Max Dread

Hi all

I've recently been re-evaluating and re-teaching myself how to tremolo pick correctly and effectively. There's one thing I'm not sure about and that's the angle of the movement. That might not be the best/clearest way to describe it! What I mean is this.... If you could draw a line in the air between the starting point of the picking motion (when the pick is closest to the ceiling) and the lowest picking point (when the pick is closest to the floor) what would the line look like? Would it be:

- parallel to the surface of the guitar
- ramping upward (so that as you the downpick is moving away from the body, the up pick moving back toward it)
- ramping downward (the opposite).

Huge apologies in advance if none of the makes sense! Let me know and I'll try to explain it differently. If it does make sense, would be great to hear what you do and your thoughts on the topic.

Cheers

Max

adamgur96

I'm not that good with geometry, can you post pics?

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Andy Pollow

very funny

You cant go too wrong copying this guy - hes awesome. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RhJx...o&feature=share

adamgur96

I was seriously saying i didn't really understand what he's saying, pics of the way he picks will help.

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AvengedPhan12

Well, what I do is hold the outter edge (edge facing away from guitar body) and use the side of the point of the pic and just strum really quick in short succession. This actualky works pretty well for me

BlueIceBox

Does anyone know what this is called? It's not that clear what he's doing in the video, but I'd like to try it out as I'm having trouble tremolo picking with conventional alternate picking from the wrist.

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Gear:
Epiphone Les Paul Standard
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Dynamight

He's picking from the wrist.

Just practice and it'll become natural.

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Max Dread

I've got to leave in a mo, so won't get the time to illustrate until later. Not that I'm sure my useless art skills will be up to the job in any case!!!

At the risk of making things worse, I'll try to explain myself again....

1. When tremolo picking, the plectrum moves across the string twice, once in a downward motion and once upward (giving two notes).

2. That motion could be made in several ways.

- It could be swinging like skateboard half pipe, reaching the lowest point when the string is actually hit).
- It could be completely straight, moving parallel to the top of the guitar's body.
- It could be straight, but starting nearer to the top of the guitar body at the start of the motion, moving away from that surface during the downstroke, then moving back toward it on the upstroke/return.
- It could be straight, but starting furthest away from the top of the guitar body at the start of the motion, moving closer to that surface during the downstroke, then moving back away from it on the upstroke/return.

Does that help at all?

For the sake of argument/illustration, the complete opposite of "It could be completely straight, moving parallel to the top of the guitar's body" would be the motion being perpendicular to the guitar body's surface which would result in the string not being hit at all!!!

Dynamight

Oh, I see what you mean now. The pick motion is concave (curves inward) in relation to the guitar body. It has to or it would hit the other strings otherwise.

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The more you say 'epic' the less it means.