relax and concentrate. and I seem to not focus on one hand more than the other with my eyes cosed.

And remember, any type of muscle training feels uncomfortable and strange at first.

[harryjmic]

The whole reason I stopped using a pick is because in order to use it you have to pinch your fingers together. Holding your fingers together creates tension. I tried circle picking, using your wrist, using your elbow etc... nothing ever did it for me. I used sit there and freak out about possibly losing the pick during a show.

Since I stopped using a pick my hand naturally stays relaxed and I never have to worry about switching to fingerpicking tune or part. I battled the relaxed hand thing for a long time and finally gave up. I'll tell you what though, it was well worth it.

I only have trouble with a couple things finger picking, and it usually relates to double stop type stuff. I can't figure out if I want to pluck the strings with two fingers or strum it with just one. It is getting better though.

[Mullet Kingdom]

Originally posted by harryjmic
The whole reason I stopped using a pick is because in order to use it you have to pinch your fingers together. Holding your fingers together creates tension. I tried circle picking, using your wrist, using your elbow etc... nothing ever did it for me. I used sit there and freak out about possibly losing the pick during a show.

Since I stopped using a pick my hand naturally stays relaxed and I never have to worry about switching to fingerpicking tune or part. I battled the relaxed hand thing for a long time and finally gave up. I'll tell you what though, it was well worth it.

I only have trouble with a couple things finger picking, and it usually relates to double stop type stuff. I can't figure out if I want to pluck the strings with two fingers or strum it with just one. It is getting better though.

You could always try a thumb pick.

I use hybrid picking techniques quite a bit--and have been for more than 12 years. But, my pinky is practically useless. So, for playing acoustic I'm going to have to learn how to start using my index finger in conjunction with a thumb pick, because my index finger is much more cooperative than my pinky is. I use the pinky for plucking chords in unison and that's about it.

:)

[ducmike]

I also use a hybrid technique. I have tryed to go pickless, but I just like the tone and attack of a pick when I play. I love the tone of finger style when I here others play, it just doesn't work for me right now.

[al carmichael]

To anchor the hand or not? There are great players in both camps. I anchor my right hand with my pinky and use my wrist exclusively. Works for me. I have seen others who play with their right hand suspended above the strings--no anchor, and they played great too.

If you do anchor, try using just one finger. That way, you can move into using your second and third finger along with a pick, or using three fingers without a pick.

I think the key is to get the wrist going, using the minimum of movement possible. I agree with the idea of staying relaxed too.

Start with slow practice with a metronome and gradually increase the BPM by about 3BPM, while practicing scales and various passages of music you wish to master. If you can get it slow, gradually you can bump up the tempo until its easy to play what you want at the tempo required. If you start too fast, you never have a chance to correct the slop and mistakes.

[DonW]

When I saw the George Lynch instructional video I about flipped. He doesn't anchor his right hand. I have to, it's how I've played for too long to remember. I play fast enough, not well enough. That's what I'm working on now. Hindsight being what it is I think I would have studied finger picking many moons ago.

[blind radish]

jeff beck


:dude

he kills with a thumb and fore finger.

He's never playing REALLY fast, but he makes Vai look like a 12-year-old poser

check this out (http://www.johnzguitar.com/JeffBeckDrown.wmv )

[Matt_Scogo]

Hi,
If you wanna improve your picking speed, you need to practice. Practice does not make perfect... Perfect practice makes perfect. Use a metronome at first. Start slow with 1/4 notes... then 1/8's, then 1/16's. If you can't play slow cleanly then do not speed up.

Practice 35 min's to 1 hour everyday... good practice... no A.D.D. riffs. Just finger patterns, chromatic preferably. For instance label fingers 1-4 then create patterns.

1234 4321

2134 4312... etc...

Now invert these by moving all over the neck in any position that is challenging, but able to be done CLEANLY!

I assure you in 2 months, you'll be the fingers of fury, dude.
Good luck,
MW

[AaeCee]

Originally posted by harryjmic
The whole reason I stopped using a pick is because in order to use it you have to pinch your fingers together. Holding your fingers together creates tension. I tried circle picking, using your wrist, using your elbow etc... nothing ever did it for me. I used sit there and freak out about possibly losing the pick during a show.

Since I stopped using a pick my hand naturally stays relaxed and I never have to worry about switching to fingerpicking tune or part. I battled the relaxed hand thing for a long time and finally gave up. I'll tell you what though, it was well worth it.

