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Topic: pick blocking |
Bill Brown
From:
Canadian, Oklahoma, USA
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Posted 25 Feb 2005 5:32 pm |
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| i know i am going to get a million answers on this but i have a friend who plays by pickblocking only and plays fantastic but i play palm blocking and sound like ,,,, which is better and faster i know palmblocking is from the old days but a lot of people pick block now when you pick block do you use your left hand your last2 fingers to help mute strings |
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Whip Lashaway
From:
Monterey, Tenn, USA
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Posted 25 Feb 2005 5:55 pm
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Bill
You need to learn as many different types of blocking as you can. There are times and places for all of them depending on what you're doing, where you're going, where you're coming from, where you want to end up, how many people are watching, how much you've had to drink (if you're a drinking man). The more you have in you're basket of tricks the more you have to draw from. There isn't any one way better or worse. It's all relative. (I'm not talking aunt's, uncle's, cousin's, etc...) Good Luck my friend!!!
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Whip Lashaway
Sierra E9/B6 12 string
Sierra E9/B6 14 string
78' Emmons D10 P/P
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Gary Shepherd
From:
Fox, Oklahoma, USA
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Posted 26 Feb 2005 9:54 am
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For me, pick blocking works best when I'm staying on the same 3 or 4 strings. Phrases that move accross several strings require palm blocking. I prefer to pick block whenever possible because I get a crisper sound.
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Gary Shepherd
Sierra Session D-10
www.16tracks.com
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Donny Hinson
From:
Glen Burnie, Md. U.S.A.
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Posted 26 Feb 2005 6:09 pm
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| Quote: |
| ...i have a friend who plays by pickblocking only... |
I'm not saying I doubt you, but...
Well...yes...
I am.
I don't think I've ever seen a player who doesn't do at least some palm blocking. It's natural to have some part of your palm on the strings sometime when you're playing. Using pick blocking exclusively would mean a player could block no more strings than they had picks, so a "sweep" chord would just ring until you lifted the bar or backed off the VP. I'll wager your friend does mostly pick blocking, but also uses his palm and doesn't really notice it.
Pick blocking is usually faster - you can move your fingers faster than you can move your whole hand. Either technique will sound bad if you do it wrong...and good if you do it right.  |
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Larry Bell
From:
Englewood, Florida
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Posted 26 Feb 2005 6:35 pm
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Donny,
You need to watch Joe Wright. You'll revise your opinion. His right hand is so far from the strings he couldn't palm block if he had to. I HAVE seen him practicing palm blocking just to have a more complete command of techniques. It IS impossible to pick block and 'half mute' or staccatto mute a la the 60s -- or like Chet Atkins muted the lower strings.
Joe and Paul Franklin are two players I've watched pretty closely whose palms never touch the strings. They DO use left hand techniques and sometimes don't block at all, but both can play an entire night with no palm blocking at all -- as can many others who have learned from them.
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Larry Bell - email: larry@larrybell.org - gigs - Home Page
2003 Fessenden S/D-12 8x8, 1969 Emmons S-12 6x6, 1971 Dobro, Standel and Peavey Amps
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Tom Stolaski
From:
Huntsville, AL, USA
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Posted 27 Feb 2005 10:34 am
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I remember a Franklin lesson tape where he says that you should not switch between pick blocking and palm blocking. You need to choose one.
I tend to pick block more on E9th than C6th. |
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Donny Hinson
From:
Glen Burnie, Md. U.S.A.
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Posted 27 Feb 2005 11:33 am
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| Quote: |
| You need to watch Joe Wright. You'll revise your opinion. |
So...he never uses it, then?
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| I HAVE seen him practicing palm blocking just to have a more complete command of techniques. |
Exactly! (Kinda shot yourself in the foot, there, didn't you Larry!  ) If he never used it, he wouldn't waste time practicing it.
| Quote: |
| I remember a Franklin lesson tape where he says that you should not switch between pick blocking and palm blocking. |
Well, if Mr. Franklin did say that, I respectfully disagree with him. And I'd also disagree with anyone else who said it, too.
Get your heads out of the sand, guys. No player, regardless of his fame or talent, should dictate to the rest of us exactly how to play.
Music is an art, not a science. There are no "hard, fast" rules. |
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Larry Bell
From:
Englewood, Florida
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Posted 27 Feb 2005 11:40 am
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Donny,
No foot shooting here, my friend. I'm not sure what you're reading, but, in response to
quote:...i have a friend who plays by pickblocking only...
YOU SAID:
I'm not saying I doubt you, but...
Well...yes...
I am.
I don't think I've ever seen a player who doesn't do at least some palm blocking.
That is the quote, right?
I SAID
Donny,
You need to watch Joe Wright. You'll revise your opinion. His right hand is so far from the strings he couldn't palm block if he had to.
What is inconsistent about that?????
JOE DOES NOT PALM BLOCK ON THE BANDSTAND -- AND NEITHER, FOR THAT MATTER, DOES PAUL FRANKLIN
I simply mentioned I'd seen Joe 'trying to get the hang of palm blocking' because it was so foreign to his style. YOU are the one who jumped to the conclusion that he'd used that technique in his playing.
