One interesting thing about the guitar (and similar stringed instruments like the uke) is that there are so many different ways to play it. You can play with a pick, fingers, or some combination of both. There are also all sorts of relatively new ways to play the guitar in a percussive manner. This post…… Continue reading Different ways to play guitar (with videos)
I’ve been talking a lot on here about various ways of picking notes on a guitar. To see some of these techniques in action (edge picking, pick slanting, etc.) look no further than this video of Paco de Lucia, Al di Meola and John McLaughlin playing the song “Spain.”
I recently noticed that someone had come to this site via a search for the term “circle picking.” Circle picking is a technique I’ve heard of but it’s been something of a mystery for me. I set out to find out more and am glad I did. It’s a cool little technique I want to play…… Continue reading Two types of circle picking
I recently watched an interview with guitarist Al Di Meola as part of a Google video program called Talks at Google. Al, a noted speed picker, plays a few tunes during the show and I noticed something relevant to my recent article, “A Survey of Guitar Picking, pt 2.” In that post I mentioned the idea…… Continue reading Observing Al Di Meola’s edge picking (with video)
<<<Part 1 Edge Picking How we position the pick in relation to the strings can have a big effect on how fluidly we can play. One option has the pick parallel to the guitar string, as seen here. (Note: In the above photo I don’t mean to imply that you move you pick in the…… Continue reading A Survey of Guitar Picking, part 2
(Note: clicking on any diagram in the posts goes to a larger version.) Click here for Part 2 Guitar picking is certainly an oft written about topic, usually with the goal of demonstrating how to play fast. I recently realized that I—closing in my 3rd decade playing guitar—still didn’t have a very good handle on…… Continue reading A Survey of Guitar Picking, part 1
Wil Forbis Music 