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Pick Attack
Hey there,
I've been going to a few jams recently and I've found them to be very informative experiences. One aspect of technique has stood out in particular, and that is the degree to which you attack the strings.
I have a slight problem in that my guitar, although it has a fine tone, suffers from a lack of volume and bass register, plus is doesn't have a great deal of natural attack. Therefore in jam situations it gets drowned out particularly when there are more than two other guitarists there. I have heard that some players have a very strong pick attack, which comes naturally to them or no doubt, from years playing round campfires with ten other musicians, Django himself I understand had a very strong attack, Tchavolo Schmitt is another I could name.
My learning experience tells me that to develop a strong right hand, you need to learn slowly and softly, and gradually build up this power. However, I can also see that to get the loudness I need, just so I can hear myself in this type of setting, I'm having to work excessively hard and my right hand becomes too stiff. The one basic tenet of right-hand technique seems to me to keep your hand and wrist as loose and as relaxed as possible, and to let the weight of your hand do the work. It shouldn't have to be really hard work should it?
In other words, does this give me an excuse to buy a new guitar?
I've been going to a few jams recently and I've found them to be very informative experiences. One aspect of technique has stood out in particular, and that is the degree to which you attack the strings.
I have a slight problem in that my guitar, although it has a fine tone, suffers from a lack of volume and bass register, plus is doesn't have a great deal of natural attack. Therefore in jam situations it gets drowned out particularly when there are more than two other guitarists there. I have heard that some players have a very strong pick attack, which comes naturally to them or no doubt, from years playing round campfires with ten other musicians, Django himself I understand had a very strong attack, Tchavolo Schmitt is another I could name.
My learning experience tells me that to develop a strong right hand, you need to learn slowly and softly, and gradually build up this power. However, I can also see that to get the loudness I need, just so I can hear myself in this type of setting, I'm having to work excessively hard and my right hand becomes too stiff. The one basic tenet of right-hand technique seems to me to keep your hand and wrist as loose and as relaxed as possible, and to let the weight of your hand do the work. It shouldn't have to be really hard work should it?
In other words, does this give me an excuse to buy a new guitar?
Comments
One thing I have found is that speed of pick attack is much more important than force and IMO speed on rest stroke picking can only be attained by diligent practice and slowly working up making sure that the technique doesn't go away and stiffness enter as speed increases.
I you haven't got one get ahold of Michael's "Gypsy Picking". I converted over to rest stroke picking about a year and a half ago. It was a slog that was made much easier by support from members here.
Good luck with it
Seriously though, my guitar's general lack of volume is an issue in these settings, having said that I've seen footage of Angelo Debarre at Samois and my understanding is that whenever some of the top players are in these situations they just plug straight into an amp.
With regard to rest-stroke pick technique, I've not read Michael's book, but I have had lessons in this technique, and I think I'm fairly comfortable with the concepts involved. Having said that I'm still curious to know what constitutes a strong attack, in the mode of someone like Tchavolo or whether it's a bit unusual to play this loudly. Should I be looking to improve my natural volume and attack over time?
You can post a video of you playing here on the forum? The guys here are professional and fun to interact with - no need to worry about getting torn apart. Worst case you'll get heavily critiqued and told to change everything, however they'll give you the information you need to develop into a better player.
Eating is too important - hang onto your guitar until you know you want/need an upgrade.
i've had the good fortune of being able to hang out with tons of gypsies in france/holland/belgium/germany, been to their homes and everything and spend many hours with them..
up until just a few years ago, before all the affordable gypsy guitars appeared, very few of these gypsies could afford an actual gypsy jazz guitar, they played on the shittiest of shitty guitars... no name brands, broken nylon string guitars, etc....
and guess what, they all got decent volume on them!!
it's all in the technique!!!
check tihs video out: no amplification, and tons of rhythm guitars and bass:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KLz7wlaw4xM
and these players are actually "soft" pickers compared to say tchavolo schmitt.. the secret is to learn to use the wrist to make the notes "pop" , you want the attack to get the string to explode!
www.denischang.com
www.dc-musicschool.com
Denis, what's the name of that tune?
And who's the rhythm player on the left?
It's really cool to watch the incredible synchronization of the right hands of Stochelo and whatsisname when both are playing rhythm.
"It's a great feeling to be dealing with material which is better than yourself, that you know you can never live up to."
-- Orson Welles
"It's a great feeling to be dealing with material which is better than yourself, that you know you can never live up to."
-- Orson Welles
Something I've found helpful is learning to be able to quickly completely relax my hand in between difficult phrases (in the space of half a second or so) so that even if it does start to get tight - which if something is hard for you to play, it inevitably will, by definition - you can recover in the space of a quarter note rest for the next barrage. It builds stamina, and eventually leads to a faster, looser technique.
Playing slowly of course is important, but I think people often take that too much to heart and forget to also push themselves to play things at the correct speed, which is the practical reality that has to be faced up to.
That said, new guitars are brilliant.
Jon
Thanks for your reply Dennis, I have the Wawau Adler DVD that you produced, and found it to excellent and very informative. One thing Wawau points out in the lessons section is the importance of dynamics, and that when soloing it's good to have a bit of volume in reserve and not to play at full volume all the way through. It seems to me that attack and volume are two separate things, and to get the strings to pop out is dependent on striking through the strings at the correct angle and allowing the weight of the hand to do the work.
"Yours and Mine" apparently. Dave Rattray identifies it in the comments below the video. Django played it (Integrale vol 13).
Jon