TE-003 • Scale Picking

[bigoli]

Hey
Just a beginner here, i'm trying to master the lower speeds (120 bpm (1 note per click)). When I see justin doing it I notice he is looking at the camera. When I do it i have to fixate on the fret otherwise i start missing notes. Should I try and do it while looking away or is staring at the fretboard fine?
Also, should I be keeping my fingers on the strings while playing higher notes?
Cheers

[Bootstrap]

Wecome Bigoli - everyone has to look at the fretboard when they learn new stuff. Once you know it you will naturally tend to look around a bit so it isn't a problem.

Ultimately where you look is up to you, if you just play in your bedroom staring at the fretboard is no problem - but if you intend to play to an audience you might want to get some eye contact going.

Not sure exactly what you meant with your 2nd question.

Cheers, Bootstrap

[mvk20]

I'm assuming Bigoli means do you continue to fret the notes behind the current note - leaving your index finger in place while playing with your third or fourth finger, for example.  My answer would be no, I'm generally already moving that finger to get on the first note on the next higher string, but maybe someone has a different answer...

[bigoli]

Yea thats what i meant, cheers for your help, spent like 3 hours on this last night and it sort of worked itself out

[asguard44]

I would dearly love to master scale picking but I have hit a rather annoying couple of setbacks.

Setback 1 - I have a really bad habit of completely missing a string with my pick suddenly after a couple of runs of the scale. Happens at random and I can be totally focused on the run and then my pick just misses. Very frustrating.

Setback 2 - I am absolutely fine at doing the alternate picking up to 115bpm of the metronome set on 8th notes but as soon as I start at 120 I get an incredible ache in the pinky. It aches mainly down by the knuckle and makes the finger go all stiff and its like someone takes control of my hand and tries to push it off the fretboard. As soon as I get the pain I put the geet down and it stops hurting almost immediately.
Makes my wrist hurt a bit aswell. Not sure if it happens to anyone else but I find it quite worrying actually because there is a history in my dads side of the family of that hand problem where all your fingers contract into your hand and become unmovable (Dupuytren’s Disease). My fingers are quite straight and healthy so I am praying I just have weak muscles and it goes away. Maybe I should do a few days on 115-120 and see how it goes.
Trying this with the minimum movement technique before hand aswell but the little one refuses to co-operate but thats not for here lol.

[Bootstrap]

Dude problem 1 - we've all been there - slow down and remember the 3P rule - perfect practice makes perfect.

For problem 2 - try ice.

[asguard44]

Cheers Bootstrap.

I bought one of those little stress balls yesterday to squeeze the fingers about. I stick a couple of yes songs on through the headphones and just work the fingers for around 15 minutes. You can actually feel the fingers stretching at times and as a bonus you don't feel like smashing your head through the window when your picking's gone wrong Lol.
Cheers.

[Christo16]

i really have no idea where to post this anywhere else but here. i've heard from a lot of people about a technique called sweeping. i have no idea how it works and what the use of it is for. maybe a lesson on sweeping would a lot of people some good.

thanks, chris

[Bootstrap]

Chris - check out the first U-stream video Justin did (link from home page) - Justin gives a brief description and demo but admits it isn't something he is very good at and therefore won't do a lesson on.

Cheers, Bootstrap

[thekidkid32]

I would dearly love to master scale picking but I have hit a rather annoying couple of setbacks.

Setback 1 - I have a really bad habit of completely missing a string with my pick suddenly after a couple of runs of the scale. Happens at random and I can be totally focused on the run and then my pick just misses. Very frustrating.

Setback 2 - I am absolutely fine at doing the alternate picking up to 115bpm of the metronome set on 8th notes but as soon as I start at 120 I get an incredible ache in the pinky. It aches mainly down by the knuckle and makes the finger go all stiff and its like someone takes control of my hand and tries to push it off the fretboard. As soon as I get the pain I put the geet down and it stops hurting almost immediately.
Makes my wrist hurt a bit aswell. Not sure if it happens to anyone else but I find it quite worrying actually because there is a history in my dads side of the family of that hand problem where all your fingers contract into your hand and become unmovable (Dupuytren’s Disease). My fingers are quite straight and healthy so I am praying I just have weak muscles and it goes away. Maybe I should do a few days on 115-120 and see how it goes.
Trying this with the minimum movement technique before hand aswell but the little one refuses to co-operate but thats not for here lol.

Be careful man, it could just be weak muscles but this exact same exercise has put me out of playing for well over a month.  It started off just hurting a little and barely even noticeable but I know that it is this exact exercise that led to what I believe to have been tendinitis and probably a mild case of Carpal Tunnel too.  I'm just finally starting to get back into playing again but it still hurts a bit.  Just be careful man that's all, I'll never do it again.

[asguard44]

Sorry to hear you suffered mate. I have come to the conclusion now that I am kidding myself trying to do this scale picking. I am 45 years old now and I really don't think there is any chance of making my fingers more supple and looser. Besides which, my pinky hurts more and more now so I believe it is doing my hand a lot of damage so the girlfriend has pleaded with me to leave the picking alone a while. When I stretch out the fingers on the fretting hand, index, middle and ring finger all feel fine and there is plenty of feeling there. Wheen I stretch Mr pinky it feels like there is no finger there like a numb sensation and then the side of the hand near the pinky down to the wrist has a tremendous ache as the finger is manipulated. Surely that can't be right can it?
Anyway going to rest it and stick to rhythm guitar I think for now. Proper cheesed off at the moment 

[Fuzzel]

There's absolutely no chance that it's weak fingers at 8th notes at 120. You don't need to strengthen up your fingers you need to sort out your technique. The most likely possibility is that you tensing up you hand once you reach 120 which uses up was more energy is necessary and takes its toll most on the weakest fingers (3rd and 4th.) Combined with probably pressing too hard your fingers get a real battering, The problem is that people are always in too much of a rush to speed up. If i were I'd slow it down all the way to 80 and make sure your totally relaxed with each fretting motion. Give it 5 minutes a day at 80 for a couple of minutes then start pushing it up slowly again. Remember you've got years to get your speed up fot blazing picking runs, there's no point beating yourself up if it doesn't come instantly

[asguard44]

Cheers Fuzzel. Must point out though that I aint doing scale picking to be a speed demon on the guitar. I just started doing this to loosen my fingers in general. I am quite happy with my hand now on 120 bpm and I don't squeeze the neck as hard as I use to except when I try and do a bit of finger picking. All 4 left hand fingers still have a lot of tightness in them, especially when I straighten them out from bent. I think it's possibly related to the awful time I had with the frozen shoulders over the last couple of years.
BTW, I have back problems aswell and Justin recomended a kneel chair for bad back sufferers in one of his videos. Well I went and bought one and highly recomend them. Its made playing for me a hell of a lot easier. Cheers Justin.

[Sl8sh]

Hope all is well with your playing.  Need some inspiration with a bad back, look at Mick Mars from Motley Crue.  He has a degenerative bone disease and he's still playing.  So don't give up!!!!!

[asguard44]

Cheers Sl8sh. I don't intend giving up mate. I had surgery on my spine back in 1984 and 1991 because it was severely curved. Now 20 odd years later the working parts in my spine have had enough and have decided to throb a lot Bit annoying when your trying to play something and you feel like someone has suddenly booted you right in the bottom of your back. Much easier with the kneel chair though.

Don't think my coordination is ever going to improve though trying to do this scale picking. I am fine at picking 8th notes up to about 180bpm but after that my brain goes dead and the concentration starts to dwindle. Don't mind being stuck at 180 though. Thought I wasn't going further at 120 a while back so there is still hope