Is there a correct way to do pick scrapes?

[Rocinante]

I'd never thought there could be much technique involved in playing pick scrapes, but when I do it I never get the same sound I hear from guys like EVH, Alex Lifeson, etc. Usually, I get a very pronounced high frequency scratch noise without the lower-frequency woosh I hear other players get. It lacks all the balls and energy I'm looking for. I've tried different picks and different amps but to no avail.

 

I also find it difficult to drop pick scrapes into a riff because of having to change the way I hold the pick for the scrape and then change it back again for picking.

 

How do you people hold the pick for this? How far down the string do you have to take the pick to get that wooshing sound, and do you need to have a certain tone from your amp to get it to sound right?

[Poparad]

Keep holding the pick the way you do when normally playing. When doing a pick scrape, turn your wrist downward so that you're now using the side of the pick. The side works best for pick scrapes, and by moving your hand at the wrist you won't have to reposition the pick with your fingers at all.

[Rocinante]

Originally posted by Poparad Keep holding the pick the way you do when normally playing. When doing a pick scrape, turn your wrist downward so that you're now using the side of the pick. The side works best for pick scrapes, and by moving your hand at the wrist you won't have to reposition the pick with your fingers at all.

But this is what I have a problem with. I guess my question should have read, do you turn the pick so your thumb is on the left or the right?

[Tarv]

This my sound stupid, but what kind of amp are you using?

 

Eddie was using a cranked marshall stack. The tend to bring the "balls" out of anything you do!

[Rocinante]

Originally posted by Tarv This my sound stupid, but what kind of amp are you using? Eddie was using a cranked marshall stack. The tend to bring the "balls" out of anything you do!

I've had many amps, but they've always been preamp distortion types. Is that the key?

[Poparad]

 

Originally posted by Rocinante But this is what I have a problem with. I guess my question should have read, do you turn the pick so your thumb is on the left or the right?

 

 

I don't think it really matters. If I'm doing one near the bridge (and more towards the right side of my body), I'll probably just keep my hand as is, which would leave the thumb on the left. However, if I were to go all the way down the neck (and more on the left side of my body), I would probably rotate my hand, putting the thumb on the right. I'm still holding the pick the same way in both situations.

[SuperBuggy]

I think this tends to sound cooler with some power amp distortion or just a good distorted tone without TOO much gain. A lot of getting an awesome pick scrape is going slower and slowly picking it up (starting slower towards the bridge and speeding up gradually as you approach the headstock). "It's all in the wrist"