Flatpick Friday: What is “Flatpicking?”

What exactly is this thing and how is it any different than using a pick any old time?
Pontification begins at 1:30.
Tell me what y’all wanna hear folks.

[@aaronspruit]

Love the quote, "play it like a horn player, so every note is worthy of your breath". Your playing is masterful and the video was composed as well as you played the pieces.

[@joshoptical]

Well dang that’s extremely kind of you thanks so much. I did play trombone first!

[@crem_rock]

i think i get it now. thank you for showing me the way.

[@joshoptical]

@@crem_rock you got it! Much and easily misunderstood topic.

[@404err0r]

This video and the two pieces you played really interested me in learning this style so I think job well done!

[@joshoptical]

Glad it’s helpful! Start with some simple ones like Billy in the Low Ground

[@philmccrevis4493]

You're a super good picker and you explain things really well. Thank you.

[@joshoptical]

So glad you found it helpful. Thanks for letting me know.

[@adamhicks24]

genres are not real!!!! lol i love it. just heard billy strings for the first time and needed clarification. thanks man

[@joshoptical]

He’s something else

[@joshoptical]

That’s the B part of Temperance Reel.

[@HoyaSaxaSD]

With respect, it’s not true (IMO). Genres are, like “pie” or “pastry,” a shorthand way for consumers and producers/sellers of a product to describe a category of something quickly. They may be over inclusive or under inclusive (is cheesecake more a pie or cake?), but they serve a rational purpose, and consumers would come up with them if producers or sellers didn’t. Record stores or digital playlist curators could simply list every record in alphabetical order of the artist. But if I specifically like rap/hip hop, and want to check out music of that type (that genre), it’s going to be a heck of a lot more convenient for me as the consumer to have a single section to look through with music of a similar type, than having to work my way through every record and artist in the store hoping I can tell by the album cover or name whether it’s rap music. To say that people don’t know that rap is a different type of music than opera or rock is to deny the obvious, even if the genre labels leave out some good albums or tracks that don’t fit neatly into one category (in which case, it may be best to sell or curate them in both genres, rather than none or its own unique genre). Or to use a different example, next time you go to the grocery store or target, imagine if they didn’t have aisles with similar categories of products grouped together.

[@rebeccajustis8826]

What about Dennis Agajanian? When we toured with him in the mid-1980's, he supposedly held the record as the fastest flat picker at the time.

[@joshoptical]

This is one video from many years ago- wasn’t intended to be an encyclopedia of players. Further that is not a well known name by any means so it’s not gonna mean much to many people to drop a name like that. The flatpickers who matter most are those who’ve contributed great songs and tunes, not those who can play fast.

[@richardgray8593]

I had heard the term flatpicking, but I could not define it. Now I can, so thanks for the info.

[@joshoptical]

You got it.

[@connerbeckett7193]

Lots of great info man. Really enjoyed this video definitely deserves a lot of views

[@joshoptical]

Conner Beckett thanks so much. KZbin’s organic reach is zilch so won’t be too many views but it’s gotten to the right people apparently!

[@big10hunter42]

Appreciate the knowledge share and demo!

[@joshoptical]

You bet!

[@siberianfastfood]

Excellent playing and explanation ! Thanks for the nice video.

[@joshoptical]

You bet! Thanks for watching and especially for commenting.

[@dean-isa-fool2191]

Just starting out in bluegrass in general. What would be some good tunes to start with? I’ve mostly done fingerstyle or full strumming in the past

[@joshoptical]

Billy In The Lowground is great for starters. Whiskey Before Breakfast is good too! Keep the questions coming please.

[@somethingorotherize]

great video, very helpful for the guitar noob like myself

[@joshoptical]

Glad it’s good for you!

[@grantmichael4822]

That is a beautiful playing, played on a beautiful guitar 🙂

[@joshoptical]

Thanks so much! You play any?

[@GuillermoBazzola]

Very good video, you sound great, thanks!

[@joshoptical]

Thank YOU!

[@5150show]

Very good thank you

[@joshoptical]

You bet! Hope it helps.

[@5150show]

Just subbed

[@joshoptical]

Thanks a ton!

[@jessiemartinez7681]

thanks for the education.

[@joshoptical]

Jessie Martinez thanks so much for tuning in, never know if anyone’s listening! I wanna do more education, what do you want to know about?

[@XqCv178]

@@joshoptical pentatonic maybe

[@walcott423]

Did you play that guitar into that condition? Love it.

[@joshoptical]

That would be abuse! No, it has only been with me since 2004 and the damage was already done

[@tippidink]

which song are you playing in the intro? i'd like to learn it because i believe it'd be a good jumping off point for me

[@joshoptical]

Fiddler’s Dram! Check it out on the album Blake & Rice. It’ll change your life

[@tippidink]

@@joshoptical Thanks very much :)

[@MichaelEMJAYARE]

This was helpful! Also, has anyone told you you resemble Neil Patrick Harris?

[@joshoptical]

I’m glad, and, yes!

[@cipanKACAK]

What string gauge and action do you setup your guitar with?

[@joshoptical]

These frets are worn out and don’t allow for low low action. Low action is to be avoided for good tone anyway, that string has to be able to breathe to get the top moving properly. I usually play light or bluegrass gauge strings.

