Using "Less Pick"

[@liamphillips7315]

I think those of us who stumbled unknowingly into the perpetual hell of habitual string-hopping have ALL struggled with this...because the consequence of string-hopping is consistently inconsistent pick DEPTH. Man, it is a horrible thing to fight against and it's still a problem even when taking Petrucci's advice to essentially use as little of the pick as possible...bc even when you're choked up to the tip on the pick you'll bounce into uneven strikes at inconsistent depth and speed while alt-pick string-hopping... It was combining the slant/arm position with the shallow pick AND pushing the speed which finally started to do it for me...and playing will never be the same. Thanks for all the hard work and priceless insights, Troy! 👍

[@guitarhvac]

Thank you for your reply. It’s encouraging to hear from someone who struggled and overcame the whole speedpicking thing!!

[@UseTheSupeRsonic]

I find that the pick you use also helps greatly in getting these techniques down. My favorite pick is the Ultex Jazz III XL, but I've been resolving to practice on a Dunlop Sharp 1.5mm which is a VERY hard pick to use because if you're using too much of the point or not pickslanting properly, you're definitely gonna know! The pick will actually lock you out of the string change almost completely. I love that pick because it's SOOOOOO good at exposing your deficiencies with those two important things. Not a pick for the timid!

[@KennethGonzalez]

For a long time, I've really focused on using the absolute minimum amount of pick to get the job done. I'm playing the Dunlop Jazz III XLs and find that it gives me the right mix of stability and the nice pointy-ness that I'd liked with the standard Jazz IIIs. The small amount of extra space made a big difference for me!

[@Ryo7_7]

Same. I just picked up some more jazz III's from guitar center. Guthrie Govan and Tobin Abasi techniques.

[@funnyperson4027]

Jazz III’s are god tier

[@lancelotspie952]

Just looking at this the economic structure of the world increases

[@sane7798]

cause he's using economic picking?

[@lancelotspie952]

@@sane7798 yea 😓

[@alexjackson8841]

@@lancelotspie952 don’t worry mate I understood it 💪🏻

[@bluebay0]

The only economy that won't crash.😊

[@UseTheSupeRsonic]

Is it because the keys to the lamborghini are now in view?

[@kirkfabrin4839]

Nice picking Troy! 😂 Thanks for all your videos ! I have been playing for 38 years and your videos changed the way I play...I have improved so much in the last year!

[@leftadrift3920]

love that pattern rhythmic feel 😊

[@chucksaeger7500]

I’ve seen others picking but not from this perspective. I thought they were not anchored but I see you’re touching the strings or pick guard or both. Thanks for the visual!

[@ferlottes]

We need more of your video Troy Brady !!!❤❤❤❤❤❤

[@mandanglelow1442]

Grady.😊

[@ChicagoJ351]

I saw a few economy picks in there. Ever since I was exposed to Rick graham I realized how powerful economy picking can be. Been alternate picking for years, but trying to incorporate more economy picking too. It’s great when you can already alternate pick, throw in some economy picks. But at the end of the day, the audience doesn’t really care anyway lol.

[@troygrady]

Yes, this is gypsy-style, more or less. The key ingredient is USX alternate picking motion ( troygrady.com/primer/reference/escape-motion-reference/usx-motion/ ). Only downstroke sweeping works with this type of alternate picking motion, unless the motion itself or form is changed.

[@KeithWhalen11]

Incredible!

[@samuelthomasengardio]

Troy, take the old Fender 358 picks for a spin, you get forced into using VERY VERY little pick. You can achieve a tonally rich sound with these picks that I could never accomplish with the Jazz 3s.

[@frogjob9581]

Troy, amazing videos, I really learn a lot. I was thinking, have you ever tackled technique when using a thumb pick? A lot of fingerstyle guitarists have amazing technique with the thumb pick (obviously Tommy Emmanuel) being able to play switch between playing with all fingers and fast singe lines using the thumb pick.

[@NEKROMONICON.]

Sounds sick af rock on 🤘

[@LucytheCat_]

Will the Magnet be available for sale soon? I have been waiting for an update for quite a while from the website.

[@troygrady]

Probably a few more months, we're waiting on some parts and then we have to prep a bunch of units, get them on the site, etc.

[@Hadri_ART]

Matteo mancuso likes this title

[@troygrady]

Ha!

[@christopher-miles]

does this translate to a full scale instrument? i have a duo sonic from the 50's. i stoped playing it cause every time i got a full scale everything was out about three millimeters

[@troygrady]

There's no difference really. Capo your 25.5" guitar, or play above the third fret or so - boom, short scale fingerings.

[@mikestroud9969]

Very nice buddy. Wise stuff indeed. Smooth. Man 😎👍💯🎸🎸

[@mikuchajster1994]

I have a question, did you buy some of Anton’s lesson?

[@troygrady]

Nope, no idea what he teaches. He's great though.

[@thisperfectworld]

Frank Gambale style efficiency picking, rather than strict alternate picking?

[@MrGul]

Yes and no. In this context it's more about letting less mass of the pick touch the string as well as the direction/angle in which the pick hits the string, not so much about what would be called economy picking (I've never actually heard the phrase "efficiency picking" before, but the Gambale reference made me think that economy picking was what you were referring to).

