My right hand technique - pick & fingers

[@xlp3t3r]

Just picking this up 6 months late but it’s a great lesson. I’m always advising new guitarists to get their right hand technique worked upon as that’s where feel comes from. I enjoy your playing Paul..and whilst you’re streets ahead of my technique its nice for an old dog to pick up new phrases and ideas and keep learning... thank you.

[@paulstaffordcook8799]

Thanks man, appreciate your compliment 👍.

[@johncook2086]

Good one Paul, love all that stuff, very inspiring, as usual!

[@paulstaffordcook8799]

Thank you Dad. 👍

[@mark1webb956]

Could sit and listen all day long. So much to learn. Excellent

[@paulstaffordcook8799]

Thank you so much 🙏

[@Bob.W.]

Thx. I'm an old finger picker who just bought his first electric. Too many years of playing alternating bass. We call that grabbing a pinch. This helps.

[@paulstaffordcook8799]

Excellent, glad you found my wee video helpful. 👍

[@stratpod]

thats brilliant, kinda stuff i like to sit and do when i've nothing to do :) i notice now though that i try and think what i'm doing, like chord embellishment wise, think watching Bukovac when he shouts out the number, i recon in about 20 years time i'll get it. thanks for sharing Paul :) take care

[@paulstaffordcook8799]

Cheers Charlie! Hope all is good over the Firth of Forth. Canny believe this dam virus is coming back to haunt us all. So far I’m still working, but who knows what’ll happen in the next few months. I might be back to doing daily KZbin videos to fill my time 🤣

[@barry5607]

Hi Paul Sounding Awesome ,and Great Advice as Usual ! .Hope you are Keeping Well Mate ..Best Always Barry 👍😎🎸

[@paulstaffordcook8799]

Thank you Barry, glad you enjoyed it. Hope you’re still practicing, as we’re all eagerly awaiting your next KZbin upload 👍😀. You set the bar pretty high with Sweet Bye and Bye.....

[@barry5607]

@@paulstaffordcook8799 Hi Paul you give me a lot of Inspiration and so much to Practice Im so Grateful... shouldnt be Too long for the Next Upload Catch up soon my Friend 🎸😎👌

[@davidcox8458]

AWESOME Paul ,,,,,thanks ..

[@paulstaffordcook8799]

Thanks David 👍

[@SM-ym8ww]

Just brilliant and super helpful! I can see where it will take a bit of time to become second nature...well a lot of time

[@paulstaffordcook8799]

Thank you S M, delighted you liked my wee vid 👍

[@Supperconductor]

Thank you Scott & Paul!

[@paulstaffordcook8799]

Cheers Supperconductor 👍

[@eddfanning]

Savage lesson! Best and most concise on KZbin!! Greg Koch has one on his technique...next best one! Stay sane in the madness that is 2020...🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻

[@paulstaffordcook8799]

Thank you eddfanning! Delighted to see my name next to the mighty Greg Koch! I’m sure he could kick my sorry ass all over town when it comes to playing 🤣..... but still, I’m delighted you liked my wee vid 👍

[@petrolhead007]

Hi Paul, discovered your channel just a day or 2 ago and enjoying it. Thanks a lot for sharing these tips. I'm again trying to start learning 🎸. I'll see how it goes this time. Hoping that your videos will give me motivation.

[@paulstaffordcook8799]

Thank you Petrolhead 777👍. Delighted you like my wee videos! Happy practicing man 🎸

[@gbohnen]

this is just amazing.

[@paulstaffordcook8799]

Thank you so much Günni 🙏

[@gbohnen]

@@paulstaffordcook8799 i have a question. have you ever had problems with your elbow on the right hand. i have a elbow tendonitis. i dont know if it comes from playing guitar. the doctor gave me a plaster splint. now i cannot play for 3 weeks. do you make any fitness or something else to prevent problems? greetings from germany

[@paulstaffordcook8799]

Actually, you’ll laugh, and probably won’t believe me.... but my wife and I have been “Whole Food Plant based” (i.e. vegan) for a couple of years. Low sugar, no dairy, obviously no meat, loads of fruit, veg, nuts, beans etc. It solved a bit of Carpel Tunnel syndrome I used to have. And just generally, I feel that all types of inflammation seem to go into reverse with that kinda fuel going into your body. Tastes like crap! But I’m liking the effects on health. 🤣

[@neilhawkins1]

Fabulous,thank you so much

[@paulstaffordcook8799]

Thank you Neil, delighted you enjoyed my wee vid 👍

[@alanbeck5518]

Thank you.

