Question: What picking style have you devoted yourself to the most, and why does it work for you?
Guest Picker - Mei Semones
Mei’s latest album, Kabutomushi.
A: The picking style I’ve practiced the most is alternate picking, but the picking style I usually end up using is economy picking. Alternate feels like a dependable way to achieve evenness when practicing scales and arpeggios, but when really playing, it doesn’t make sense to articulate every note in that way, and obviously it’s not always the fastest.
Obsession: My current music-related obsession is my guitar, my PRS McCarty 594 Hollowbody II. I think it will always be an obsession for me. It’s so comfortable and light, has a lovely, warm, dynamic tone, and helps me play faster and cleaner. This guitar feels like my best friend and soulmate.
Reader of the Month - Jin J X
Photo by Ryan Fannin
A: For decades, the Eric Johnson-style “hybrid picking” with a Jazz III for “pianistic” voicings. Great for electric, though not so much acoustic. I’ve been recently learning to use a flatpick, à la Brian Sutton, by driving the pick “into” the string at an angle—which makes me think of Pat Metheny and George Benson, without irony.
Obsession: I’m still focused on understanding the concepts of jazz, neo-classical, and beyond, though I’m also becoming obsessed with George Van Eps’ 7-string playing, flatpicking, hip-hop beats, the Hybrid Guitars Universal 6 guitar, and the secret life of the banjo.
Editorial Director - Ted Drozdowski
A: Decades ago, under the sway of Mississippi blues artists R.L. Burnside, Junior Kimbrough, and Jessie Mae Hemphill, I switched from plectrum to fingerstyle, developing my own non-traditional approach. It’s technically wrong, but watching R.L., in particular, freestyle, I learned there is no such thing as wrong if it works.
Obsession: Busting out of my songwriting patterns. With my band Coyote Motel, and earlier groups, I’ve always encouraged my talented bandmates to play what they want in context, but brought in complete, mapped-out songs. Now, I’m bringing in sketches and we’re jamming and hammering out the arrangements and melodies together. It takes more time, but feels rewarding and fun, and is opening new territory for me.
Managing Editor - Kate Koenig
A: I have always been drawn to fingerpicking on acoustic guitar, starting with classical music and prog-rock pieces (“Mood for a Day” by Steve Howe), and moving on to ’70s baroque-folk styles, basic Travis picking, and songs like “Back to the Old House” by the Smiths. I love the intricacy of those styles, and the challenge of learning to play different rhythms across different fingers at the same time. This is definitely influenced by my classical training on piano, which came before guitar.
Obsession: Writing and producing my fifth and sixth albums. My fifth album, Creature Comforts, was recorded over the past couple months, and features a bunch of songs I wrote in 2022 that I had previously sworn to never record or release. Turns out, upon revisiting, they’re not half bad! While that one’s being wrapped, I’m trying to get music written for my sixth, for which I already have four songs done. And yes, this is a flex. 💪😎
Welcome back to this month’s lesson, fellow pickers. I hope you all got your metronomes cranking last month. Well, keep it running, because this month we will cover getting your scale patterns to connect across the neck.
| “Many players practice scales in different positions but don’t know how to connect them for fluid lines that weave across the neck.” |
This month’s examples use a very common technique among guitar shredders like Satriani, Vai, Gilbert and yours truly. It uses three notes per string while moving from position to position.
The picking pattern is an alternating down, up, down, up. You’ll need to shift your hand up to the next position by always starting the next position with your first finger on your left hand – similarly, you will shift with your pinky finger when descending. You can also try doing these as pull-off and hammer-on exercises. Make sure you start your metronome at a slow tempo of 55 beats per minute. Every 30 to 60 seconds, speed up one click until your playing becomes sloppy.
Exercise 1)
This example uses the A minor scale – or A Aeolian mode – with a triplet timing. There are three notes per beat or six notes per beat when you get faster. It starts on the 5th fret on the root note and ends at the 17th fret. Try recording a rhythm track to jam to – A minor to F major for 5 minutes. Then practice the examples and make up a few of your own.
Exercise 2)
This example is a descending pattern with a triplet timing. This one will most likely be harder to play fast, so take your time, start slow and then try all pull-offs to strengthen your left hand.
Exercise 3)
Here we are using the E minor scale – or E Aeolian mode – with a 16th note timing. However, if you look at the pattern, you’ll see it could easily be played as a triplet run. Playing 16th notes gives it a cool syncopated feel. As with the last example, try recording an E minor to C major backing track to jam to.
Exercise 4)
Here’s the descending version, again with 16th notes. Try to see all the notes in the scale and not just memorize the pattern. The more you explore the neck, the freer you’ll become with your ideas.
Good luck with it. Visit me online if you have any questions.
Gary Hoey
you can email Gary at: info@garyhoey.com
garyhoey.com
myspace.com/garyhoey