The Steel Guitar Forum

are there certain times when you will use one instead of the other? i am working with the winnie winston book which seems to only cover palm blocking. should i be able to finger block these exercises as well ??

Yes, learn both ways--you will use both techniques. Joe Wright has a great dvd on right hand pick blocking technique.

Karen,

I played for years with just palm blocking but now do both without thinking. In many cases the pick bocking allows me to play certain riffs much faster with a less choppy sound. See the following links on my home page:

http://www.gregcutshaw.com/

Pick Block or Palm? | Palm Blocking Primer | Pick Blocking Primer - Speed Picking


Greg

It seems that for me, pick blocking is more "smooth" and connected between notes, whereas palm blocking is a more pronounced, "bouncy" way to block a phrase- Lloyd's Little Darlin' album comes to mind for this one.

Another method of blocking I find useful on fast phrases is blocking with the fingers on my bar hand. As you play a descending run, practice following your right hand with your bar (the bar only covering the strings that you are playing), thus the fingers on your left hand will automatically block the note previously played. I find this method especially helpful when playing strings one through three.

I don't think about blocking, I just think about the music and how I want to sound. The blocking/muting comes naturally. It's a combination of everything.

I think the tone, along with bar vibrato if needed, dictates the type of blocking needed. It comes without conscious thought; your hands know what to do.

Bill Duncan wrote:I don't think about blocking, I just think about the music and how I want to sound. The blocking/muting comes naturally. It's a combination of everything.

I think the tone, along with bar vibrato if needed, dictates the type of blocking needed. It comes without conscious thought; your hands know what to do.

Strictly for a beginners sake--Yes, it comes naturally AFTER you learn the techniques. Your music will tend to "need" pick blocking or palmblocking or both in a song, and it will eventually come automatically and on the fly. If you do not learn proper technique, you could easily be teaching yourself bad habits. It's tragic to have to spend the time and energy to go back and break bad habits and relearn.

James Morehead wrote:Yes, learn both ways--you will use both techniques. Joe Wright has a great dvd on right hand pick blocking technique.

I noticed he has a bunch of dvd's. which do you recommend?

like the bro's say Karen, learn & use both
both are similar & each one is specific
palm blocking comes easiest w: practice
it's been the standard for decades
Winnie's & the bro's done told ya' it's bouncy
the slice/edge of your hand can be quite versatile, w: it, one also obtains harmonics
some steelers, use their pinky as an extension of the palm & even an anchor

Pick Blocking has also become a standard
& it IS the way to go
it might take you a bit more time than palm blocking, but in the end you'll execute distinct notes & chords w: precision & speed
finger & thumb picks are obviously mandatory
i started out with
1 - Block picking "
which consists of having your picks in place w: strings muted before you play
2 - Playin the note(s)"
3 - Pick Blocking
which consists of puttin' the pick(s) right back down muting the strings that were just played, all the while puttin' the next needed fingers in place ready for the next notes or chord to play
it's highly recommended to avoid wasting energy in moving the hand around needlessly, & work on " diggin' in "
consecrate the energy towards proper execution
the thumb is the fun finger - He gets to move around
note what David Nugent wrote concerning the use of the thumb of the bar hand good advice imo

a simple exercise to get into pick blocking :
goin' up & down C major scale
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 ( Do Ré Mi Fa La Si Do)
how bout' ? 1 3 2 4 3 5 4 6 5 7 6 8
learning simple melodies too


Mickey Adams has some great videos
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VwPW35m6 ... annel_page

Karen Sarkisian wrote:are there certain times when you will use one instead of the other? i am working with the winnie winston book which seems to only cover palm blocking.

That's the problem with a lot of old books, they're just no longer as effective. Techniques and setups have changed quite a bit. Learn both palm blocking and pick blocking, as well as moving and tilting the bar to cover only one string, or just those you're playing. You'll need all these techniques to become a good player.

Also, get some lessons from a good player. Books, tapes, and DVD's will only get you so far, as most foster only one approach. In the beginning, you need to expose yourself to many approaches, and then pick those which suit you best.

The only blocking method I can recall trying to learn was edge of palm, the rest just happened. Pick blocking seems to evolve from necessity. Or it did for me.

Karen,

Secrets of the wright/left hand is the one you want.

