How Paul Gilbert Picks So Fast & Stays So Relaxed

PracticeGuitarNow.com/Improve - my expensive guitar practice training program where I help guitarists make their practice pay off.

[@alejandrobetancourt4902]

Dude you're a great teacher. Glad I found this. I was stuck for so many years but I've improved so much since the beginning of the lockdown.

[@christian98]

Just felt like telling u good luck man.. no homo haha!! Mike changed my life too that's why I totally get you.

[@jordanl2785]

Just tried to do some legato while wiggling my elbow, what a great barometer to see if you're relaxed wow. Nice job spotting this! Paul is a machine

[@michaelhall644]

Amazing video Mike! I really love your new style of videos they are great! It was really fascinating watching you break down Paul Gilbert's technique!

[@rjc7289]

I'd love to see you do a video on the late Shawn Lane's insane speed and hand coordination.

[@stevedrake360]

Shawn was certainly one-of-a-kind. I've never seen anything like his playing.

[@ivanmatkowski737]

I remember You as a Tom Hess student from a days back! Glad that You become bigger and bigger!

[@greenandblue3809]

Damn he is a tom hess student? Well that explains!

[@symptomoftheuniverse1261]

Thank you for everything

[@Stevewatson3]

Thanks for doing this video!

[@jamesmaxwell5415]

That was so much fun! I've watched those PG videos non stop as I was learning. I would have got a lot more benefit if HE mentioned this stuff :)

[@nedim_guitar]

Great video, helpful!

[@cc_1983]

Remember downloading that solo from Napster 20 years ago! Insane - mind blown 🤯

[@mazetujuh]

i analyze paul and yngwie myself. tried their technique for years, and my conclusion is not about the manner and style.. but about practice everyday.. everyday. and that speed will be achieved BY ITSELF. and time to achieve it should be for YEARS

[@v3rlon]

Not to take away from the importance of practice, but lots of guitarists do this without becoming Yngwie or Paul Gilbert good (or insert your favorite OMG shredder). You have to know HOW to practice, for one. Also, I think it helps to hire a teacher. Yeah, you’re great and KZbin is awesome. Having a real person coach you will keep you honest. Tom Brady is arguably the greatest QB in NFL history, and he still uses a coach. Other people at the very top of their respective fields have people to keep them on the path to greatness, even if those people aren’t as good (the Brady QB coach can’t play like Brady). Yes, you can woodshed with a metronome like Gilbert and it will work if you have his discipline. I just don’t believe that is the fastest path to progress.

[@chrisking6695]

@@v3rlon I have a teacher and he's no help. I know more than him when it comes to alternate picking. All I have to do is apply the knowledge myself.

[@khaiuschill310]

Best comment ever. Your hand will work it out with enough practice (metronome practice). I’ve seen so many shred technique videos that show “the way”, but actually every famous shredder plays differently. Different hand position, pick size, pick grip, pick angle. Yngwie even prefers a high action on his guitar…

[@JoselTibule]

It's not much rushing became fast guitar player

[@sahivash_semo]

Very nice info thanks

[@iagobroxado]

Great tips indeed.

[@michaelsumnerguitartuition7854]

Keep in mind that stricked alternate picking is much superior for timing. And you need this skill. Good video.

[@Acousticeg]

I agree about the thumb over the neck. Not all of us, maybe not even most have the gift of big hands and extremely long fingers. And also about thicker picks. Each time I've switched to a thicker pick it helped my speed, control and the ability to dig into phrasing.

[@JamesCedricCLat]

Jason Richardson. Particularly his solo in Aviator by Polyphia

[@surajsingh9280]

Really enjoyed this! You should break down Vinnie Moore's playing next!

[@maxima0087]

Please make for us a video dedicated for Al Di Meola.

[@edminer9061]

Al Di Miola is too "soft." His playing is fast though.

[@JohnViguerie]

Legit tips - everyone who follows PG can learn something here! Subscribed! Will be checking out the courses.

