My picking needs some help

[88FingersEdward]

A couple of months ago I decided to start working on my picking hand because I just wanted to get better. I feel a lot of tension in my arm even when I pick with my wrist and it feels really inconsistent. One day I'm Yngwie Malmsteen and the next, I'm a dude who just picked up a guitar. What am I doing wrong? And also where am I supposed to place my hand when picking the low E string? Thanks

 

[80H]

Think in terms of cut or graze. Do you want to cut through the grass (strings) or do you want to graze them? When you're cutting through them, use more force, and when you're grazing them, relax every muscle in your arm and use as little energy as possible to sound the note. Downstrokes should be performed by gravity as much as possible, rather than your muscles, unless you have a technical approach that calls for moving the pick with force in that specific situation.


Always remember that your pick attack angle matters as much as the amount of force you use, and every pick might require you to hold it at a slightly different angle. Sometimes you need to change your angle on the fly for a different series of notes, and you've gotta keep that in mind when you're practicing.


Your muscles also will need time to rest. Sometimes it might just be natural fatigue, other times you might not have eaten properly (think pepsi & hotdogs versus a nice meal of meat, veggies and fresh fruit) and you just might not have the nutritional fuel available for a long session of fine motor movements that require lots of mental involvement.



As for your low e string question, you place it wherever is the right place for you to place it. It needs to be comfortable, it needs to be as relaxed as it possibly can (even if it isn't relaxed, it shouldn't be any more strained than it absolutely must be) and it needs to be able to wiggle around a little bit. You need to remember that nobody here has your arm length, width, finger length, width, finger diameter, pick size, height, guitar shape, how you hold it etc. There's lots of slight variables that affect the position that your hand needs to be placed in.

 

[stuglue]

Agree with 8oh. First of all, start at the shoulder, are you finding that you raise it upwards? If so relax it and drop it, tension goes down the arm.

I used to float my picking hand for a very long time until I tried experimenting with having one finger, my pinky anchored. In doing this I took some tension off my picking hand which meant I could relax more.

Pick angle is a big one. For a long time I picked parallel to the string. This was detrimental for two reasons
1.more resistance to the pick, this slowed me down as I had to work harder
2. The tone, despite being clear was very bass prominent yet lacked sustain.

Angling the pick led to it cutting across the string which made it easier to build speed, yet still having that cutting tone, I didn't lose clarity when I angled.

Big one for me was watching a tutorial video on how to hold a drum stick. If a drummer holds the stick like a club when he hits the snare all the kinetic energy goes into his hands and arms. This kills the snare sound, but also in time is painful for the drummer. A good grip is one where the fingers cradle the stick and there is minimal contact between stick and fingers.
The benefit of this is that double stroke rolls and other snare drum subtleties can easily be performed and the tone is greatly improved. How did this help my picking? Well I changed it so that the pick doesn't press against the side of my index finger. I keep it so that a lot of the pick isn't touching anything. This means that each time you strike the string, the vibration from the string will move the pick, it gives it room to release the kinetic energy and by doing reduces resistance.

 

[Basti]

The same thing happened to me, except I was more like Hammett one day and a drummer the next
The best answer is also the simplest. Start from scratch: let your whole arm go completely limp and do the same with the rest of your body. Even clenching your teeth, tensing your other arm, not breathing, etc...can affect picking tension. Keep checking your body for unnecessary tension. Then check again. And again. And then some more. It takes some time to get the hang of those relaxed picking (and fretting) movements, but you can do it if you keep correcting yourself when you alert something tensing up.
When you start doing this, forget about gripping the pick...what I mean is that sure, don't let it fall, but if you start out with the most relaxed grip possible, you'll eventually know how to tighten it without tensing up, it'll come to you.

In summary, just prioritise relaxation. When you learn how to move without tension you won't even have to think about doing it. It's very simplistic but it's the one thing I have learnt.

 

[88FingersEdward]

Thanks for all the feedback guys! And about the low e string thing, I put my hand on the body of the guitar. I feel like there is a better way to do it but there aren't lower strings to rest it on so. What should I do?

 

[Basti]

Thanks for all the feedback guys! And about the low e string thing, I put my hand on the body of the guitar. I feel like there is a better way to do it but there aren't lower strings to rest it on so. What should I do?

It depends on a lot of things, but your answer comes as a natural consequence of losing tension. As 80H said there are so many variables at work that you can't have someone else tell you the right way, it's up to you.

What I can say is to start out by letting your relaxed hand float above the strings. It makes picking hard as * but it tells you what your hand should feel like.
Anchoring should only be about giving you the balance and precision you would otherwise lack if your hand were floating. It's the next stage once you've gotten used to not relying on all that tension anymore

 

[rikomaru]

Thanks for all the feedback guys! And about the low e string thing, I put my hand on the body of the guitar. I feel like there is a better way to do it but there aren't lower strings to rest it on so. What should I do?

My had typically falls into a muted fingerpicking position so that's where i start. I'm a hybrid of technical and sloppy guitarist at times so i tend to adapt to the situation, but i've never had the habit of resting my hand on the body of the instrument. The ridge of my palm is always on the strings unless i free-float. Before i try going into more detail, let me clarify. When you say you put your hand on the body of the guitar, you mean your palm actually contacts the guitar before crossing the strings?

 

[rikomaru]

Here are some pics of my natural hand position. I wear my instrument up high since i like to sit and play a lot, so i definitely make use of those armrests. Please understand that this isn't absolute 'proper' position/technique, but it works well for me. I use my pinky to anchor as well as setting me up to free-float over the strings. Play around with the things these chaps have said and try finding what suits YOU best.

 

[88FingersEdward]

Yeah I guess a better way of explaining it would be like when I'm picking the low E and A strings, I rest the heel of my palm on the body of the guitar. It feels weird when I have to switch to other strings quickly but idk what else to do. I'm trying to learn to tremolo pick faster and also be a more consistent player but it makes I hard when I'm not even sure if my technique is right. You know?

 

[88FingersEdward]

Thank you for the examples btw. I'll definitely try to see if that works for me

 

[Solodini]

Yeah I guess a better way of explaining it would be like when I'm picking the low E and A strings, I rest the heel of my palm on the body of the guitar. It feels weird when I have to switch to other strings quickly but idk what else to do. I'm trying to learn to tremolo pick faster and also be a more consistent player but it makes I hard when I'm not even sure if my technique is right. You know?

That definitely sounds uncomfortable. You tried anchoring your pinky on the treble side of the guitar? I'm not personally keen on that, either, but if you feel the need to anchor then that's probably better.

 

[88FingersEdward]

How do you post a picture on here? I'm trying to show how odd my picking hand is

 

[88FingersEdward]

How do you post a picture on here? I feel like that's the only way to explain my picking more clearly