Karen Sarkisian wrote:

James Morehead wrote:Yes, learn both ways--you will use both techniques. Joe Wright has a great dvd on right hand pick blocking technique.

I noticed he has a bunch of dvd's. which do you recommend?

"Secrets of the Wright Hand" dvd--a must.

Bill, I agree with you on your thought. When I first started playing, I struggled for some time to get the palm blocking technique and never even heard of pick blocking. Now, both just come natural and don't have to think about either but pick blocking did come from necessity. I did learn to keep my thumb down or on a home string, you might say, which I concentrated on doing just to keep in position and that developed into my pick blocking. I'm not a fast player and never will be but the little up-tempo stuff that I do, pick blocking works very well.

Micky Adams does have some very good videos on learning that method and Joe Wright's DVDs are exceptional in learning pick blocking

Bar hand blocking is not getting much press here...there is not much blocking that can't be done with it. Thumb to kill the string noise from unused lower strings, fingers behind the bar = roll the bar up to block all strings, fingers behind the bar to block behind the "nose down" bar, do Speedy's bar slams, hammer on and pull offs, and more, such as blocking a single string behind the bar by pushing it down slightly (sort of like a finger pull, but push down)...allows eliminating an unwanted note from a strum.

Don't forget to extent the middle finger a bit in front of the bar.

This sort of ties into the earlier question I had, as well. I'm finding palm blocking to be really difficult because of the weird shape I have to hold my hand in to get it into action, and seem to find pick blocking just more natural.

Have to get a couple of those DVDs...

Hey Gwyneth, check out this link of Ricky Davis doing Farewell Party. Notiice his right hand, and elbo at his side. That's about as textbook perfect as you will find. This will give you an idea of correct posture, which makes palm blocking easy. This same posture is easy for pick blocking, too.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IqmIKfL_VS4

Gwyneth,

I can only speak from experience and I can say that I do remember working very hard at what is referred to as palm blocking. I never worked on any other type on purpose, it just came with experience.

I'm not saying not to try or practice the other types, I'm sure it wouldn't hurt, but in time I'm sure it will happen on it's own. I never think about blocking of any type, I think of what I want to hear. It's kind of like "hot licks", sometimes they just jump out, and you wonder where that came from.

I am of the opinion that it can be useless to learn some things before you actually need them or are capable of using them.

I never know what blocking type I'm using, I don't care, I go for the sound. Think about the sound. I think too many pickers get too mechanical and ridid, and don't let the music decide.

If the sound/tune is clear in your mind, it will come out your fingers in time, with practice.

Bill Duncan wrote: Gwyneth,I am of the opinion that it can be useless to learn some things before you actually need them or are capable of using them.

Your kidding right??

James Morehead wrote:

Bill Duncan wrote: Gwyneth,I am of the opinion that it can be useless to learn some things before you actually need them or are capable of using them.

Your kidding right??

I wouldn't bet on it. Some techniques are probably essential, while others are considered by some to be optional, so you'd want to learn "essential" first, IMHO. At any rate, the overall learning effort encompasses quite a lot, so there's certainly nothing wrong with learning in stages. Practice one technique until you have a fairly good grasp of it before jumping off to something else. I feel it's better to do a few things well than to learn a lot of things haphazardly.

Here's the thing for me:

If I have to think about it, then I can't do it. It's only once I can do it without thinking that I have gotten it. Its when I don't purposely have to think, but it just happens and it was like it was never hard or I never had to learn it. If that makes sense.

Donny Hinson wrote:

James Morehead wrote:

Bill Duncan wrote: Gwyneth,I am of the opinion that it can be useless to learn some things before you actually need them or are capable of using them.

Your kidding right??

I wouldn't bet on it. Some techniques are probably essential, while others are considered by some to be optional, so you'd want to learn "essential" first, IMHO.

Palm blocking and pick blocking or proper posture are not essential?? Which one is not essential??

Bottom line, if you are not practicing good technique, bad habits tend to evolve and give you a low plateau of accomplishment. Practice the moves because you will need them. If you wait until you need them, they won't be there for you to draw upon. Then there's the wasted time to unlearn bad habits to do what you should have done in the first place. That's why it's wise to take advantage of the 20 years worth of instructional material out there. YMMV greatly.