[@prateekbhardwaj9943]

i like your guitar lovely unique tone

[@joshoptical]

Thanks! One of a kind

[@deputytuhy211]

Awesome info thank you

[@joshoptical]

No, thank you!!

[@johndoe4073]

2:30 - Love it!

[@joshoptical]

Thanks so much for watching and commenting! What could I do next that you’d like to watch?

[@dblrainbow_omg]

"genres are not real" - love that. thanks mate

[@joshoptical]

You’re welcome, thanks for watching! Yes they were a marketing tool originally.

[@igorperic5232]

I will never understand the difference between cross picking and flatpicking & hybrid picking and chicken picking. Maybe you could help me :)

[@joshoptical]

Each of the other three things you listed are specific techniques. Flatpicking is a way of making music and to some degree a catalog of music in a certain musical tradition, which often includes cross picking (no chicken picking- if you’re using your fingers, you’re not flatpicking by definition). Flatpicking also refers to acoustic guitar. Call it old man gatekeeping but traditions do have limitations sometimes and flatpicking does not usually apply to electric instruments. I’ll do a video!

[@joshoptical]

Also read this! flatpick.ning.com/notes/index/show?noteKey=What_Is_Flatpicking%3F

[@igorperic5232]

@@joshoptical Firstly thank you. So it has a historical background. My way of thinking was: "you can crosspick bluegrass song at 140 bpm, I give you my pick and fender stratocaster and now play me Snow by RHCP." Mechanically it is the same movement but in different context. My only point of view was mechanics of the movement and I disregarded everything else. There are also things like tremolo picking/alternate picking/economy picking which are basically the same thing with minor differences.

[@shiftsurvival7945]

Me wanting to start flat picking “puts guitar back under bed”

[@joshoptical]

Aw dang didn’t mean to do that! I can reboot this series if you like

[@nonjabiznas]

How do you feel about Mr. Billy Strings? I personally think he is a flat picking monster.

[@joshoptical]

I love that he’s doing his thing with it. Still haven’t found a new school picker who I find worth taking time away from listening to the masters (Strings, Hull, Jarosz, Tuttle) because the tone and songwriting isn’t strong enough but I’m glad they’re all bringing picking to a broader audience. Maybe we can get them listening to Doc, Tony, Norman and Clarence.

[@ebuurt]

Great playing! You don’t happen to have tabs for the second tune you played, or know where to find?

[@joshoptical]

If you mean the one at the end, that’s Temperance Reel. I recommend listening to the tune at least a dozen times before you look for any tabs. Having the melody indelibly in your head will make working through it 10x faster. Thanks for watching!

[@FlatEarthCourt]

thanks man, great info🙏🔥🔥

[@joshoptical]

Most welcome! I need to do another!

[@timberwolvesxx7250]

mate is the picking pattern always down-up-down-up all the time ? or do you mix it up, ie down-down-up

[@joshoptical]

Good Q, Many different ways. Most flatpickers are not strictly alternate picking. Check out these albums: Blake & Rice by Norman Blake and Tony Rice, Church Street Blues by Tony Rice, Doc Watson by Doc Watson, Whiskey Before Breakfast by Norman Blake

[@sherellemiller1096]

I’m still looking for my jaw, I dropped it somewhere on the floor

[@joshoptical]

Very sweet. I sure need to post more of this.

[@_arman_]

This was an awesome intro and a great way to clarify what all these terms meant. Do you know the name of the tune you were playing at around 7:48? I remember hearing this same tune on an mp3 that I downloaded years back of a guy doing a bunch of bluegrass, and that tune was one of them. Always got stuck in my head.

[@joshoptical]

Thanks so much! Lemme check the tune

[@birdmusic1206]

could be wrong but it sounds like temperance reel to me...which sounds like some other tunes too but that's what comes to mind for me

[@kennysomerville3686]

It's Temperance reel, but at 7:48 it's going into the second part. The first part of Temperance reel starts earlier, around 7:29 or so.

[@Born2RiffRock]

Very good give more in depth lessons on patterns for each chord

[@joshoptical]

Good idea thanks man

[@gzmask]

if you want to know if there's someone behind that door, the answer is yes.

[@joshoptical]

Always

[@crazystrings6302]

So, is it ok to say that flatpicking is basically alternate picking, but on an acoustic ?

[@joshoptical]

I’d have to say a lot to answer this and I don’t think I’m educationally qualified. But, no- flat picking is a genre and a WAY of approaching guitar more than a technique

[@crazystrings6302]

@@joshoptical That explains a lott tbh ! Thanks

[@scotteinarj]

👍

[@joshoptical]

Thanks for watching!

[@IDontReadReplies42069]

whats the tune?

[@joshoptical]

Jayo Caine Fiddler’s Dram>Whiskey Before Breakfast as learned from Norman Blake & Tony Rice’s Blake & Rice record.

[@craig4fsu]

Sam says worry about your video and not him.

[@joshoptical]

You clearly didn’t know Sam ha! He was always glad when the video making was over.

[@splover23]

Jerry Garcia flatpicks electric

[@joshoptical]

Big Dead fan here. I understand why you’d say that, with his traditional knowledge and history. But by definition, flatpicking happens on flattop steel string acoustic guitar.

[@splover23]

@@joshopticalheard! Great video my Dude!

[@SC-stonerconstruction]

Guitars ruin lives true dat

[@joshoptical]

The truest