Hybrid Picking exercises

[squeally dan]

Anyone have any suggestions for exercises that would be good practice for hybrid picking. I am trying to develop this technique, as I have recently begun a gig backing a country artist. My playing does not sound coutry enough.

[sixstringslut]

Wow, I'm a country player working in two rock bands. Maybe first try piano picking. This is clawing as many strings as you can while chording.. real punchy. Then try some banjo rolls. A neat trick is practicing holding pick between first two fingers while fingerpicking. This frees up thumb and index for fingering. I call that stealth pick mode.
Put the pentatonic box away and grab some maj 3rds and you'll be a twanger in no time.
BTW the first Eric Johnson video is good start.
Good luck

[Tim Bowen]

Here's a classic "Foggy Mountain Breakdown" - style banjo roll in E. Pick gets the G string, fingers pick up the E & B strings. (3)4 indicates a hammer on move.

E -0---------------------------0---------0--
B -0------------------------------0---------
G ----1--2--3---(3)4--(3)4-----------4------
D -------------------------------------------
A -------------------------------------------
E -------------------------------------------

E ------------------------------0---------0---
B ---------------------------------0----------
G ----------------(3)4--(3)4----------4-------
D -------------------------------------------- (etc.)
A --------------------------------------------
E ---------------------------------------------

And here's a Travis-picked repeating figure over a simple E7 chord. Pick gets the repeating bass figure on the low E, A, & D strings, and palm muting works well for a muffled effect. Use the finger(s) to pick up the notes on the G & B strings. A bit of slapback delay drives the point home.

E -----------------------------------------------
B -----5-------------5-------------5-------------
G ------------7-------------7--------------------
D -----6---------6------6-------------6----------
A -7-----------------7---------------------------
E ---------7--------------------7-----------------

Practicing slowly with a metronome is helpful.

As sixstring mentioned, comping 4 note chord voicings hybrid-style is a nice alternative to flatpicked rhythms, for more of a pianistic vibe.

You can dissect your favorite licks & lines, and rework them for pick & fingers. Not only can pick & fingers offer more facility, but flesh on strings is an entirely different tone & dynamic. After you're comfortable with the approach, it finds its way into all sorts of unexpected places. As a matter of fact, I'd actually recommend having at it with the blues box patterns, especially if that's where you currently live. If, for instance, you have some pet "Freebird" licks (for lack of better descriptor - you know what I'm talkin' about), simply assign the pick to the G string, and the fingers to the B and E strings, and that should get you going.

If the pick and fingers thing just feels totally funkadelic at first, drop out the pick entirely for a few days, just to get the fingers off the bench and into the game. When you go back to the pick, it won't feel like such a culture shock. Best of luck!

[squeally dan]

Thanks!!!!!!!!!!!

That helps a bunch. I have a hard time deciding when to use finger or pick, but that makes perfect sense! I wil lstart applying this to my blues licks!

What do you mean exactly by 4 chord voicings? Can you give an example?

Thanks again!

[jzucker]

Try diatonic 4th triads picking the bottom note and playing the upper 2 notes with the middle and ring

[Tim Bowen]

Originally Posted by squeally dan

What do you mean exactly by 4 chord voicings? Can you give an example?

Four note chord voicings. If the thumb and forefinger are utilizing the pick, that leaves three fingers to pluck additional strings. It's the "claw", as sixstring said. This can be practiced with the notes played simultaneously, or in arpeggiated fashion, or as some sort of "roll". Could be an open position cowboy chord 'A' or a Cmaj9 or whatnot; anything and everything.

[daddyo]

I also do scales alternating - pick-M-A. After a while, you forget the pick is there.

[Garygtr]

Check out the first Danny Gatton video (pre-Hot Licks). He extensively used a 16th note pattern for his banjo-roll type licks.With a 3 note chord, the pattern is downstroke w/pick, middle finger, ring finger, upstroke w/ pick on the middle note, then repeat starting with a pick downstroke on the first note. For example, if you're fretting an E maj at the 12th fret position (14th fret on D string, 13th fret on G string, 12th fret on B string), you'd start out picking a downstroke on the D string, pick the G string w/ your middle and the Bstring w/ your ring finger, and then a pick upstroke on the G string. Start over with a downstroke on the D string. Repeat ad nauseum, use a metronome to nail the 16th note feel, move the chord shape around. The pattern is what matters, get that down and combine it with some left-hand hammers and pulloffs for a true banjo sound, and pretty soon you'll be sitting in a tree jamming with Jon Voight.


P.S.-A cool lick with that pattern is to start at that 12th fret Emaj and descend playing Emaj>Dmaj>C#m>Bm>Amaj>Gmaj>F#m>Eminor......and then ascend playing the same chords in reverse-way cool and great for building technique.

[squeally dan]

Originally Posted by Garygtr

Check out the first Danny Gatton video (pre-Hot Licks). He extensively used a 16th note pattern for his banjo-roll type licks.With a 3 note chord, the pattern is downstroke w/pick, middle finger, ring finger, upstroke w/ pick on the middle note, then repeat starting with a pick downstroke on the first note. For example, if you're fretting an E maj at the 12th fret position (14th fret on D string, 13th fret on G string, 12th fret on B string), you'd start out picking a downstroke on the D string, pick the G string w/ your middle and the Bstring w/ your ring finger, and then a pick upstroke on the G string. Start over with a downstroke on the D string. Repeat ad nauseum, use a metronome to nail the 16th note feel, move the chord shape around. The pattern is what matters, get that down and combine it with some left-hand hammers and pulloffs for a true banjo sound, and pretty soon you'll be sitting in a tree jamming with Jon Voight.


P.S.-A cool lick with that pattern is to start at that 12th fret Emaj and descend playing Emaj>Dmaj>C#m>Bm>Amaj>Gmaj>F#m>Eminor......and then ascend playing the same chords in reverse-way cool and great for building technique.

Dudes-

Thanks for all the feedback. This is so helpful. This place rocks!