[@boddhiswaha5446]

nice vid. I support all pickings, legatto an tapping aswell

[@batuhanbaybarsozcan5244]

One thing you missed i believe to be critical is his right hand technique, which creates more of a vertical wrist movement rather than lateral. He twists his right wrist slightly, his fingers kind of gets curled, pinky side is closer to the body and thumb side is outwards. This results in a more natural movement for the right hand when picking, more like knocking on the door kind of movement rather than a lateral swing. It eases tension on the right wrist and allows for greater control of dynamics, makes it easy to isolate the wrist muscles from the arm.

[@lucaposthuma7783]

finally a video about playing fast that's not just telling me to use metronome

[@eiiiotrodger6279]

7:20 Hahahaha oh my god this is amazing. I guess it makes sense, simple physics it takes less effort with a shorter lever, this is amazing lol this is the best tip I have seen in a long time.

[@jfo3000]

If your fingers aren't as long as Paul's it's not always so easy to move your elbow like that, depending on what you're playing. An extreme example is that lick, but on the 6th string 1st, 3rd 5th fret, 1st fret on fifth string...my elbow can only be on my ribcage to do that...and its gotta be there most of the time for other shred or stretch stuff as well.

[@redw1n517]

Damn dont worry my fingers can reach 1st fret to 8th fret

[@beng4818]

Keanu Reeves was a bass guitarist for Dogstar before becoming very famous as an actor

[@luigicannizzo2669]

" Thank for This Special " descrittive " Lesson .. So' Good ... ☺😊😀/💙💙💙/👍👌👏👋

[@freddylive4181]

.. great subject.

[@marcelosilveira.guitar]

Good vid!

[@nigeldewetter415]

Another Goldmine explored, thanks Mike :)

[@peterachilles9908]

Please make a Video about the picking hand motion from slow speeds to high speeds. Please show how your picking hand motion changes(?) when successively increasing the speed from 60 to 220 bpm (16th notes)

[@adamredfearn6443]

This is such a great video, I need to put the relaxed picking into practice. I also think Paul is swinging his elbow back and forth to control how much pressure he’s putting on his thumb as his hand changes positions from note to note. That probably allows him to be more precise since his grip around the neck is relaxed.

[@relaxingmonk-musicchannel4771]

Fully lovely, glamorous and surprising, Lovely 💖

[@ronaldbacha7818]

Cool breakdown lesson,,,, paul Gilbert likes thin picks because you get a cool scraping sound down the low strings ,,,got that from Paul himself,,,, BUT to each there own. -RJB.

[@fredacuneo5180]

Oh to have a pinky as long as he has...when I attended Berklee it was pointed out to me how much of a difference a long pinky makes in speed playing.

[@cuzsleepisthecousinofdeath]

Also don't forget: ""If I lose my calluses, I lost everything" - Paul Gilbert

[@jasonfarrar4737]

I'm a bass player and I couldn't agree more.

[@apio3172]

3:12 Just had a conversation with a friend who plays viola who mentioned the necessity to move the elbow to provide support for the finger that is playing due to the wide space between intervals compared to the violin and when i heard that i immideately remembered this video, so i came back to check it and i noticed that the wiggle is not random, but it moves depending on what finger is playing. Maybe the wiggle is not only due to relaxation but also a clever way to provide fretting hand support

[@spariel.anders]

Marty Friedman's bending and playing style!!!

[@JoselTibule]

Signature position picking for Marty Friedman

[@dominicbarravecchio2723]

I think if someone (me) has done strict alternate picking for 20 years it’s very hard to convince and undo literally millions of reps.

[@Avedis-G]

I don’t think you have to undo anything. It’s more like just adding to your ability that already exists. That is the beauty about playing an instrument… There’s always something new to learn and there is no ending.

[@christian98]

Gr8 lesson as usual Mike.. Please break down andy james technique I always watch gr8 guitar players good habits I learned doing that from everything I heard in all of ur videos and this man is so important to be talked about. PS : You changed my life ur the best guitar teacher out there.

[@deefdirt]

Zack wylde!!