I only have trouble with a couple things finger picking, and it usually relates to double stop type stuff. I can't figure out if I want to pluck the strings with two fingers or strum it with just one. It is getting better though. OK...question from an obvious pick addict. When strumming, what part(s) of your finger(s) actually contact the strings? Ever get sore? Loose nails? Thanks, AC

[harryjmic]

Originally posted by AaeCee
OK...question from an obvious pick addict. When strumming, what part(s) of your finger(s) actually contact the strings? Ever get sore? Loose nails? Thanks, AC


When I strum I brush my hands across the strings in kind of a sweeping motion almost like waving someone off. I usually strum so the back of my hand hits the strings almost like the Flamenco Rasqueado (spelling?). My fingers do not get sore nor do I lose any finger nails. Your right hand builds up calluses the same as your left so sore fingers are not an issue after about a month or so. The only time my fingers get a little sore is if I've been playing 5 or 6 hours doing some hard core right hand work. I will never go back to a pick anymore, there really is no upside to it.

[Dave LaP]

Originally posted by ducmike
I read something in th Oct. 05 Guitar One mag. that really helped. There is an article on technique in that issue. In the article they ask you to look at how you pick. It says that if you try to play fast with the method of wiggling the pick back and forth with your finger and thumb (like writing in cursive), you lose control. The article says you have to play from the wrist. I have focused on this for aout 2 weeks now and it has really helped.

I used to rest a few fingers on the pickguard, but when I do that I start wiggling my fingers again. Now I kind of lightly rest the back of my palm on the strings, which also helps with my muting.

I have no interest in shredding or playing extremely fast, so it took me a few months to get around to reading this article. In fact if it were not the only mag. my wife pakced for me on recent weekend getaway, I would not have read it. I was pretty bored with the article until I stumbled on that paragraph. GC stores usually have seveal months of back issues still available, so if you can find it it might help.

Eric Johnson uses the method of "wiggling" the pick between forefinger and thumb and he does OK. :p I don't think there is a "right way"-just what works for you.

[Dave LaP]

Another thing: Most guys who play really well fast barely contact the tip of the pick with the string. The deeper you dig in with your pick the harder it is to get it over the string for the next note.

[lgehrig4]

John Petrucci & Steve Morse both anchor their pinkies and are highly proficient pickers.

I'm can't pick as fast as you, but I do analyze everything. I've realized recently that the importance of keeping your hand relaxed cannot be overstated. It allows you to get that vibrating motion from the wrist similar to shading or coloring quickly with a pencil or marker. I am a lefty who plays righty so my right hand technique has always been a problem for me. That and lack of practice :)

[dankayaker]

Metronome + diligent practicing of the right things.

The right things for me are various groupings of notes on one string . . . or across the 6 strings. Start with triplets on one string. There are a couple exercises I picked up from a Petrucci video that opened another world of finese to me.

[PlexiBreath]

The best thing I ever did for my phrasing as well as my tone was to loose the pick altogether. It will slow you down, but this can be a good thing as it really makes you stop and think about the musical phrases you are saying. It also does wonders for your tone as well as give you a signature voice, where the pick sort of generisizes your sound. I'm now to where I can play as fast as any musical statement I choose to make, and that's what it's all about anyway, what you are saying with your instrument. I found it made my style a lot funkier, and the many ways you can use the flesh of your finger or edge of the fingernail against the string opened up a world of timbres to choose from. If you are a Strat Cat this is really cool as without a pick you now have more fingers free to do volume swells with the close-by volume knob while dipping the tremolo bar, Jeff Beck is a good example of this where he has all this stuff going on with his right hand that would otherwise be close to impossible with a pick.

[lhallam]

For the past year I've been practicing with a floating right hand as influenced by Matte who was instructed to use the float technique by Robert Fripp.

As far as speed, attack, clarity and fatigue goes, I find little difference between resting my pinky on the pickguard and the floating technique. I do find it easier to mute notes using the resting technique.

What's more important is too stay relaxed, keep your right arm by your side, keep your shoulders & back straight and do not lean into the gtr. Often students will turn their right shoulder and lean towards the floor and the gtr. You're going to get sore and possibly some chronic pain if you do this.

If you don't want to rest your hand on the bridge that's fine, just be sure that you find some way to stop unwanted strings from ringing out. Tag & Matte say they use their left hand to do this but I haven't figured out to when playing fast passages.

[blind radish]

jeff beck


:dude

he kills with a thumb and fore finger.

He's never playing REALLY fast, but he makes Vai look like a 12-year-old poser

check this out (http://www.johnzguitar.com/JeffBeckDrown.wmv )

That clip kills me EVERY time and reminds me ... it's not the number, but the soul of the notes you play.

put vai and beck on separate stages playing their styles non stop, and see which audience get's bored first ...

JB all the way ... role model for us all in ANY style we choose

[ducmike]

Eric Johnson uses the method of "wiggling" the pick between forefinger and thumb and he does OK. :p I don't think there is a "right way"-just what works for you.


