Nay, Bill, Nay. The right hand is the hardest part for me. It's where
all your emotional content is, your tone of voice, your expressiveness
(or lack thereof) is, in my opinion. And I couldn't hold my pick the
way some other people do either. There are some pretty ineffective
grips out there. I think if you study up a bit you'll see that there
are a lot of common traits about great technique. It's not haphazard.

And then there's Thumbs Carlisle...
TB

On Jan 11, 2:07 pm, Bill Burnette <[email protected]> wrote:
> I think all this stuff about pick grip is much ado about nothing. Lots of
> great pickers hold their picks all different ways. I've never thought much
> about how I hold it- I had to look when this thread started. Seems to me to
> be an individual comfort thing... there's no way I could hold my pick the
> way some people do.
>
> Bill in Nashville
>
> On Mon, Jan 11, 2010 at 1:58 PM, Topher Gayle <[email protected]> wrote:
> > Robin,
>
> > Interesting question. Not sure what you mean. How is your thumb
> > curved? Up, down, sideways, in out, or what?
>
> > Glad to hear you got such a useful gene, though. It must come in handy
> > (har har).
>
> > Topher
>
> > On Mon, Jan 11, 2010 at 11:31 AM, Robin Gravina <[email protected]>
> > wrote:
> > > Just a curious question. There are people with straight thumbs, and
> > > then those who have been lucky enough to get the gene for brains,
> > > charm, good looks and a curved thumb.
> > > Curiously enough, I am in the latter group. Do we curved thumbers do
> > > it different from our straight digit cousins? Just wondering.
> > > Actually, the curve means you either hold the thumb bent, or use the
> > > joint, rather than the bone.
> > > An important issue I feel
>
> > > 2010/1/10, Linda <[email protected]>:
> > >> I thank yall for the advice and since I have a quiet weekend here I
> > >> can try em out.
> > >> The one thing from the article, that I need to try and pay more
> > >> attention to is ..
> > >> Mike says its best to learn a tune slow, then after a time speed it
> > >> up.  I do that but feel an enormous pressure to be able to play it
> > >> fast and start to do that before I really should.
>
> > >> I like most tunes in slow mode for my personal enjoyment,  but its the
> > >> pressure when playing with others to play fast and my wish to get
> > >> there and be able to play with others well, that seems to drive this
> > >> rushing thing that is not really doing me any good at all.  And he
> > >> says it may be a long tme before I can play well ...fast, at my age, I
> > >> don't know if it will happen in time that fuels it too.
>
> > >> I have thought maybe just develop a list of slow tunes and try to make
> > >> them terrific..as a way to get around that.
>
> > >> Almost every tune I get ..is one that at first I feel like I could
> > >> never be able to play and by the next lesson, most times, I find I
> > >> can..and that I can do things I did not think I could.  Mike is always
> > >> pushing the bar with what I am assigned to do.  Seems the mind game is
> > >> a lot of the battle.  I have to just calm down and approach it, see
> > >> what I can achieve and am always pleasantly surprised.
>
> > >> Brian I don't have your problem with the mirror but still need a small
> > >> one ..for a different reason...<G>.
> > >> Maybe pisces look better underwater.
>
> > >> linda
>
> > >> On Jan 10, 3:39 am, Topher Gayle <[email protected]> wrote:
> > >>> Here are some ideas for hitting both strings in a course. Lots of
> > >>> folks have trouble with this at first.
>
> > >>> If you're not sure if you are hitting both strings, tune one of them
> > >>> quite a bit flat. Then play some sort of exercise on that pair. The
> > >>> worse it sounds, the better you're picking. Try to make both tones
> > >>> sound equally loud. Then you know you're hitting them both. Tune back
> > >>> up for the rest of your practicing!
>
> > >>> I find that using rest strokes, where the pick comes to rest against
> > >>> the next course, is useful for helping me get into the groove of
> > >>> hitting both strings. Sometimes you'll want to use them while playing,
> > >>> and sometimes not. But they're a good way to get the feel of hitting
> > >>> both strings.
>
> > >>> I like to describe the action as "pushing the pick through the
> > >>> strings," rather than plucking the strings. in other words the strings
> > >>> get pushed down towards the top of the instrument by the tip of the
> > >>> pick and then make noise on the rebound. the strings get out of the
> > >>> way of the pick, not the other way around. The only way you can do
> > >>> that is to push the tip of the pick more or less parallel to the top
> > >>> of the instrument, with no dodging up and down. A firm grip helps.
>
> > >>> It helps to rotate the pick a little bit - either with the end towards
