Building Picking Skill

[Hardtail]

Can someone explain a rest stroke to me? Chances are, I already incorporate it.

 

It was the same with pinch harmonics. I was doing that for years starting with Billy Gibbons solos but I didn't know that there was a name for it until I returned from my non-guitar playing exile.

[Gifthorse]

I always thought pick attack was as important as hitting the actual note. EVH has awesome pick attack, so does Steve Vai. I try to mix and match, some stuff I try and pick every note, others I use my left hand to do all the work.

 

I rarely shred fast licks in my band for 2 reasons, #1 it really sounds 80's, #2 my band is a pop rock band and it kind of takes away from the songs. I would love to shred on a couple of songs here and there tho for fun!

 

When Museipp gets his ass back to Michigan I will have a bit more room to shred (maybe 1 in a blue moon).

 

Pick technique is important to develop but after a while if you don't have direction and you can play fast scales and arpeggios, you might start to sound like a shredder.. There are more and more of those out there it seems and it is harder and harder to be unique when technique and flash are the gauge.

 

Tone, sensibility, pick attack all go a long way in my opinion. Further than speed or technique.