[@cybergnetwork588]

@ 7:37 you are so relaxed that your face turns red and your eyes are blinking faster! lol

[@angusorvid8840]

I used to use Fender Extra Heavy picks back in the 80s but in later years moved to Dunlop nylon 1.5 and they are perfect. Better than their Jazz 3. It's good to slow down your picking hand to help synchronize your fretting hand. And avoid those micro delays! I played in the same scene as Gilbert in the 80s in L.A. I met the Racer X dudes many times. Nice people who all went on to bigger and better things.

[@jakenogard9667]

Paul Reeves is my all time idol😁

[@Samurai78420]

Paul is my hero. Has been for decades. I remember the first time I met him was my old band sharing a bill with them. I was absolutely shocked how big he is. 6'5"-ish. Crazy. Dont know why I didn't notice it growing up, but since then now I notice how small his Ibanez looks on him. In proportion it looks like a 3/4 scale guitar, lol. He was so nice

[@MysteryPuke]

I think the issue with Paul Gilbert alternate picking is that he does a lot of two string, three notes per string, speed runs where on the bottom string he only pics once and accentuates three times on the higher string and in that case, alternate picking works a lot better, because he goes down on the lower and up down up on the higher which automatically brings you up to the lower string. But well, I've always played alternate picking although I'm only finding that out now that I'm trying to perfect my technique so maybe it just makes more sense to me as it's kinda ingrained in me.

[@dorielementary]

Thanks for the video! Please do an analysis of Joshua Meader.

[@hugoluna5694]

There's an interview where he explains His technique 😊

[@kidpoker007]

My constantly gets stuck in the strings... I’ve always anchored my picking hand

[@shash-onemanband6140]

Please add some basics of Hair Metal from : Easy Living by WASP, Destroyer and Under the Blade by Twisted Sister, Painkiller by Judas Priest, Teutonic Terror by Accept and so on. This was fantastic demo. Keep it on!

[@stevedrake360]

Paul Gilbert does not always alternate pick. In fact, in one of his recent videos, he recommends not always picking every note.

[@chris16durban]

Oooh please please please do a breakdown of Buckethead's techniques!

[@JoeSzilagy]

I've actually started hanging my thumb (left hand) over the top of the neck a little again, which I had stopped doing many years ago. Recently I was wondering why my open 6th string kept ringing, which never used to happen back then. Just touching the 6th string (even a little) with my thumb put a stop to that. I wonder if that's why Paul does it? Also, even though I prefer thick picks too, I wonder if Paul maybe holds his (thinner) pick almost to the very tip, so that it remains fairly firm. Also, wrapping the left hand around the neck like that makes it far easier to bend strings. Of course, playing fast runs (especially if they include the little finger and stretching across frets) are easier with a bent wrist. One thing I don't like about thick picks is trying to play really fast rhythm (chords).

[@fdcooperiv]

Brad Paisley, with the melodic hybrid chicken pickin style. So cool, and fast.

[@TheMajesticGG]

paul gilbert is a beast

[@Samurai78420]

Seriously. Frightening.

[@jasonfarrar4737]

Every aspect of the attack of the plectrum makes a difference.

[@trackerbuckmann1627]

Paul's pick doesn't flex at all because of how he holds it in relation to the string. Which isn't parallel. He's slicing the string with his pick at almost a 90° perpendicular angle. He says it gives it more of a rockin' 'cello' sound. He then turns it more parallel to the string and holds it with three fingers to strum chords. The flex works for him in this way, and he completely eliminates it by changing the angle of his pick attack on fast single note playing. I've been taking his lessons on artist works, and i pay close attention to everything that he does.

[@cdnpunk2270]

Paul Gilbert is like the Beck of music.

[@sauerkrautoneverything7807]

Marshall Harrison has seemingly flawless technique. I believe he does economy picking mixed with hybrid that he calls SWYBRYD. Not sure if he does what you call directional picking because his string crossings are solved with hybrid or banjo rolls. I also like Jeff Loomis, Per Nilsson, and Wes Hauch, atm.

[@Theosis78]

Marshall uses directional picking when it's convenient for him. Likewise with economy, hybrid and of course swybrid. It's all in his swybrid book.

[@ColinCayvzmusic1111]

Hey Mike. Can you do a video on George Lynch's or EVH's technique?