I have played several shows with Joe and have played a jam session sitting right next to him. HIS PALM DOES NOT TOUCH THE STRINGS. PERIOD. END OF STORY.
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Larry Bell - email: larry@larrybell.org - gigs - Home Page
2003 Fessenden S/D-12 8x8, 1969 Emmons S-12 6x6, 1971 Dobro, Standel and Peavey Amps[This message was edited by Larry Bell on 27 February 2005 at 11:46 AM.] |
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Bob Carlucci
From:
Candor, New York, USA
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Posted 27 Feb 2005 1:16 pm
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| wow |
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Donny Hinson
From:
Glen Burnie, Md. U.S.A.
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Posted 27 Feb 2005 3:39 pm
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Larry, I'll admit to never having seen Joe Wright. However, you said...
| Quote: |
| I HAVE seen him practicing palm blocking just to have a more complete command of techniques. |
And then you said, in your follow-up...
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| I simply mentioned I'd seen Joe 'trying to get the hang of palm blocking' because it was so foreign to his style. |
To me, those two quotes don't infer the same thing at all. But, if you say Joe never uses palm blocking, I'll certainly take you at your word.
As for Mr. Franklin, maybe he'll jump in here and say the same thing! |
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Larry Bell
From:
Englewood, Florida
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Posted 27 Feb 2005 3:56 pm
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'practicing' is the operative word.
Anyone who knows Joe Wright will attest to the fact that he would not practice anything on the bandstand. Sorry if I misled you. When he was 'practicing', he was just sitting in his booth with a practice board.
If you haven't seen Joe play, you have a treat -- actually several of them -- ahead of you.
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Larry Bell - email: larry@larrybell.org - gigs - Home Page
2003 Fessenden S/D-12 8x8, 1969 Emmons S-12 6x6, 1971 Dobro, Standel and Peavey Amps
[This message was edited by Larry Bell on 27 February 2005 at 03:57 PM.] |
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Franklin
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Posted 28 Feb 2005 7:38 am
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The only time I use palm blocking is on the C6th when I try to emulate the Curly Chalker style.
Since I started at 9 years old, pick blocking was how I blocked before I knew there was palm blocking. Palm blocking single notes does not work for me. Pick blocking is easy for me because of the way I hold my right hand. I always tell students to hold their right hand in a position that feels natural and let that comfort zone determine the best technique to use.
Paul
[This message was edited by Franklin on 28 February 2005 at 07:41 AM.] |
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Donny Hinson
From:
Glen Burnie, Md. U.S.A.
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Posted 28 Feb 2005 10:00 am
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Thank you, Paul!  |
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Winnie Winston
From:
Tawa, Wellington, NZ * R.I.P.
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Posted 28 Feb 2005 2:14 pm
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At a Joe Wright seminar in Australia a few years ago, the question pick blocking vs. palm blocking came up.
Joe said he usually pick blocks but that palm blocking has its place-- and proceeded to play a bunch of palm blocked stuff.
Then he got that little grin and said, "didn't think In knew how, huh?"
He did.
JW |
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Franklin
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Posted 1 Mar 2005 7:25 am
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Donny,
I should make this perfectly clear. All of my single note playing on the C6th is muted by pick blocking. ONLY when I try to emulate FAST chordal rides in the style of Chalker do I find that I am using palm blocking.
This is another thing about pick blocking that is crucial; if you want a punchy attack the strings must be played forcefully.
Paul [This message was edited by Franklin on 01 March 2005 at 07:28 AM.] |
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Tom Stolaski
From:
Huntsville, AL, USA
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Posted 1 Mar 2005 7:36 am
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| I have no problem pick blocking on very fast runs. When I am pick blocking on slow stuff the "pick chatter" is more noticeable when muting the strings with picks. Is there a secret to this, or does it just go away after years of playing? |
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Howard Tate
From:
Leesville, Louisiana, USA, R.I.P.
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Posted 1 Mar 2005 9:25 am
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Paul, do you have some right hand excercise you do away from the steel? Thanks.
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Howard, 'Les Paul Recording, Zum S12U, Vegas 400, Boss ME-5, Boss DM-3
http://www.Charmedmusic.com
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Billy Peddycoart
From:
champain,IL US.
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Posted 1 Mar 2005 9:51 am
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| what Paul said!! buy Paul's video and just keep working at it. he show's it very well on the video,and like he said attack the string hard and clean. Billy www.freewebs.com/billypeddycoart/ |
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Howard Tate
From:
Leesville, Louisiana, USA, R.I.P.
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Posted 1 Mar 2005 12:01 pm
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Thank's Billy, but my question was about excercise away from the steel. I think Joe Wright has some things he does when he's not picking and I wondered if Paul did the same to keep his hands in shape. I sometimes spin three golf balls in my hand, but there's probably a better way. Maybe this should have been a separate thread.
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Howard, 'Les Paul Recording, Zum S12U, Vegas 400, Boss ME-5, Boss DM-3
http://www.Charmedmusic.com
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