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Topic: Rakes with fingerpicks? |
Ben Jones
From:
Seattle, Washington, USA
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Posted 6 May 2010 8:43 am |
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Whats the proper technique (or what is YOUR technique) for getting rakes with fingerpicks on? Do you use all three (or more) picks in a rolling motion? or do you drag the thumbpick? or something else?
I am only interested in the technique for the picking hand with fingerpicks on. I understand what the fretting/bar hand is supposed to be doin and rakes in general.
Thanks for the help.
-Ben |
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Stu Schulman
From:
Ulster Park New Yawk (deceased)
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Posted 6 May 2010 9:28 am
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Ben,I had to think about this...I use my thumb& bird finger at the same time almost like twisting the top off of a jar.Does that make sense? 
_________________
Steeltronics Z-pickup,Desert Rose S-10 4+5,Desert Rose Keyless S-10 3+5... Mullen G2 S-10 3+5,Telonics 206 pickups,Telonics volume pedal.,Blanton SD -10,Emmons GS_10...Zirctone bar,Bill Groner Bar...any amp that isn't broken.Steel Seat.Com seats...Licking paint chips off of Chinese Toys since 1952. |
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Ben Jones
From:
Seattle, Washington, USA
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Posted 6 May 2010 10:29 am
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yeah ....kind of a snapping motion?
I guess now that i think about it, raking is one of those techniques thats far easier to do than to think about HOW you actually do it and try and describe it.
I'll give that one a try, i think I know what you mean. thanks! |
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Stu Schulman
From:
Ulster Park New Yawk (deceased)
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Posted 6 May 2010 10:51 am
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Ben,When I'm playing Western Swing on the E9th with pedals A&B my thumb is on the low E string #8 and the bird is on string #4 That will give you the big 6th chords not as big as a C6th but pretty cool anyway,3rd fret=C6th,For minor use the same strings without pedals and lower your E's 1st fret=A minor....hope this helps.
Stu
_________________
Steeltronics Z-pickup,Desert Rose S-10 4+5,Desert Rose Keyless S-10 3+5... Mullen G2 S-10 3+5,Telonics 206 pickups,Telonics volume pedal.,Blanton SD -10,Emmons GS_10...Zirctone bar,Bill Groner Bar...any amp that isn't broken.Steel Seat.Com seats...Licking paint chips off of Chinese Toys since 1952. |
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Ben Jones
From:
Seattle, Washington, USA
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Posted 6 May 2010 12:41 pm
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Ooops, i should have searched the forum a little more carefully before posting this question. I now see that a rake can mean something different on pedal steel than it does on guitar.
as best as I can tell....
Pedal steel rake: striking more than three strings at once. do i have this right?
Guitar rake: making a percusive sound before sounding the intended note by hitting several muted strings before letting the unmuted string ring out. |
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James Collett
From:
San Dimas, CA
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Posted 6 May 2010 2:42 pm
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As far as the 6-string style... I rake the strings via palm blocking and the thumb, then strike the desired note with my middle finger while raising my palm off of the strings.
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James Collett |
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Ben Jones
From:
Seattle, Washington, USA
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Posted 6 May 2010 2:58 pm
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| Interesting. Thanks James! |
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Pit Lenz
From:
Cologne, Germany
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Posted 6 May 2010 5:47 pm
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You can also mute those raked strings with your left thumb in front of the steel bar.
Use your right thumb slightly angled to rake and your middle finger for the target note.
Works great on the Dobro for me! |
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John Groover McDuffie
From:
LA California, USA
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Posted 6 May 2010 6:55 pm
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I think of a "rake" as a fast arppegio of a three or four note chord, usually from the top note down.
I do it by a backwards strum with my thumbpick. I have seen others use one finger pick.
I am jealous of Ernest Bovine's facility at doing this with his three fingerpicks and thumbpick so fast that it becomes one motion. I can't do it that way yet! |
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Clete Ritta
From:
San Antonio, Texas
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Posted 6 May 2010 8:37 pm
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I tend to rake upward with the thumbpick and the right palm, creating the muted strings sound, and picking the target note with either the 1st or 2nd finger (usually 2nd). On downward rakes, I use my 1st finger pick to rake and the pinky on right hand to mute for the muted strings, then raise the pinky before hitting the target string.
Rake and sweep sound similar.
They are similar in that the motion is a single direction picking of multiple strings, as opposed to alternate or cross picking. Sweeping is generally regarded as the arpeggio technique where each note is heard. Raking is the same technique, but using string muting to create a percussive effect before playing the last note or notes.
Only difference is that raking sounds kinda dirty, and sweeping sounds clean. 
Clete |
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John Scanlon
From:
Jackson, Mississippi, USA
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Ben Jones
From:
Seattle, Washington, USA
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Posted 7 May 2010 8:15 am
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Thanks for that video John, I had heard that Mickey did a video on rakes and had been searching for "rake", "rakes" "raking" etc. I never thought to search for "pick dragging"  and so i never did find it till now
Mickeys video is what i would describe as a backwards or reverse rakes and it was good to see it cause while I found James's and Pit's technique to be working out very well for me on forward rakes, i wasnt sure how to acheive a reverse one.
Thanks for all the help everyone, i will try out all these suggestions. I made exccellent progress last night with James and Pits techniques, now with just a little more practice i can get em nice and snappy and then proceed to annoy everyone by over using them on the start of every phrase I play  |
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Bo Borland
From:
South Jersey -
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Posted 7 May 2010 12:41 pm
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| I use my thumb .. forwards or backwards.. |
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Dan Blaisdell
From:
Raleigh, North Carolina, USA
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Posted 7 May 2010 4:57 pm
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I prefer to drag/rake with index and middle high to low. Sometimes adjacent strings; sometimes with a string in between and sometimes staccato too.
_________________
GFI Ultra SD10 3+4,[Sarno Black Box], Hilton VP, Zoom MS-50, Special 130, Walker cases, Cobra Coil strings/bar, Not enough time. |
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