[@jhrdrake7205]

Thin picks flex for a fraction of a second but this soft feel actually works well for some people like me and the main benefit is that thin picks jump from string to string way more smoothly than thick ones which feel like lugging a heavy brick to me. Also thin picks maintain even volume with no volume spikes so you can play as soft of hard as you want, no compressor needed. Just my two cents. That being said, thanks for your great tips otherwise, I have learned a lot!

[@vizzo7]

Please break down, Tim Miller, Marty Friedman and Allan Holdsworth

[@Gauravsinghrf]

DO breakdown of SLASH's picking tech.

[@darkknight2304]

The only other guy who I've heard talking and being very touchy about 'directional picking' is Tom Hess. 😀

[@anthonyhaga7559]

Analysis of rusty cooley? That would be cool.

[@federicoalbanese2858]

Absolutely that would be amazing !!!

[@abrahamrodrigues1049]

Heck Yeah

[@nzantkithan9163]

can you do dimebag darrel way of picking next video .

[@MountainBrewMusic420]

You got anything to say about Phillip Sayce???

[@bradsims5116]

The elbow movement puts pressure on your pinkie finger and keeps your fretting hand from crapping out.

[@julienbriere1972]

Great advice overall but using thin picks sounds SO MUCH BETTER. It does take more control but the feel and sound of playing with thin picks (0.50 to 0.70) makes a world of difference. After all, it is about the way it sounds and I believe this is why Paul’s picking technique stands out.

[@BradEnquist]

Please do a video breaking down Damian Salazar.

[@zoidelux]

Please do a video on Buckethead!!!!

[@atarijam]

Great insights. What Ibanez model are you using?

[@iganpparamarta8813]

Ibanez RGT42

[@zingkhe]

Long fingers?

[@fazlghori4076]

Breakdown Slash and Tom Morello pls

[@stefanemrold9098]

Suggestion for the next breakdown: Uli Jon Roth and his extremely relaxed right hand. Take a look at the old clip from the 70s where he's playing Sails of Charon.

[@ronaksdev]

Yes totally. I am covering the song. I just couldn't get the way he could be so relaxed especially the picking hand. I used Hybrid picking and Economy picking in my cover

[@binilgn5941]

Ronak S Dev Uli uses a very specific picking pattern for that solo. Every third note is played legato, and the rest are picked. Check out Ben Ellers break down of it if you’re interested

[@christopher4443]

8:05 that's literally how I play lmfao

[@johnramsey2480]

Review Jacky Vincent PLEASE? HE is just as smooth as the best out there in 2021!!!

[@maverator]

“I want you to notice his fretting hand.” It’s huge 😢

[@bryandialing1875]

great! how about vinnie moore?

[@mysteriousjl]

Mick Mars!

[@bulleta.k.a9135]

John petrucci and how he holds his pick 🔥🔥🔥👍

[@volfgankamei5348]

PG is a better picker than JP.

[@GammaFZ]

@@volfgankamei5348 yes

[@luhtafofficial561]

@@volfgankamei5348 agree. Paul Gilbert stay relax & humble

[@ronskiecovers1903]

paul gilbert came from other planet.

[@robertodimarino9761]

If I may dare to ask, please break down Alex Skolnick

[@phillee3653]

I've heard the argument about using thicker picks to the point that I should accept it as fact, but I'm not convinced it's true. I agree with the logic about using thinner picks and how they bend and subsequently have a slight delay where they have to bend back. But, let's think about what happens when using a thicker pick. Are we not displacing the string ever so slightly when we pick since the guitar pick can't be bent? Would that not create an equal delay as we have to have the pick roll off the string before it produces a sound? I use thicker picks because I think they are more comfortable, but i'm confident that I could pick up any guitar pick and produce a reliable tremolo.

[@phillee3653]

I think it's interesting that no one would contend that Paul Gilbert is one of the greatest pickers who ever lived, but everyone wants to dispute his use of a thinner pick. Unless he's some magical creature, which I guess we can't necessarily rule out, what works for him should work for everyone else. I think it's more likely that this information about the use of thicker picks started to gain traction at some point and we just regarded it as true. If there are videos or other evidence demonstrating the superiority, I'd really like to see them.

