Pickslanting ?

I bought the basic package a couple years ago. It helped. However, I found that I was able to increase speed dramatically more on the same links by reading (and absorbing into my practice) parts of this guy's book (which is free): https://www.gtroblq.com/book

And a post linked from the book: https://gtroblq.blogspot.com/2018/09/slant-picking.html

There's also a Facebook group (approval required) where he answers questions directly.

That said, as I mentioned, the Troy Grady stuff helped me. I don't regret the purchase. Troy's invested a lot in analyzing and presenting the playing of a lot of top-flight guitarists. I intend to continue using his stuff - but now, I'll be doing it with a somewhat different approach than he's showing in his demonstrations.

YMMV and all that.
 
I bought the basic package a couple years ago. It helped. However, I found that I was able to increase speed dramatically more on the same links by reading (and absorbing into my practice) parts of this guy's book (which is free): https://www.gtroblq.com/book

And a post linked from the book: https://gtroblq.blogspot.com/2018/09/slant-picking.html

There's also a Facebook group (approval required) where he answers questions directly.

That said, as I mentioned, the Troy Grady stuff helped me. I don't regret the purchase. Troy's invested a lot in analyzing and presenting the playing of a lot of top-flight guitarists. I intend to continue using his stuff - but now, I'll be doing it with a somewhat different approach than he's showing in his demonstrations.

YMMV and all that.
I've read parts of his book. There are some good tips, but also some pretty bold statements and strange rules. He almost has a kind of self proclaimed profet vibe going on, TBH. "Thou shall not pick slant and use no other grip than the traditional one!". I get the same vibe from him when he posts over at TGP. But then again, the "Playing and Technique" sub forum at TGP has had me shaking my head on more than one occasion.

There simply is no "One True Way" when it comes to technique. You have to find a way that works for you, playing cleanly and consistently, and at the same time without tension and pain. Let your hands guide you to find YOUR way.
 
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yeah - it seems to me like its partially just a natural thing that some people do.
In watching the videos with some of the pros like Andy Wood or Mike Batio - when Troy asks them about it, they just kind of shake their heads like - I don't really know what I'm doing - I just know what I want to play in my head and it comes out.
Which leads me to believe that its at least partially instinctive and amount of playing experience.
Anyway - it has definitely made me examine my picking more and try new things to try to improve my speed - which is a good thing!
 
yeah - it seems to me like its partially just a natural thing that some people do.
In watching the videos with some of the pros like Andy Wood or Mike Batio - when Troy asks them about it, they just kind of shake their heads like - I don't really know what I'm doing - I just know what I want to play in my head and it comes out.
Which leads me to believe that its at least partially instinctive and amount of playing experience.
Anyway - it has definitely made me examine my picking more and try new things to try to improve my speed - which is a good thing!

I just watched this video by Andy Wood. The whole video is great, but his advice near the end of it is dead on.

 
I briefly checked out Troy Grady and pick slanting. His work, in my opinion is great to get you thinking about your picking technique. I believe that understanding why things are happening helps you to identify areas of opportunity and improve your technique.

The whole “exit“ angle and not getting stuck between strings is important. The pick slanting concepts that Troy teaches are a method to achieve that end, but...

I found that this pick slanting technique was something I had already organically picked up but with a modification. I also rotate the tip of my pick towards the bridge of the guitar. I am striking the string with the side of the pick right at the tip. I find this makes several enhancements:
  • It virtually eliminates getting your pick “trapped” between the strings
  • The shape of the pick gives mechanical advantage, easing the transition of the pick over the string and eliminating having the pick “hang up” on a string
  • It makes getting a good ”exit angle” when hopping strings easier. The pick is shorter and the clearance needed is less.
  • Requires less energy to pluck a string. This allows a more controlled and ”tighter” pick stroke which translates to increased pick speed and fluidity.
  • Allows lighter grip on the pick while still maintaining a solid hold of the pick. Less tension when playing is a good thing IME.
The main downside that I have noticed to rotating the pick is a softer attack. This can be tuned by auditioning thicker picks of different materials until you find the pick attack you like.

jVFPXdh.jpg


I agree with earlier statements: there are multiple techniques to solve these problems. I do think Troy’s material is great because it gets you to focus on what you are doing and thinking about how to improve your technique.
 