[@paulstaffordcook8799]

Cheers Alan, you’re welcome 😀

[@HanmerMusic]

Very nice!!

[@paulstaffordcook8799]

Thanks man 👍

[@lorenzo-agnes]

Just excellent!

[@paulstaffordcook8799]

Thank you Lorenzo 🙏

[@johnnybx3254]

Great lesson 👍❤️

[@paulstaffordcook8799]

Thank you Johnnybx3 👍

[@derekjohnson5720]

Well big man, just back from guitar guitar and absolutely buzzing!! Was an amazing experience, that is what you call a guitar shop! Was in guitar heaven, cant stop smiling. Can see why you must spend a fortune everytime you go in there lol Well as for my new axe, I bought a Black Fender American performer in HSS. From nowhere the guitar snob thing just took over me lol knowing I was holding an American made stratocaster just felt epic! Well big man am off to jam and start my new story with my new ax😎😎😎😎

[@paulstaffordcook8799]

Hey Derek, delighted you liked GuitarGuitar! It’s cool eh! And that’s brilliant about your new Strat, made all the way over there in Corona, California in the grand old US of A. I’m sure you will love it and bond with it. And of course you must let me know when you upload a wee video. I’m dying to see you play it 😀🤘

[@derekjohnson5720]

@@paulstaffordcook8799 it was epic, they had a les paul custom for £8000+ with the most beautiful flame I have ever seen! I took your advice and played mostly clean and discovered, when you play clean you get to hear the difference in the quality of pickups better. Absolutely love my new axe(my wallet dosent) going to start saving for a Gibson now, got the American itch now lol Will defo notify you of a vid big yin! Will have to write a new piece for the new axe!!

[@katylied8]

Great stuff Paul.

[@paulstaffordcook8799]

Thank you Anto, glad you liked it. Cheers mate

[@chrisandsue677]

Are you still doing lessons? I love you playing and the way you come across. I took a lesson from you at the beginning of lockdown but didn't come back, circumstance rather than anything else, would love to pick up again though.

[@paulstaffordcook8799]

Hi Chris! Yes, still doing lessons, and would be delighted to see you for a lesson again. I think you were in Kent if I remember? And I think we had corresponded via WhatsApp? If that’s the case, I’ll send you a WhatsApp tomorrow morning with my availability over the next few weeks of that helps. Cheers Chris

[@rickd1201]

Awesome so overlooked and so many styles of music which I find at one of the most important to set you apart and just to throw in at random when you need just have so much color. A good drill I did way back when was I called it isolation I would isolate one chord and see how many techniques I can do on it and it's amazing what you can do once you put the concept to that to work. Awesome Paul 1 stray cat 99 KZbin I'm same crazy dude 😎 lol the right hand is like a magician so much more is going on there than people think cuz they're always looking at your friend in hand but rhythm and everything is in the right hand be the magician

[@paulstaffordcook8799]

Thank you Rick. I like your tip on “isolation”! I’m gonna try that 👍

[@derekjohnson5720]

Yes the big man is on the Tele 😎😎😎😎

[@paulstaffordcook8799]

Thank you Derek. On a different note, I asked you about your recent “first visit ever” to a top guitar shop full of Gibsons / Fenders etc. I thought your reply was so interesting, I’d like to copy / paste it here if you don’t mind. I bet it will resonate with so many people: “I went to a shop in Carlisle called rainbow music. I got to play some custom fenders and one Gibson les paul. Tried some professionals and performers. It was amazing being surrounded buy all these beautiful guitars soaked in history but if I'm being honest, it was a bit of an anti climax. I found that when you added effects and drives there wasnt much difference. For me music is a sound thing first. I didn't play one strat that sounded better or felt better than my 1997 MIJ 57 strat with American 57/62 pups(I took it with me) the guy actually told me its probably because it has naturally aged over 20yrs, shes full of battle scars but still looks gorgeous. I loved the telecasters but again when driven and with effects there was no difference between the professional and performers. I couldn't justify the extra money difference and the made in America thing is nonsense to me logically. A piece of wood is a piece of wood whether it's in the hands of an American, Mexican, Japanese etc. Yeh the build quality and components used are of higher quality. I said to the guy for example, if I bought a American loaded pickguard for £280 which has all the premium pots caps etc and stuck it in a Mexican strat along with some upgraded tuners is it basically going to sound the same as a pro and he said, pretty much yeh. So I thought I could do that and the guitar would cost £500 cheaper lol so I never bought anything. Decided if I am going to spend £1000/1600 on a guitar am going to go down the route of Gordon Smith and have my new axe hand built to my design and specs, that way I can choose the pups, colours etc, my own custom guitar. Going for a Telecaster with a humbucker in the neck(duncan 59), binding on the top and bottom, swamp ash body with a light tobacco burst, roasted maple neck and fingerboard, locking tuners, cts/switchcraft wiring loom. Some of the guitars on there website look stunning, should check them out if you already haven't. Gibson Fender unbelievable guitars, the richest of history. But to me, creating your own axe from top to bottom and starting your own history with it from a blank page is more appealing to me. Wow that was quite a wee bleather from me lol” Anyone feel the same way as Derek? He makes some very valid points.....