[@herehere3139]

​@@phillee3653hello from 2 years ago lol I agree with you! I've been picking with a thick pick for a long while now, But I had previously used thin picks because I like their "pop" they give from that bend. But if the pick is bending just slightly, it should take away from vibrating the heck out of the string more than it should. Didn't think about it like that until you mentioned it.

[@edminer9061]

Paul is always very interesting. I agree with having a "thick" pick, preferably a 1.0 mm at least. Is Yngwie a "one trick pony?"

[@hamidahmed8076]

Lol 0:18 👏👏👏

[@GauravKhuranaxy]

So I was just passing by, tried something different based on what I learnt from the vid and it made an immediate difference in my playing! I have been trying to get the intro for Take no Prisoners by Megadeth at their high speed until I saw this. One thing that stood out for me was pick attack! The fact that the left hand will be forced to move if I did a good speedy pick attack with my right. So instead of concentrating too much on my left hand, I put my brain towards the right hand, did a pick attack instead of regular fast alternate picking and voila! Made an immediate difference in that intro rhythm section of that song. Thank you thank you thank you!

[@gigatesla]

Do you have any tips on the pentatonic-ish fills in the middle of the song? The fills themselves I can play fine, but alternating between them and the crunchy muted-unmuted lower riff is really tricky to keep clean.

[@6hvhngff7]

Nvm this video is very good

[@mark5150ty]

Directional picking and economy picking is different. I don't agree with the pick choice, I use heavy medium and thin pics. Different pick thickness gives you a different tone. A thin pick gives a brighter tone, a thick pick gives you more bottom end. You just have to adjust your playing depended on what results you are wanting.

[@peterachilles9908]

I had a problem holding the pick in place at middle speed, but I was already holding it like you. Yesterday I did a fix to my self-made brass-pick: drilling 4 holes through it and bending it so that my thumb sits in a curved pit. Now the pick sits firm no matter how I play. But I guess the initial problem came from my jumpy picking motion at middle speeds. At high speed 130 bpm+ my picking motion becomes smooth and steady because I lock the forarm-axis meaning that the hand is not rotating/swinging with the longittdonal axis of the forearm anymore.

[@africanchina1]

Yeah but what if you have small hands like me? It's impossible not to have tension

[@andrewz.3432]

I have an issue. I hold my pick like this but the problem is the surface of my thumb tends to sweat. The moisture loosens my grip causing my pick to slip. Does anyone have the same issue? If so, please help.

[@ronaksdev]

Carry a pick with you everytime for a month or two. Ur hand becomes so familiar with the plastic pick that u use less pressure to hold the pick

[@andrewz.3432]

@@ronaksdev Hey thank you, I will definitely try that. Did you have the same issue before? Also the tension is a pain in the ass.

[@dalealanbryant7062]

How about a tutorial on, *Tommy Bolin*?...

[@samroyproductions3476]

Can you analyse Rick Graeme he uses economic picking unlike Paul Gilbert

[@darkallyrecordings4931]

Is that an RGT42? I used to have one if so.

[@HowToPracticeGuitar]

Yes it is.

[@darkallyrecordings4931]

@@HowToPracticeGuitar Awesome! Great guitar. I want the Giger RG. Pretty much the same specs. Subbed.

[@kevinwins1489]

I literally searched:" Paul Gilbert how?" After having seen the live performance, and got here.

[@kuyakoi3469]

That paul guy sounds good. He will get famous soon.

[@andiindaputra486]

00:17 i think Paul Gilbert > Keanu Reeves. Young Paul Gilbert with brown's long-hair was ridiculously handsome guy.

[@alexthelionkoh]

Break down tom quayle

[@beng4818]

Holding the pick in 2 points is better (you're teaching in 3 points) like for example when you draw or write...

[@denispacific8821]

Anton Oparin the best alternate picking ever

[@iganpparamarta8813]

He’s a monster. Real life guitar prodigy.

[@alancosens]

Doesn't hurt to have 7-inch long fingers either.