How Physical Is Fast Picking ? Options

[Ben Higgins]

I'm really interested in how picking fast feels for everyone. We're always told to relax and not play with tension, which I agree with. A relaxed muscle moves easier and faster.

However, in order to demand more performance we still have to make our muscles work right ?

I pick from the wrist but when I start speeding up and playing over my comfort zone, I can feel the muscles engaging somewhere above my elbow. It feels like it's either the tricep or behind the tricep. I'm not consciously 'tensing up' the arm but I'm very conscious of the muscle working. It doesn't hurt and I've not suffered any aches or pains because of it. I've managed to increase the speed and stamina of my picking lately and the speeds which previously felt more 'physical' are now a bit less 'physical'.

To all you fast pickers out there, can you describe how it feels when you pick fast ? I think it would help people who are confused about how relaxed they should be and are afraid of pushing their speed boundaries because they see muscle fatigue as tension so they avoid it and stay in a certain range.

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This post has been edited by Ben Higgins: Feb 10 2012, 10:22 AM

[Gabriel Leopardi]

Well, it's true that the idea is always to keep our muscles and hands the more relaxed possible... however my experience is that when I'm playing very fast my arm muscles contracts and when I reach to my limit (around 150/155 bpm), the contraction is important. I don't think that this is ok, I'm working on being more relaxed even at high speeds.. I think that I will be able to increase my limits if I achieve it.
I also hold my pick stronger when I play faster... this is very progressive from slow to speed playing... the reason for this is to make the picking more effective, the pick doesn't move and is ready to pick again in the inverse direction. For this reason I have to play stronger and this generates more use of the muscles, and also more contraction. My movement is the most common, I move mainly my wrist.. but the whole motion starts a bit from the elbow.

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[Ben Higgins]

Well, it's true that the idea is always to keep our muscles and hands the more relaxed possible... however my experience is that when I'm playing very fast my arm muscles contracts and when I reach to my limit (around 150/155 bpm), the contraction is important. I don't think that this is ok, I'm working on being more relaxed even at high speeds.. I think that I will be able to increase my limits if I achieve it.
I also hold my pick stronger when I play faster... this is very progressive from slow to speed playing... the reason for this is to make the picking more effective, the pick doesn't move and is ready to pick again in the inverse direction. For this reason I have to play stronger and this generates more use of the muscles, and also more contraction. My movement is the most common, I move mainly my wrist.. but the whole motion starts a bit from the elbow.

Yeah that sounds pretty similar to me

I imagine you mean 150/155bpm in triplets ? How are you getting on with Extreme Neo Classic ?

Thanks all!! Lovin' this thread!! I really don't have much to add, as speed picking is my weakness. But thanks for the tips!

Good.. this is exactly what I want it to be here for.. to demistify speed picking. Now we just need Captain Todd Simpson to storm in with some killer input !

Whether I am a valid person to answer ?

Yes you are.. we know how fast that right hand is !

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