QUOTE (Nihilist1 @ Jun 16 2012, 05:14 AM)
I think you may need to choke up on your guitar pick, friend. Try using the least amount of guitar pick possible. It will allow for greater accuracy, control, and dare I say, AMAZING pinch harmonics.
Well said!
I usually choke up to where only the tip is extending. Much easier to control the strikes that way. If a player has trained his hand to pick without choking up, it's going to take some effort to retrain but it's possible.
QUOTE (Marcost @ Jun 16 2012, 07:10 AM)
Hi all,
This is my experience - I used thin picks for many years (and I mean many - 20+) but really struggled with speed and accuracy. Changing to a heavier pick a couple of years ago seemed like a backward step at the time, but it has absolutely transformed my playing.
In my mind, the fewer floppy things there are in the string/pick vicinity the better. With a heavier pick, only the string is going to give way and I was amazed after a while how I could 'feel' the strings much better than I ever could. I can now really feel how the movement of my whole hand translates into each string. This gives me much better control and dynamics.
It also really helps with speed for me, because I can feel the pick sitting on either side of the string when alternate picking. And I can also do simple sweep picking now, which I never could before, and i think that is for the same reason.
It has also relaxed my right hand and finger grip, again because the string is going to move rather than the pick. This was important for me because I was getting pain in my right hand and fingers, through gripping too hard and moving my fingers rather than my wrist.
I currently use dunlop tortex 1.14mm (purple ones).
Best regards
Martin
BINGO! And well said
QUOTE (Arpeggio @ Jun 16 2012, 07:23 AM)
How about the type of guitar and how it is set up?
I have a Jackson RP3 (now discontinued) its action is average not particularly low. I once tried an Ibanez in a shop and the strings were so low it felt weird from what I am used to, but I assumed it was to minimize movement for things like sweep picking etc? On my RP3 the higher up the neck you go the further away the strings are from the frets. I can't get the action any lower without string buzz so sweeped arpeggios above the 12th fret would be more tricky.
I'd love to know!
"So low it felt wierd" Well, to each his own
But having the strings low can make certain aspect of play easier. It's not an accident that many of the players I'm fond of have many elements in common in terms of setup. Low string action among them. Some folks really want to work for it and set the action high and it's just awesome for them so more power to them. Personally, I can't stand guitars that are set that way, but whatever works.
As for your guitar, if you want to get the action lower and reduce buzz, and since it's a pretty nice Axe, I'd suggest taking it to a music shop and talking to their guitar tech to see if he can set it up a bit better. You can try it yourself, but if you are not careful, you'll just make it worse.
QUOTE (Arpeggio @ Jun 17 2012, 06:55 AM)
You think so? The neck is straight. A slightly higher nut (0.5mm or so) would make lowering the strings more equal from the 1st to the 24th fret. At the moment if you lower the bridge the 12th and above is fine but down the bottom of the neck not so much. I wouldn't be suprised if shred guitars have slightly higher nuts, maybe I need a higher nut.
Without relying too much on "maybe" just take it in and see what they say. Could be a simple fix
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