The Steel Guitar Forum

This is probably a difficult question to answer since everyone has their own technique, but I'm trying to practice chiming and haven't been able to hit the chime reliably or make it sound as clean as I'd like. I'm curious what techniques you all use and if anyone has any tips. The way I'm doing it is splitting the difference on the neck from where my bar is and then trying to touch the string with the first knuckle on my pinky finger while picking the string with my thumb pick. Sometimes it comes out nicely, but often times it's just muted, too quiet, or I hear the pick action too much. Maybe it's just going to take that much practice...?

Ulric Utsi-Åhlin wrote:Octave touch point w/ thumb pick,third finger picks ;
Clint,I didn´t get Your take on it,as I git it,You´d
be picking the "west" side of the string length,but
I might have gotten it the wrong way around,nothing
new there...McUtsi

So you're technique is to pick on the "East" side of the touch? I don't think I've tried that. Do you then touch the string with your bare thumb or do you actually touch the string with the pick?

I've been working on using my right-hand ring finger to touch the string at an octave fret, and plucking behind the ring finger (i.e. the side towards the pickup) with my thumb pick. Pretty easy to do while practicing at home, just need to get really clean with it on stage. Here's a highly detailed picture to illustrate said technique:

I'll test this technique out this evening. This seems like it would be easier, since one of my main complaints about the technique I'm using and have seen others use is that you can't see exactly what fret your touch point is on as it's being covered by your pick hand.

I use the edge of my palm, any method is fine.
Practice scales, all with harmonics.
G Major Scale on the 3rd fret, A 5th.
C Major 3rd fret. All the regular scales in pedals up and pedals down positions..
Quicker that you think, when you can play a scale harmonically, you can hit them where ever you want.

I curl up my little finger, and use the area between the knuckles. I can touch 4 strings that way. Pick with the thumb or index, or middle. Octave, 5 frets up, 7 frets up, depending on what I want. Obviously on the West side, but I can pick quite aggressively there, and the pick noise won't be heard. You can also "slap" chimes/harmonics, but the pick noise is fairly loud, unless you back off the pedal, and bring it on after the "slap."

Thanks! I browsed through that topic and picked up a few more good tips.

I agree with one of the posts in that topic that when you screw up a chime live it's brutal. A few weeks ago I was chiming live and hit the first 2 or 3 chime notes in a row and then on the next chime I missed my "touch". Of course my volume pedal was mashed out and what came out was this horrid "BLANG!!!" I swear it felt like everyone in the place turned and looked like what the...? Luckily it was only a Tues jam night