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I briefly checked out Troy Grady and pick slanting. His work, in my opinion is great to get you thinking about your picking technique. I believe that understanding why things are happening helps you to identify areas of opportunity and improve your technique.

The whole “exit“ angle and not getting stuck between strings is important. The pick slanting concepts that Troy teaches are a method to achieve that end, but...

I found that this pick slanting technique was something I had already organically picked up but with a modification. I also rotate the tip of my pick towards the bridge of the guitar. I am striking the string with the side of the pick right at the tip. I find this makes several enhancements:
  • It virtually eliminates getting your pick “trapped” between the strings
  • The shape of the pick gives mechanical advantage, easing the transition of the pick over the string and eliminating having the pick “hang up” on a string
  • It makes getting a good ”exit angle” when hopping strings easier. The pick is shorter and the clearance needed is less.
  • Requires less energy to pluck a string. This allows a more controlled and ”tighter” pick stroke which translates to increased pick speed and fluidity.
  • Allows lighter grip on the pick while still maintaining a solid hold of the pick. Less tension when playing is a good thing IME.
The main downside that I have noticed to rotating the pick is a softer attack. This can be tuned by auditioning thicker picks of different materials until you find the pick attack you like.

jVFPXdh.jpg


I agree with earlier statements: there are multiple techniques to solve these problems. I do think Troy’s material is great because it gets you to focus on what you are doing and thinking about how to improve your technique.
Funny, I do the opposite: I have the pick angled slightly towards the neck. After a lot of experimentation, I came to the conclusion that this made upstrokes glide easier of the string and the pick not getting caught as much.

I think it's because I'm primarily I downward pickslanter, and the pick naturally glides off /through the string a bit easier during downstrokes when slanting downward, and tend to get stuck on the string during upstrokes. When having the pick angled straight into the pickguard, I find that I have to rotate (changing between slants) a lot more during crosspicking and fast arpeggios, especially when descending.
 
I agree with the points made about Troys videos - they are great, bit long and a few too many 'funny' graphics for my taste but that's why we're given the fast forward button.

What these videos have made me do - is realise that for the past 30+ years I've been concentrating on the wrong hand (duh!), picking, thinking about your right hand etc. is the key to increasing speed and accuracy.

And also realising quite how much some (not all) fast players rely on patterns, amazing, clever patterns - but patterns nevertheless.
 
Funny, I do the opposite: I have the pick angled slightly towards the neck. After a lot of experimentation, I came to the conclusion that this made upstrokes glide easier of the string and the pick not getting caught as much.

I think it's because I'm primarily I downward pickslanter, and the pick naturally glides off /through the string a bit easier during downstrokes when slanting downward, and tend to get stuck on the string during upstrokes. When having the pick angled straight into the pickguard, I find that I have to rotate (changing between slants) a lot more during crosspicking and fast arpeggios, especially when descending.
I played around with the pick rotated toward the nut too. I found it a bit faster. I went with the rotation I am using for two reasons: pinch harmonics and pick grip.

I find rotating the pick the way I do makes pinch harmonics easier.

I also fumbled the pick more and had more shifting of the pick with the pick rotated towards the nut.

But as has been noted, what did not work well for me might be optimal for another player. If it works do it.

It is cool reading your observations. Even though we use opposite pick rotations we both describe the same benefits of using such a rotation. Cool that we both got to the same place independently with no coordination.
 
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Funny, I do the opposite: I have the pick angled slightly towards the neck. After a lot of experimentation, I came to the conclusion that this made upstrokes glide easier of the string and the pick not getting caught as much.