[@derekjohnson5720]

Well big man, Guitar Guitar in Edinburgh tomorrow, they have a bigger selection than the shop in Carlisle. Going to see if they have something that will sway me from a Gordon Smith custom. Thought I better makesure, (second opinion kind of thing) before I part with a thousand plus pounds. The other guitarist in the band, total guitar snob(plays a fender pro tele) has been ripping me. Pretty sure you would like his banter, "why are you thinking about buying something that is a copy, an imposter of a legendary guitar brand, when you can just buy an actual Fender!" "If rock up to the studio with a fake ass guitar, your getting kicked of lead and put on a flute or triangle and will be made to stand in the corner" lol This shit got me thinking, original or copy, god this guitar malarkey can bust the melon at times. Any advice big yin, what's your thought process when buying?

[@paulstaffordcook8799]

Man, I could talk for hours on this subject 🤣. At the end of the day, YOU have to be YOU. To put this in perspective, I am (I’m ashamed to admit) a guitar snob. But that’s just me. But get this.... whilst many of our guitar heroes talk lovingly about “hide glue construction” and “long neck tennons” on their reissue ‘59 Les Pauls.... Jimmy Hendrix (perhaps the most revolutionary guitar hero of all time) seemed not to care about any of that. He used basic “off the wall” Strats, usually brand new, not vintage guitars from the golden years. His tech says “a guitar was just a guitar to Jimmy. A tool to do his job.”. Another example is Jeff Beck. He is NOT famous for playing cherished vintage guitars.... he uses guitars from all decades and seems to favour Strats from the 1990’s! How cool is that?! Jeff Beck, one of the finest players on the planet, plays relatively affordable guitars, and is forever swapping necks and parts etc. So Derek, maybe you’re just a bit more “cool” than me and that guy in your band 🤣. He and I are bankrupt and happy, whereas you can be “NOT bankrupt and just as happy”. Enjoy your visit Derek. One last point.... You’ll notice my guitar style is fairly devoid of too much effects.... Usually just a crunch tone and some light Reverb or tremolo. Hence why I can “hear” my guitar’s own voice. The more effects....? Well I might as well play anything. Just a thought.

[@derekjohnson5720]

@@paulstaffordcook8799 Thought you might like to listen to one of my bands tunes!! soundcloud.com/stuart-hunter-6/hard-loving-2-wav?ref=clipboard&p=a&c=0

[@paulstaffordcook8799]

Just had a wee listen to your band’s song on SoundCloud. Very good, I liked it! Reminds me of Oasis actually, particularly the guitar 😀👍

[@neilhorrabin6320]

I'd always noticed you did that Paul but my aversion to using a pick and sticking to fingers, I have now seen a half and half approach. Can't wait until I can pick up my quitar again practice as well as hardening my finger tips which have softened up. Dam Carpel Tunnel, so frustrated. Thanks Paul

[@paulstaffordcook8799]

Thank you Neil, at least you’re keeping your guitar juices flowing by watching guitar vids! Stay motivated man, I’m sure your Carpel Tunnel will go with more rest. 🙏

[@paulcamus8944]

that little he plays at :27 beautiful stuff. A little breakdown behind the reasoning of it would be wonderful!

[@paulstaffordcook8799]

Thank you Paul 👍. Yes, my thinking behind that little section was to break away from the restriction of having to play the chords. But of course I need the listener to keep feeling the chords and rhythm. Hence, I love to play lead lines that suggest the chords. For example I start by playing descending little half chord inversions of A, because in that moment the track is still on the A chord. But as the track moves to the D chord I switch my lead playing to licks that suggest D7, i.e. by playing notes that are in the chord of D7. That way I can keep the listener feeling the chord changes. If I “freestyle” too long the listener will get lost so it’s important to just do brief little sections of freestyle and then revert to the normal chords. Hope that makes sense. Cheers for watching 👍

[@paulcamus8944]

@@paulstaffordcook8799 Thanks a lot for that. I had a feeling that's what you were doing as it's somehting I've been trying to incorporate into my playing these past few months. I was going to sit down and figure it out today and you just gave a me a great head start. Thanks for the great playing and breakdown!