[@CalebePriester]

Dude, he can do both. He can alternate and sweep.

[@troygrady]

Yep, there is sweeping in here, for sure, but it's "one-way economy", where only downstroke sweeping is used. This is due to the type of alternate picking motion, which follows a diagonal path ( troygrady.com/primer/reference/escape-motion-reference/usx-motion/ ). Frank does a similar thing, but most often in reverse, where his lines very often focus on upstroke sweeping using the opposite diagonal alternate picking motion ( troygrady.com/primer/reference/escape-motion-reference/dsx-motion/ ).

[@paulgilbert3139]

Hi troy what do you think about anton oparin's video that talking about the best picking technique ? Even he's talking shit about guthrie, and martin miller 😂

[@jimmymurphy7789]

Fred Sanford : "Oh - I think this is the BIG-One !" "Elizabeth - I'm commin' to Join you, Honey - with a Jim Dunlop XL Jazz Pick in my Hand !"

[@troygrady]

Ha!

[@MercuryTrickshotting]

Any tips on keeping those slippery jazz iiis from slipping?

[@blurch]

Get the Jazz III Max Grips.

[@TempleGuitars]

Perversely, I found the less hard I grip them, the less they slip? It's weird, but I had speed problems when I had a clamp like grip on them, and they would always shift. But when I relaxed and used the minimum grip pressure as well as less pick depth, everything worked.

[@CalebePriester]

Instead of holding the pick with your thumb and index finger try adding the middle finger. It worked for me. II hold my pick with my thumb, index and middle finger. My attack is stronger and I don't drop my pick anymore.

[@troygrady]

When the pick moves around in your grip it's often because the motion is not aligned with the pick attack. Meaning, you want the pick to stay in one spot, but the average of the upstroke and the downstroke forces is shoving it somewhere else. Extra-frictiony picks like Dunlop Max Grip (which I do like, but more for feel purposes) are a band aid for this because it's treating the symptom, not the problem. Instead, experimenting with different pick grips, anchoring or other form changes, or different types of joint motion is usually the more permanent solution.

[@alexjackson8841]

I’ve found the best thing is to use tortex Jazz 3’s. Ive got some which are black and I think about 1.5mm. I’ve found even max grip designs with any other material tend to get slippery when your hands get sweaty, the worst ones are whatever material the John petrucci jazz 3’s are. But the tortex jazz 3s are the only picks I seem to have no slipping problems with, I don’t use anything else now for that exact reason.

[@madProgenitorDeity]

very nice!

[@rome8180]

Oh, cool. I'll just do that then.

[@scottcummings8602]

The strings look super thick.

[@arosalesmusic]

Maybe you should interview Matteo Mancuso, he doesn´t even use a pick.

[@jeffreyklaproth7794]

Troy Grady kicks A!

[@rudiyantohalim736]

Economy picking 👍

[@kipponi]

Yeah I see it too👍. When slowed of course😂.

[@rudiyantohalim736]

@@kipponi Right....at normal speed, we can't hardly tell

[@troygrady]

Yes, this is gypsy-style, more or less - USX alternate picking motion with only downstroke sweeping, to match with the diagonal path of the picking motion. ( troygrady.com/primer/reference/escape-motion-reference/usx-motion/ )

[@rudiyantohalim736]

@@troygrady You are the master of picking. Thank you, because of all your videos, I can really learn a lot. If only there were this kind of vids back in the day when I started learning how to play 🙏🙏🙏

[@viqtorblack]

Jeff Loomis notes

[@petergedd9330]

Tesco trolly

[@gianlucadecicco5921]

God knew that if you had a nice guitar you would be too powerful. That's why he gave you the ugliest ones 🤣jk

[@phillippitts6294]

Crap! I should probably give up now! 😂🖖🏻

[@troygrady]

Nooo!

[@ringbalk4615]

Lol that's my only picking technique

[@elephantricity]

Now do it without palm muting

[@EthnHayabusa]

Why? It sounds better with.

[@troygrady]

Entire video on this very subject, right here! ( kzbin.info/www/bejne/epzFgX6klpyof68 )

[@elephantricity]

@@troygrady Thanks!

[@АлександрСтафиевских-с5д]

благодарю канал за трансляциию.

[@MichaelZ89]

Would love for you to check out Charles Caswell from Berried Alive! His shapes, lines and clear articulation with such speed is incredible imho

[@troygrady]

Not familiar with him but will take a look!

[@deathmaybeyoursantaclaus]

I was experimenting with 'form changes', as you put it, and found things noticeably easier when I started to think about the movement of my pick as an extension of my thumb, rather than my thumb and fingers. I think the overall movement subtly changed from wrist deviation to more supination-pronation, which is what you'd expect given the involvement of the thumb? Anyway worked for me! 👍

[@troygrady]

For sure. What instrument technique feels like is often hard to verbalize, and frequently looks different than what you think it's going to be when you film it and look at it. But that type of by-feel experimentation is exactly how you get motions to change from worse to better.