> > >>> the neck down a little (maybe 15-20 degrees) and up (as John Reischman
> > >>> does). This way the strings slide along the end of the pick more than
> > >>> grab. You'll get less pick noise, too. Experiment with different
> > >>> picks, too.
>
> > >>> Maybe some of this might be helpful. There are many approaches. What
> > >>> matters is getting the sound, while not hurting yourself.
>
> > >>> Topher
>
> > >>> On Sat, Jan 9, 2010 at 7:36 AM, Dasspunk <[email protected]> wrote:
> > >>> > When it's going good... real good... I'll blow off everything to keep
> > >>> > it going. I try (in vain) to keep THAT in my muscle memory. Make THAT
> > >>> > my habit. Mike would probably say he does the same thing but his
> > worst
> > >>> > days are still better than my best. He can be annoying in that way ;)
>
> > >>> > Playing back by the bridge forces me to play more evenly, more
> > >>> > accurately and apply the correct amount of force to the stroke. In my
> > >>> > experience, there's a perfect amount of force--and it's probably less
> > >>> > than you'd think-- that produces the most sound... and the right
> > >>> > sound.
>
> > >>> > Again, I'm not sure if my words will translate into the proper
> > >>> > meaning... it's tough to describe.
>
> > >>> > One bit of advice I always give that helped me a ton is this:
> > practice
> > >>> > in a mirror. Watch your right hand. Look at Mike's right hand and try
> > >>> > to make your right hand look like his (or Bill's). Try, try, try,
> > try,
> > >>> > try.
>
> > >>> > Now if you're practicing in the mirror you find yourself distracted
> > by
> > >>> > your own incredible good looks, you're probably a Sagittarius like me
> > >>> > and you'll need to get a smaller mirror :)
>
> > >>> > B
>
> > >>> > On Jan 9, 8:47 am, Linda <[email protected]> wrote:
> > >>> >>  I like the idea of the pencil eraser and will think on that some.
>
> > >>> >> The Tater says I am only playing the top string of two sometimes.
> >  He
> > >>> >> wants me to use the area just near the bridge more.   I find it
> > >>> >> difficult to push through...push the pick through the strings in
> > that
> > >>> >> spot.  Am working on it.
> > >>> >> Sometimes when I practice, I trying playing looser and give all real
> > >>> >> attention to what the right had is doing, not worrying too much
> > about
> > >>> >> the fretting (which gets sloppy when not attending).  So far, I find
> > >>> >> there is improvement but I sure wish I had a way to know for sure
> > when
> > >>> >> I am getting it right.
> > >>> >> Brian, you are right about getting it right and how it feels.  Every
> > >>> >> now and again in the lesson I get a thumbs up, which means I am
> > doing
> > >>> >> it the right way.
> > >>> >> Feels like going to the moon in rocket....
> > >>> >> linda
>
> > >>> >> On Jan 10, 12:53 am, 14strings <[email protected]> wrote:
>
> > >>> >> > Maybe the mental image of striking both strings with equal force
> > and
> > >>> >> > contemporaneously helps the process of digging in and keeping the
> > >>> >> > pick
> > >>> >> > on the stringS. Many of us have the poor technique (myself
> > included)
> > >>> >> > of catching just one string in a pair. That will give us half the
> > >>> >> > volume and half the tone. Half the fun.
>
> > >>> >> > Perry
>
> > >>> > --
> > >>> > You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google
> > >>> > Groups "Taterbugmando" group.
> > >>> > To post to this group, send email to [email protected].
> > >>> > To unsubscribe from this group, send email to
> > >>> > [email protected]<taterbugmando%[email protected]>
> > .
> > >>> > For more options, visit this group
> > >>> > athttp://groups.google.com/group/taterbugmando?hl=en.
>
> > > --
> > > Enviado desde mi dispositivo móvil
>
> > > --
> > > You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups
> > "Taterbugmando" group.
> > > To post to this group, send email to [email protected].
> > > To unsubscribe from this group, send email to
> > [email protected]<taterbugmando%[email protected]>
> > .
> > > For more options, visit this group at
> >http://groups.google.com/group/taterbugmando?hl=en.
>
> > --
> > You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups
> > "Taterbugmando" group.
> > To post to this group, send email to [email protected].
> > To unsubscribe from this group, send email to
> > [email protected]<taterbugmando%[email protected]>
> > .
> > For more options, visit this group at
> >http://groups.google.com/group/taterbugmando?hl=en.
-- 
You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups 
"Taterbugmando" group.
To post to this group, send email to [email protected].
To unsubscribe from this group, send email to 
[email protected].
For more options, visit this group at 
http://groups.google.com/group/taterbugmando?hl=en.


Reply via email to