Right On! There is always an exception to the rule. The cool thing about art is you can say "screw the rules". In fact you should. If it sounds good, it is good.

I have been trying to loose the pick. It took a bit of time to get used to it, but I'm getting it down. I think I still like my tone better with a pick.

[DoneganFan06]

jeff beck


:dude

he kills with a thumb and fore finger.

He's never playing REALLY fast, but he makes Vai look like a 12-year-old poser

check this out (http://www.johnzguitar.com/JeffBeckDrown.wmv)

That might be the coolest thing I've ever seen..

[granite]

I'm in the "rests the palm on the bridge" camp. I had to think about it for a minute. I'm not even conscience of it anymore. The benefit of the palm on the bridge technique is that you can mute the strings easily. I also hold my pick with three fingers (my thumb and pointer/middle fingers). I've read that The Edge hold his textured picks upside down and just lightly skims the strings. Weird how we all do things differently.

The greatest guitar lesson I ever learned was to accept my limitations. I can't play fast either so I don't try anymore. I have my own technique and sound. I just go with my strengths and create from there.

[apalazzolo]

by now, you probably already received better advice from players that are better than i'll ever be, but ...

i've compensated for a lousy picking technique over the years by:

1. making the most of my left hand (hammers, pulls, slides, careful bends, assorted slurs, etc.); and
2. using my middle, ring and index fingers (in addition to a basic pick between the thumb and index finger technique) in sort of a pick & claw approach ... especially by alternating the pick and middle finger ....

these two things have helped me keep up with some of my fastest picking friends in sort of my own way ...

how 'bouts that jeff beck video eh? whew that's nice!

good luck ...

[Secret Ingredient]

jeff beck


:dude

he kills with a thumb and fore finger.

He's never playing REALLY fast, but he makes Vai look like a 12-year-old poser

check this out (http://www.johnzguitar.com/JeffBeckDrown.wmv)

Thanks for posting that! I just posted a new thread asking about how to play electric guitar without a pick. I don't want to sound like an acoustic player who happened to pick up an electric. Jeff Beck seems to set the bar in that regard.

[g-nem]

I play over the neck pickup, and used to rest my palm until i saw this guitarist w/ michael brecker play resting his pinky on the top of the guitar. His technique was pretty flawless so i switched. Now i rest my pinky (and maybe ring) on the top strings when picking low strings and wrest my palm on the low strings when playing high strings. Sounds cumbersome, but I do it without thinking about it! I also do a lot of hybrid picking so it helps to have my fingers on the strings. I don't rest anything on the top of the guitar- I don't like that at all.

There's a great story about different styles of picking on the nels cline website. (http://nelscline.com/tech.html) I'll go ahead and quote it here-

NELS CLINE SAYS:
When I was 18, I went to a series of "Master Guitar Seminars" with some leading guitarists - mostly jazz guys. Only 2 things from that experience really stand out to this day: One negative and one positive. The negative one involved acoustic session guitarist and onetime Gabor Szabo collaborator (and former Guitar Player Magazine columnist) Jimmy Stewart. He was appalled first that we didn't all have guitars with us (things were pretty unstructured). He then (after handing out several photocopies of his GP column) proceeded to show us all HOW TO HOLD THE PICK. I was pretty much sure at this point that I wasn't going to get too much out of this session! I'd love to accumulate photos of "guitar greats" and focus on their picking hand (those who pick, anyway). It would very quickly become apparent that it's a highly personal matter. Why? Because guitarists quite often are self-taught maroons?? Partially. But also because (I think) that our physiology differs. Look at how Pat Metheny holds the pick ("correctly", in Jimmy Stewart terms) and how John McLaughlin holds the pick (coincidentally very similarly to yours truly). Which one has achieved the greater technique? Who cares! It's obvious that while a few guidelines are OK (to avoid the pifalls of tendonitis or scoliosis perhaps),it's a very individual choice - or accident. To my mind, this holds true for almost all aspects of musicmaking - indeed, of life.

One thing that made the Jimmy Stewart Incident so lame was the second, positive thing I came away with at the seminar: Howard Roberts, the late, great jazz and session guitarist (I was already a fan of his wacky records like "Equinox Express Elevator" at the time) had addressed an aspect or two of this very issue weeks earlier. When asked about pick/hand/arm technique, he said (behind his everpresent dark glasses) : Suppose you want to write your name REAL SMALL. You'd probably only use the tiniest finger movements (he went to the chalkboard and wrote his name as tiny as possible - indeed Mr. Roberts' technique with the pick often really did resemble someone handwriting, so this was no empty doctrine). Now, suppose you want to write your name REAL BIG. You might need to use your WHOLE ARM to do it! (He then, with his arm stiff, wrote his name in letters 3 feet tall, using huge, arcing motions) You see?!!? Heheheheheh!!!! (He had a crazy person laugh).I loved Howard Roberts for this moment. BY ANY MEANS NECESSARY, folks! How you TOUCH the instrument is of paramount importance - hell, it's probably even important to all those guys with super low-action Ibanez 7-strings and walls of cheesewhiz Marshalls! (When I'm reincarnated I'm gonna come back as a 13-year-old who can tell these guys apart). As that terrible old Blind Faith song so sagely stated again and again (and again...), DO WHAT YOU LIKE! And don't take any shit!!
/NELS CLINE

