Pushing Through the String (Aug-01-07)

[moved from old forum:]

That sounds good.

I think it is a priority of what to think first, and what to worry about later.

Like, if you focus on how the pick bounces you'll not focus on controlling the string which is the primary importance, and
how it should feel "like pushing through", after applying gradually more and more pressure.

Physics is physics, all sorts of things will happen, unavoidably.

But in all sincerity that matchbook thing is amazing, it tends to feel like that, to the arm and elbow and wrist, getting a good start.

So to begin it seems how the arm should learn with the gradual pressure and snap the string goes off, seems to be of significant importance.

For me, I got the feel of that going, alternate picking, before going on to the next step which for me was getting a very good sound, and then resting around there for a while, and later moving on to higher tempo, string skipping, etc.,

I don't think I'd be able to do my humble best as I can now if I didn't get that arm and the gradual pressure and the "push through" feel going first.

The attention you have to the details is great.

My experience though was "first get the arm and feel" thing going,
and of course the pick angle and some consideration of "pick depth" was also all a part of that.

I don't know where I'd be without that, and "as a foundation".

The arm, elbow, is like the foundation of whatever else you might do, the "root" of what ends up happening to the string.

-Light Rock

[moved from old forum:]

"The arm, elbow, is like the foundation of whatever else you
might do, the "root" of what ends up happening to
the string."


Very true Light rock. It ts not often realized that..obviously...the much talked about wrist is attached to a moving part called "the arm". If that part moves in so many directions mastery of those motions is necessary or there will be no foundation whatsoever for the wrist to do anything.

-Ney

[moved from old forum:]

Hmm, I also think that getting that pushing through the string feeling is for me a lot easier when I play mostly from the elbow. It seems that the feeling for the down and upstroke is lying in the tendons/muscles in the area of the elbow.
When only playing from the wrist the pick seems to bounce off more, which is not "pushing through the string".

-JayAr

[moved from old forum:]

Exactly !

Loose the wrist action for a little while and get that arm going.

Like, say for example strumming up and down across 6 strings.

Same thing, smaller motion, one string.

Exactly.

There is the thing called the "pick rest stroke" also, and for me I think of it as an arm thing - so far.

-Light Rock

[moved from old forum:]

I found a incredible strong tension yesterday in my picking motion.
I dont know how to verbalize it but it seems i was holding my arm to stiff to actually being able to do free strokes.
I found that the root of this problem is when i raise my right arm for playing first, so this unnecessary movement became locked in to a lot motions, even writing here.

I was doing Qi Gong (by the way very good training!!!) before my practice yesterday. Afterwards i practiced in classical position.
I started with having my arm having all its weight on my right upper leg. From there i just paid attention how it will move to the strings. Controlling only the elbow movement, havin my wrist in a way more total relaxed hang down.
So i paid only attention to the elbow movement and the problem was totally gone.

Its like i always felt there is some invisible something around my shoulder area but i somehow didnt paid as much attention to the details as neccessary.
Anyway the invisible something was totally gone yesterday.
And as i sit here i can feel some grave weight being taken off my shoulders.

And i know intuitively thats the way it has to feel.
And yes it really felt now such easy.

Now i am able to do "total relaxed" rest strokes.
My sound and accuracy is really bad now, but i think thats about practice. Well i think thats allowing imperfection to work for you.

Anyway my question is how to develop to catch the pick totally relaxed? Where should i pay attention to?
Right now the pick gets caught by the next string.
Or to define the questions a bit more, is the key here to find minimal pressure needed to get through, or to focus on a relaxed opposite picking motion (to catch a down pick with upstroke motion and vice versa...).

"Take each of the above movements and apply pressure (or rotation) and then release the pressure and then put the plectrum in it's finishing position. i.e. if you were doing a down pick on the g string put the plectrum between the b and g strings as if it had finished it's picking process. Then go back and apply pressure, then release, put the pick in the finishing place (so the body/mind can visualise/experience the wanted outcome position). Keep going back and forth. THEN actually apply pressure and do a 'pick' and the pick should finish up where you had visualised it."

Is that the method you did it learn jules?

If i skipped any important info in this thread concerning my questions pls wake me up!

-Rumsbums

[moved from old forum:]

"Take each of the above movements and apply pressure (or
rotation) and then release the pressure and then put the
plectrum in it's finishing position. i.e. if you were doing a
down pick on the g string put the plectrum between the b and g
strings as if it had finished it's picking process. Then go
back and apply pressure, then release, put the pick in the
finishing place (so the body/mind can visualise/experience the
wanted outcome position). Keep going back and forth. THEN
actually apply pressure and do a 'pick' and the pick should
finish up where you had visualised it.

Is that the method you did it learn jules?"


Yes that's what i did.

I found that doing the above procedure stops you flying into the next string.

Hope this helps

-jules

[moved from old forum:]

"One upon a time somebody mentioned that a good way to
get started with the overall feel was to use the edge of a
match book as a pick.

In this way your whole arm gets into the groove, not a
lot of great sound comes out, but it seems like just the idea
alone did a lot for me."


"Holy Crap...Why didn't I think of that???"


Well, I tried this during my past two practice routines. What I did was I traced and cut out a pick from a piece of a small box I had lying around. I peeled off some of the layers to make it a little thinner. Then I used it to do down/up picks across all strings per the Principles. After two reps I switched to a regular thin pick and did the same thing, then on to a medium gauge pick, and finally to the heavy gauge that I normally use.

This method really works for me. I'm getting better arm usage, less tension in my hand, and better, *more consistent* results. It's a great way to ease your hand/wrist/arm muscles into applying the proper amount of pressure on the string, as well as being a great picking arm trainer.

Thanks a lot, light rock!

-Stakedoarber

[moved from old forum:]

Cool!

Now, something I didn't figure out unfortunately until way later was about changing the volume.

Like, Loud, soft medium, soft soft, Loud Loud...

Along into a rhythm.

I was having too much success with what I was doing to think about real music so I kinda missed out on that for a while.

Don't wait!

-Light Rock

[moved from old forum:]

Ok, thank ya, Jules!

Will do some work the next days and lets see what happens!

-Rumsbums