Picking Positions

This being the first lesson I wanted to discuss the three different types of right hand positioning I use for my playing. One problem I see a lot of my students having is versatility. Whether it's lead players that have trouble with rhythm playing, or rhythm players struggling with leads, or both struggling with percussive playing.

One day a student asked me, "Why does your hand change position when you play?" I never realized this about my playing but once I did, I decided to share this with all my students. In this lesson I will go over proper right hand positioning that will enable you to play any style with just these three types of picking positions.

Lead Positioning

So here we have my right hand position when I am playing leads. You will find this is very similar to my position when playing rhythm, but with some minor yet important differences. By resting your hand on the strings, while playing lead, it keeps the other strings from ringing unwillingly. Now because I use strict alternate picking the key to success is all wrist movements in this position. Holding the pick loosely creates a softer attack which allows me to glide to different strings easily.

Rhythm Positioning

Rhythm playing is always just as important as lead playing. It allows you to accompany the melodies being played on top of the music. Keeping the right hand heavy on the strings allows for strict palm muting giving the ultimate "chunk" tone, unless you're playing open chords. Now during leads I use strict wrist movements, however, when playing rhythm I like to add a little forearm into the mix creating a pounding percussive sound. The pick I grip a lot tighter as it helps with heavier down picking, inside/outside picking, and speed picking (which I will cover in my next lessons).

Percussive Positioning

Percussive playing can be used for both rhythm and lead, and therefore requires its own position for better execution. Here, the left hand takes on the roll of muting while my right hand stays completely off the string sets. This allows me to give the "scratchy sound" during the performance of my playing. Typically I will switch from this position to lead position depending on the lick that I am expressing. Heavy forearm and wrist movements are used. The pick is again gripped tightly for the extreme percussive pulse provided with this style of playing.