[dkaplowitz]

You see?!!? Heheheheheh!!!! (He had a crazy person laugh).
Funny, he did have a crazy person laugh.

[robyogi]

I play over the neck pickup, and used to rest my palm until i saw this guitarist w/ michael brecker play resting his pinky on the top of the guitar. His technique was pretty flawless so i switched. Now i rest my pinky (and maybe ring) on the top strings when picking low strings and wrest my palm on the low strings when playing high strings. Sounds cumbersome, but I do it without thinking about it! I also do a lot of hybrid picking so it helps to have my fingers on the strings. I don't rest anything on the top of the guitar- I don't like that at all.

There's a great story about different styles of picking on the nels cline website. (http://nelscline.com/tech.html) I'll go ahead and quote it here-

NELS CLINE SAYS:
When I was 18, I went to a series of "Master Guitar Seminars" with some leading guitarists - mostly jazz guys. Only 2 things from that experience really stand out to this day: One negative and one positive. The negative one involved acoustic session guitarist and onetime Gabor Szabo collaborator (and former Guitar Player Magazine columnist) Jimmy Stewart. He was appalled first that we didn't all have guitars with us (things were pretty unstructured). He then (after handing out several photocopies of his GP column) proceeded to show us all HOW TO HOLD THE PICK. I was pretty much sure at this point that I wasn't going to get too much out of this session! I'd love to accumulate photos of "guitar greats" and focus on their picking hand (those who pick, anyway). It would very quickly become apparent that it's a highly personal matter. Why? Because guitarists quite often are self-taught maroons?? Partially. But also because (I think) that our physiology differs. Look at how Pat Metheny holds the pick ("correctly", in Jimmy Stewart terms) and how John McLaughlin holds the pick (coincidentally very similarly to yours truly). Which one has achieved the greater technique? Who cares! It's obvious that while a few guidelines are OK (to avoid the pifalls of tendonitis or scoliosis perhaps),it's a very individual choice - or accident. To my mind, this holds true for almost all aspects of musicmaking - indeed, of life.

One thing that made the Jimmy Stewart Incident so lame was the second, positive thing I came away with at the seminar: Howard Roberts, the late, great jazz and session guitarist (I was already a fan of his wacky records like "Equinox Express Elevator" at the time) had addressed an aspect or two of this very issue weeks earlier. When asked about pick/hand/arm technique, he said (behind his everpresent dark glasses) : Suppose you want to write your name REAL SMALL. You'd probably only use the tiniest finger movements (he went to the chalkboard and wrote his name as tiny as possible - indeed Mr. Roberts' technique with the pick often really did resemble someone handwriting, so this was no empty doctrine). Now, suppose you want to write your name REAL BIG. You might need to use your WHOLE ARM to do it! (He then, with his arm stiff, wrote his name in letters 3 feet tall, using huge, arcing motions) You see?!!? Heheheheheh!!!! (He had a crazy person laugh).I loved Howard Roberts for this moment. BY ANY MEANS NECESSARY, folks! How you TOUCH the instrument is of paramount importance - hell, it's probably even important to all those guys with super low-action Ibanez 7-strings and walls of cheesewhiz Marshalls! (When I'm reincarnated I'm gonna come back as a 13-year-old who can tell these guys apart). As that terrible old Blind Faith song so sagely stated again and again (and again...), DO WHAT YOU LIKE! And don't take any shit!!
/NELS CLINE

Thanks for the sharing this. I have been trying to improve my picking speed and accuracy, as I feel that I am too sloppy and that even when I am not sloppy, my hands can't keep up with my mind. I've been trying to switch over from the anchored hand technique (which BTW works well for really digging in for blues) to a free-floating right hand technique, which seems to provide more flexibility (better for the jazzy stuff I currently studying). I've also found that my hand and arm don't fatigue as much with the floating hand method. It's taken some time to gain control over my picking hand. I hope to get to the point where I can transition between the two seemlessly while I am playing, using each technique for what it does best.

[g-nem]

Keep practicing and you will be able to transition smoothly. just remember to stay as relaxed as you can.