Suggestions for improving picking technique

Scott Hiestand · Post by **Scott Hiestand** » 20 Jan 2021 6:16 am

After about a 5 year hiatus, I'm back into playing steel. I started in 1998 or so. One thing I've always struggled with is playing fast licks cleanly. To this day I'll still miss strings or just graze them, even practicing a lick or run over and over. I'm a musician from way back and I know all about playing something cleanly slowly and then starting to up the tempo, regardless of instrument. But I feel like I should be better considering all the years I've put in. Granted, my focus has always been more on sweet and melodic playing and less on speed, but now that I'm retired I'd like to simply inmprove now that I have the time.

Any suggestion or tips for this would be appreciated (I realize there are no "short-cuts")....

Dale Rivard · Post by **Dale Rivard** » 20 Jan 2021 9:39 am

Hi Scott, In order to play fast licks cleanly, there must be an economy of motion technique wise. It doesn't matter if you palm block, pick block, a combination of both or whatever, the least amount of movement between picking and blocking needs to happen in order to play fast and clean. When learning a new fast passage, you may need to experiment with different fingerings to see what works best for you because we're all different. Break everything down into tiny increments. And, it's like you say, you can't play fast licks quickly, right away, straight out of the gate. You need to start them slowly, ensuring you're always playing cleanly. Then, slowly increase the tempo. It's a slow, tedious process and again like you say, there are no short cuts. Then, there's the other part of the equation of playing fast, how fast the brain works! Something I forgot to mention, if you're missing strings sometimes, maybe you're not playing deep enough into the strings. Personally, I think you should play with the meat of the pick and not just the tip. Something else I just thought of, maybe you're not leaving enough blade of the pick extending past your finger tip. And/or the angle of the blade my need to be altered depending on your hand position. Many things to look at.

Ron Hogan · Post by **Ron Hogan** » 21 Jan 2021 6:40 am

Scott, Dale hit all the important "nail on the head" aspects.

Here's a couple links that will teach you passages that you can use with Dale's ideas.

CLICK HERE

CLICK HERE

Ron

Scott Hiestand · Post by **Scott Hiestand** » 21 Jan 2021 10:58 am

Thanks guys!

Dale, I think you may be on to something with pick angles and how "deeply" I play into the strings. I need to experiment some with that stuff because I do think that's part of my issue. I'm pretty sure the "amount" of pick extending off my fingers is about correct. I've been doing the slow tempo and "breaking licks down" stuff for years, in fact that's how I learn almost all my licks/solos. Copying phrases is actually the one thing I'm good at lol.

Ron, I will check out those links for sure, thx again!