Clash of Picking Techniques

CraigHensley · May 1

I've been experiencing a frustrating clash of picking techniques. As much as I like rest stroke picking, I find it actually inhibits by ability to play alternating picking technique, and vise versa. It's like having a split personality that doesn't get along. I feel like I really need to chose one or the other, or they both suffer. Does anyone else have this problem?

I just want to play acoustic jazz and be able to switch to dreadnought without feeling an expansive chasm between the two right hand techniques. It's like playing two completely different instruments entirely, except they're both guitars.

Just as a side note, playing jazz on a dreadnought sounds awful in my opinion. Time to look around for a decent archtop, or alternative, as I've never felt good picking a Selmer using alternating picking like Olli does. Guys like Frank Vignola, Jonathon Stout, and Matt Munisteri seem to be using alternating picking technique on their archtops with great success, while still being able to jam with gypsy pickers.

What's your thoughts on this?

Joonas · May 1

I like how Martin Taylor sounds here on a dreadnought but tastes vary of course:

Bernie's Tune | Collaborations | Tommy Emmanuel & Martin Taylor - YouTube

I myself gypsy pick a dreadnought (but I've never played a gypsy guitar, so I don't know how different it would be)...

Ex: Premier rendez-vous

On an electric arhtop I Joe-Pass-style gypsy pick (string changes down but I hold my thumb against the strings rather than away from them and I do not necesserily reststroke:

Ex: No Problem

The blues etudes (for ex: Blues etude ) on my channel were most likely alternate picked, I recorded them over a year ago and then sold my guitar, so I haven't practiced that for about a year. But I am already in the process of buying myself again a solidbody electric and then we'll see how it goes.

CraigHensley · May 1

That Martin Taylor tune is awesome. Your picking sounds good. I take back my jazz on dreadnought comment. What pick are you using on the dreadnought track?

Joonas · May 1

I use a Arjen Keijzer AK2 pick, its 4.5mm thick. Before that, for the Denis Chang etude on my channel, I used a Timber Tones Buffalo Horn pick. Very good sound and feel in my opinion, but its not that loud as the Arjen Keijzer.

pdg · May 1

Bireli is fluent in both techniques, using rest stroke picking on Selmer-type guitars, and alternate picking (resting the wrist behind the bridge) on flattops and electrics (I think!).

Joonas · 3:01AM

Yes! I'm also not exactly sure that Frank Vignola did not gypsy pick when he was playing with Jimmy Rosenberg. I know that at least for triplets Frank prefers the DUD-DUD-DUD pattern instead of the pure alternate DUD-UDU-DUD. In fact Frank was the first guy I learned that way to accent the triplets from, he shows it on Youtube too but I was subscribed to his TrueFire for a couple of months.