General Music Chat

I'm going to pose this question here since I've seen a bump in guitar related threads...

I'm generally really adept at finding answers to my questions on the internet - except when answers conflict. In this case, my question revolves around the best way to position the pick hand to achieve precision and speed.

There are two issues I'm interested in: (1) arm vs. wrist movement and (2) contact vs. floating hand.

The first issue bugs me because I've read so many conflicting reports on that particular topic. I've read people who say you have to move from the elbow if you want to play fast and that movement from the wrist will slow you down. I've read the exact opposite too - some people say moving from the wrist is faster and movement from the elbow is slower because of the larger fulcrum. So I don't know who to believe.

The second issue deals with how much of the pick hand can/should be on the actual guitar body. I've read people who say your hand should float completely free from the guitar and that anchoring or touching the guitar is bad because it can build tension. Others say anchoring/touching can help stabilize the hand and create more precision. I'm not sure what to think, especially when I see people like Michael Angelo Batio who anchors at least two of his fingers completely:
[url]
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hb5QaCfm7bg[/url]

Of course, there's a third camp of people in here who say the stupid, "Do whatever you feel". I call B.S. Cop out. I've been doing what I feel for 16 years and it's caused me to plateau when it comes to speed. I notice a definite limitation on my pick hand based on how I'm holding the pick, my angle of attack, my arm, my wrist, etc.

So I'm looking for input. Maybe the input here will be as varied as it is on the other places I've checked. Maybe not. But it seems to me we have some talented guitar players here and it would be a shame not to ask for their opinions.

Fire away.

I have always been able to pick faster (alternate) using my whole arm pivoting from the elbow.... the problem is, I get tired after a while, especially if Im going over 140 bpms on 16th notes.

I was able to pick as fast now using my hand pivoting from the wrist but it took me a long time to develop speed with a metronome.


Ive watched Yngwie Malmsteen, Tony MacAlpine, Paul Gilbert and John Petrucci live and noticed that they have little or no movement involving the whole arm.

So I would say that using the hand pivoting from the wrist would be the proper technique.

I play standing up so i never rest my hand on the guitar and is always floating.

You know, I'm not so sure I'm a good candidate to answer these questions. I've been told that I do almost everything wrong, but somehow my leads are fine. I just do what always came natural to me. Whatever gets me from point a-b is what I'll do.

I personally anchor my pinky. It's weird to most people, but I've just always done it. I also don't angle my pick at all. I strike it flat. So it goes against the norm of solo playing. But after doing it for 25-years, it's just the way I do it.

If you look closely at this picture, you'll see my pinky anchored:

@Shredd: Your hand looks about like mine does. I used to anchor my pinky even more severely than that, to the point where it looked like I was going to break it by bowing it back so far. I've worked really hard to try and eliminate the anchoring and instead make it more of a 'resting' to create looseness in my hand and arm; the difference being that with an anchored pinky it does not move at all, and with a resting pinky it slides over the guitar body as your hand moves up and down the strings from lo/hi.

I just found a pretty neat Gilbert video where he shows what he does with his thumb and forefinger. I'm going to check my forefinger when I get home because I don't think I'm doing that part correct enough.

@jsantos: Yeah, I've studied Petrucci's motion quite a bit and it always looked to me like his fulcrum was at his wrist. But I like getting a second and third opinion on all this stuff I'm particularly grateful to you for informing me about your previous elbow motion and how switching to a wrist motion took time for you.

I've always picked with a wrist motion, but I kept reading over and over from people saying they get speed with an elbow motion. And that just seems counter to known physics. It's a longer stroke when your fulcrum is that far away from the strings. Glad to hear you switched and have had success with a wrist motion.

I probably should stay out of this as I am really not that experienced of a player. But I never let that stop me before.
In playing leads I tend to anchor with my forearm and pinky.
My forearm holds to the top edge of the guitar body. My pinky usually touches the base of the bridge p/u.
So for playing notes vs chords I play from the wrist.
I have yet to develope a lot of speed in my playing.

Interesting subject.

@Shredd: Your hand looks about like mine does. I used to anchor my pinky even more severely than that, to the point where it looked like I was going to break it by bowing it back so far. I've worked really hard to try and eliminate the anchoring and instead make it more of a 'resting' to create looseness in my hand and arm; the difference being that with an anchored pinky it does not move at all, and with a resting pinky it slides over the guitar body as your hand moves up and down the strings from lo/hi.

Yea, I guess by that description you can say I rest my pinky. I tend to agree that it would seem elbow strokes wouldn't create in ideal way to gain speed. I've seen people do it though. But I would have to say that the FASTEST players I've seen are all wrist.

If you look closely at this guy, you'll see that he picks something like a 45 degree angle to the strings:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=THXCi3H3NzM

You'll see some of the same technique in this lesson.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0MfgzxESg7w

I suppose I should adopt some of these techniques, but it's just not so necessary for Reggae music. Not a whole lotta speed involved.

I'm no speed shredder by any means, but when I play fast or slow, my forearm rests lightly on the top of my guitar and my right hand rests even more lightly atop the bridge with just the side/heel of my hand touching. I get the speed from my wrist while the heel of my hand mutes the lower strings that aren't getting played. It isn't anchored, but glides back and forth as I pick different strings. My right hand, while fretting the strings I play, also mutes the higher strings that aren't being played. I never learned any of this anywhere, it's just what I naturally do. Which means, it's probably wrong.

PICK HAND HAS TO BE COMPLETELY FREE OF THE GUITAR, PERIOD..........................................

IT HAS TO BE FREE TO DO WHAT RATSASS JUST EXPLAINED

Really? Cause in the video link I posted that extremely fast guy even anchors (or rests) his ring finger. It's just all about getting from point A-B however it works for you.

Rythyms, CLEAN COMPING, I think I can play as fast as most drummers using two sticks covering one string or three strings or all six. MY HAND IS FREE AND I ONLY HAVE TO COVER A SMALL AREA.
RATSASS BROUGHT UP SOME AMAZING POINTS. When your " PICKIN"
espcially with a "hot rig" you have to also be be able to damp. The better the gear the more you can hear.
One of the reasons I think JEFF and JEFF and KERRY are players is their pick hands, thats where the timing starts..
YOU BROUGHT UP A GOOD THREAD
THANX

My guitar teacher was extremely fast. He anchored his pinky for better accuracy. His picking was at a 45 degree angle to the string. He used extremely hard little picks with pointy tips - the clear, colored, hard plastic ones. He was accurate. He was fast. His style of playing seemed very uninteresting to me, though, as it was just flying up & down the neck with little if any melody. He seemed to almost use his forefinger & thumb instead of his wrist or forearm when he was flying along. It was a style of playing I couldn't do at all, due prolly from a lack of interest.

YEAH !! Once you get to that level of speed ,,, does it really matter. Seems that the fretboard hand comes into play here , I get bored when I hear that sort of stuff too....

For 150 million MPH pickin' >>>> all elbow... stiff wrist

I notice I sometimes rest my pinky on my pick guard but when playing live my pickin' hand is floatin' around.... free of any contact with the guitar....except strings of course...

I used to use slow motion video to study the fights is my school so my self and my students could see where their strengths and weakness lay.

I am going to try this with my playing, for in truth the more I think about it the less certain I am.