Flat Picking. Hitting the String You Aim For

[FretFiend.]

Obviously, flatpicking requires that you be able to move the pick from one string to another accurately, often quite rapidly.

 

In doing this, you have to keep up with what string your pick is on now, and what string you want your pick to go to next. You have to keep some reference as to where your pick is, and your movement to the next string is really relative to that. If you lose that reference, you'll wind up picking the wrong string. If you're in a fast section of your music, that will lead to a series of erroneous notes before you get that reference back.

 

At least that's how I look at it. And losing that reference happens to me waaaay too often.

 

So the methods for keeping that reference to which string you're on vary. Here's the ones I can think of:

Constantly looking at your right hand.

Resting the heel of your right hand on the bridge.

Resting the large muscle part of your upper thumb on the upper strings. Or at least allowing this part of your thumb to occasionally touch an upper string when it's not being used. You may not even be aware you're doing this but it works.

 

Seems that a combination of any or all of these methods are called for at various times.

 

Or , you may be like Doc Watson, where you can just find the string naturally, and you don't have to worry about such trivial stuff.

 

So... Any other flat pickers have any other thoughts on this? Any other useful methods to maybe improve accuracy at hitting the right string at the right moment?

 

Yeah, I know. LOTS OF PRACTICE. I already do that.

[Idunno]

You covered it from the flat picking perspective, I think. At least my experience falls within the run-down you laid out.

 

Disclaimer: I'm not a learned-up flat picker.

 

Another perspective is the thumb pick blade user. You finger pickers yet to develop use of a thumb pick, preferring a bare thumb or use of the thumb nail, you might re-think use of the thumb pick. I use it as I would normally pick strings in finger picking patterns and I also use the blade for flat picking. And, I strum with it. It never slips out of position or flips out of the grip altogether. Yes, it takes some getting used to and a lot of practice to deftly use as I point out. So does a flat pick. Just a suggestion.

[garthman]

. . . . You finger pickers yet to develop use of a thumb pick' date=' preferring a bare thumb or use of the thumb nail, you might re-think use of the thumb pick . . [/quote']

 

No. Sorry, Joe, tried different picks over the years and not taken to them. Thumbnail for me every time

[Idunno]

Make no apologies. I didn't use the thing in such a universal role until recently. I got tired of the switching from fingers to flat pick. Also there was an inexplicable adjustment period, though short, between flat picking and finger picking techniques I had to experience with my picking hand. Using a thumb pick, I roll my hand away a smidge and can switch back and forth on-the-fly between those two techniques.

[panhandler]

I'm a pretty solid flatpicker, and I fail all the time. Good thing is... Usually no one notices but me.

[FretFiend.]

Any idea why you fail? What are you doing to minimize the fail?

[Pocock]

I'm a pretty solid flatpicker' date=' and I fail all the time. Good thing is... Usually no one notices but me. [/quote']

 

Me too.

[acousticdepot]

Failures occur for me based on:

 

- Playing different guitars with different string spacings

- Having a wide strum pattern (between flat picked notes)

- Position of the guitar.

- Not being warmed up.

- Nerves.

 

I try to:

 

- Reduce my strum pattern on songs where there is a lot of flat picking.

- I will brace my palm/wrist on the bridge when I am real nervous.

- Warm up (usually with NY's Tell Me Why)

 

I also find it helpful to hold the pick at a 45 degree angle to the strings when flatpicking (as opposed to being closer to 90 degrees). I don't know why that helps ... but it does.

 

Bob.

[Glenn F]

Play slowly until you have it, and then speed it up. My picking ain't bad, but I can't do double picking or whatever it is called these days. My faster runs still have to be at least part legato.

[flatpickle]

I use right-hand exercises, played slowly, to get my pick hitting the right strings. There is a set of exercises using only open strings that John Moore used when teaching Chris Thile (from Nickel Creek) to play mandolin. I adapted those to guitar and use them. They work well when you stick with them.

 

 

 

There is tablature of these exercises on my blog (left sidebar of the blog unless you use a mobile device) if you want them.

[Grant Harding]

Man - I had to play my guitar just to figure out what I do.

 

When I'm flat picking and singing I lightly plant my pinky on the top as a guide. I can do it without, but I make mistakes here and there and it takes my focus away from singing and engaging.

 

For instrumental stuff I usually try not to touch the top or hold the guitar tight so the whole thing rings as much as possible.

[jamesp]

Wildwood Flower, Fretfriend, over and over and over. And over.

Yes, I know Mother Maybell didn't flatpick.

 

No slacking until you've got it dialed in C. Don't plant your pinky or your palm. Use a metronome to force yourself to play it slowly and slowly speed it up. Once you've got it down, pick another song from flatpickle's website and keep moving.

 

 

 

 

[Neal]

Tried to pm you, but I gotta FOCKING SUBSCRIBE to you before I can?! WTF.

 

Anyway, good job edifying FF on flatpicking. Good choice as well. I subscribed, like your dog would..

[jamesp]

Sorry Neal!

[Neal]

Yeah, screw you.

[jamesp]

[Idunno]

Alternating bass. Pick any chord shape and get that pattern down. Switch to another chord in the key progression while playing that pattern. Switch back to the original chord. Find the turn-around chord and start all over again. The I, IV and V is the progression and alternating bass is the picking pattern, if you want the road map and method of transportation. The metermaid is a good idea if your innate sense of meter is a WIP. That's pretty much everything I sampled at FP's site across the various sound bites he has up there. Country music progressions do not move much away from that - not true country - and placing those alternating bass notes is the signature sound of it. The so-called Travis Style finger picking is just more of the same so picked with the plectrum or fingers it retains the same character.

 

I think the need to play with others is likely the key, though. Get out and do that. In Kentucky I visited the Kentucky Thumb Pickers in Louisville Friday evenings a couple times and could see the educational relevance of those meetings. On Saturday afternoons I'd stay in town (Shelbyville) and join another group for picking. Again, most were new and edging to get the picking patterns and rhythms imprinted in their heads and hands as shown by a couple seasoned players. It was fun watching them get it in their heads and attempting to use body english to put it in their hands. I remembered those days and was reliving their frustrations all over again. I want to say it was as frustrating to me to see them struggling with it as much as it was for them. But, what was absent was the bashfulness. They'd gotten past it and were freed souls to stumble without embarrassment.

 

 

 

[Grant Harding]

As to the OP - I think the work I do on scales and arpeggios for my lead stuff make the biggest difference for me being able to play fast flat-picked rhythms.