[@paulstaffordcook8799]

Cheers Paul, happy practicing 👍. You probably already know this, but I only found out a few weeks ago that you can slow KZbin down via the KZbin settings icon. Yeah, I think everyone knows that except me 🤣.

[@paulcamus8944]

@@paulstaffordcook8799 Hey at least for once it feels good to know something music related you don't! ;)

[@Nikoo033]

Loved the progressions from 05:20 and around 09:40 or 09:50. Question: if actually you spend a lot of time grabbing (if I may 😅), why bother with the pick at all? Crisper sound?

[@paulstaffordcook8799]

Thank you Nikoo033, delighted you liked those progressions. Sometimes I do just ditch the pick, and that gives me the same ability to grab, and gives a more consistent soft sound. But most of the time, I love the dynamic a combined pick & fingers gives me, i.e. I love to dig in aggressively to certain notes. 👍😀

[@eddfanning]

Great vid...10 min 57 secs will take me two months of practice to even approach this 😂... ...🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻

[@paulstaffordcook8799]

Ah, thank you for your kind words! Cheers man

[@carlovigano1163]

Hey Paul, great video and tones as always! I've got some intonation problems on my telecaster and was wondering what saddles are you using, they look compensated but it's hard to see well in the video. What model are they? Also, do you file some rounded cuts in the saddles to accomodate the strings so they don't move around or just leave them on top of the rounded saddle? Keep up the awesome vids! love your sound and muscality!

[@paulstaffordcook8799]

Hi Carlo 👋. Interesting question! The answer is that my saddles are completely stock, i.e. vintage correct. So there’s no compensation. And I have not filed any grooves, so my strings just sit on top and stay there with the general string tension. To be honest, I’m not someone who worries too much about intonation... I’m a huge fan of vibrato - even vibrating whole chords. So my notes are usually moving and swaying..... and so if I hear anything “out of tune”, I just bend that note a little (or it’s neighbour) to compensate. Very crude way of doing things but it works for me. That said, that Telecaster is actually pretty well intonated, despite its general design. The guitar that I find the most “out” is my Gold Top. Fabulous guitar, but it makes me work 🤣

[@jhall6926]

Paul,..thanks man,...its not the Guitar, its the man holding it, as my girlfriend use to say to me. you could make a old beater sound good, ps.Danny Gatton 88 elmira st..ya..

[@paulstaffordcook8799]

Thank you man, appreciated

[@davidcunningham6531]

I have watched many of your video's with the SD Quarter pound, question is : Is your bridge PU the tapped version or not ?

[@paulstaffordcook8799]

Hi David. Firstly, cheers for watching my wee videos 👍. I have to confess..., I’m not aware of the existence of a tapped version.... If we’re talking about coil tapping, i.e. splitting the coils in a humbucker for greater versatility, then no, because it’s a straight up Single Coil. Have I got the wrong end of the stick?

[@davidcunningham6531]

@@paulstaffordcook8799 I'm new at learning about this myself, my understanding is the output is split . meaning it's tapped off at a given ( example 8k Ohms ) sounding more like a traditional Tele, then the full output of the other wire would be say 17K Ohms having the power to compete with humbuckers.

[@davidcunningham6531]

@@paulstaffordcook8799 Here is the video I found explaining it kzbin.info/www/bejne/r5uYeYl3mLt-nZo

[@shady-hermit4470]

too much for my tiny brain

[@yensilluap]

Are you professional? If not, you come across as one.

[@paulstaffordcook8799]

Well thank you Paul 👍. But no, I’m a driving instructor working full time in Edinburgh. I was in a covers band for around 15 years but now I’m a bedroom player. So KZbin is my outlet 🤣. Cheers for watching my wee vid!

[@yensilluap]

Paul Stafford Cook That’s great! I’m living in Pennsylvania but moved here from England with my family when I was ten. That was 50 years ago but doesn’t seem like it. I’ve been playing guitar and writing songs since I was about 13 or 14 but I work in the mental health field for a living. My brothers and I had a band years ago but since then I mostly play and record at home. I do admire your technique and skill and the ease with which you play. I do fingerpick myself but have never got used to using my fingers when I’m also using a pick. I’ll have to give it another go - there are so many benefits to playing that way.