I think it's because I'm primarily I downward pickslanter, and the pick naturally glides off /through the string a bit easier during downstrokes when slanting downward, and tend to get stuck on the string during upstrokes. When having the pick angled straight into the pickguard, I find that I have to rotate (changing between slants) a lot more during crosspicking and fast arpeggios, especially when descending.
Was just thinking about my technique.

When picking fast, I transition to getting the picking action from rotation of the wrist. So instead of flexing the wrist up and down, I am rolling the hand at the wrist. It is like a fluttering or rocking motion. Think of how you rotate your hand to open a door knob.

This incorporates pick slanting naturally into the picking action. At the conclusion of each pick stroke the pick has the exit angle to transition to another string. This way you do not have to “plan” your picking patterns when playing fast.
 
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In

Was just thinking about my technique.

When picking fast, I transition to getting the picking action from rotation of the wrist. So instead of flexing the wrist up and down, I am rolling the hand at the wrist. It is like a fluttering or rocking motion. Think of how you rotate your hand to open a door knob.

This incorporates pick slanting naturally into the picking action. At the conclusion of each pick stroke the pick has the exit angle to transition to another string. This way you do not have to “plan” your picking patterns when playing fast.

What you're describing there is wrist rotation, which actually is forearm rotation, but that's just splitting hairs in regards to terminology. I have never seen a pure rotation movement that is big enough to not require any additional slanting or flexion/extension of the wrist to clear strings. I mean it certainly helps a little bit, and most fast players use rotation when playing fast, but there is often some help when crossing strings. Be it lifting the wrist, some slight offset of the forearm rotation, or gently lifting the fingers. It's often so subtle that not even the player notices it.
 
No better picker on the planet (everything else aside) and this is an interesting note about his technique.

 
I've read parts of his book. There are some good tips, but also some pretty bold statements and strange rules. He almost has a kind of self proclaimed profet vibe going on, TBH. "Thou shall not pick slant and use no other grip than the traditional one!". I get the same vibe from him when he posts over at TGP. But then again, the "Playing and Technique" sub forum at TGP has had me shaking my head on more than one occasion.

There simply is no "One True Way" when it comes to technique. You have to find a way that works for you, playing cleanly and consistently, and at the same time without tension and pain. Let your hands guide you to find YOUR way.
The bitter blowhard posts on TGP? Get outta here! 😜
 
I naturally picked up pick slanting over the years, but I am very grateful for Troy's video series since picking hand technique instructional material is very lacking. He makes very insightful observations that I do feel have helped me develop as a player. Plenty of free material on YouTube too if you aren't sure about making the jump to the paid courses.
 
What you're describing there is wrist rotation, which actually is forearm rotation, but that's just splitting hairs in regards to terminology. I have never seen a pure rotation movement that is big enough to not require any additional slanting or flexion/extension of the wrist to clear strings. I mean it certainly helps a little bit, and most fast players use rotation when playing fast, but there is often some help when crossing strings. Be it lifting the wrist, some slight offset of the forearm rotation, or gently lifting the fingers. It's often so subtle that not even the player notices it.
Yeah, I believe technically it is called ulnar/radial rotation.

If I am providing an “assist” on string transition it is imperceptible and subconcious. My string transitions feel really smooth and fluid, very natural. I cannot detect any alteration on string transition, though the repositioning of the hand could be masking the assist.
 
Yeah, I believe technically it is called ulnar/radial rotation.

If I am providing an “assist” on string transition it is imperceptible and subconcious. My string transitions feel really smooth and fluid, very natural. I cannot detect any alteration on string transition, though the repositioning of the hand could be masking the assist.
That could very well be the case, that something subconscious happens on the string changes. Picking is never just one movement or muscle group, it's super complex and a blend of the different elements. Even if some elements are subtle in relation to others.
 
I was taught not to slant the pick in lessons many years ago, even though I was naturally evolving to do it while I was taking lessons. I don't remember why exactly, but I think it was related to keeping the scratching sound of the pick edge sliding on the strings suppressed. So for years I worked on my technique to keep the pick flat. When I couldn't go fast enough, I basically just didn't pick every note (which I think Troy Grady also shows in his video series). I've use that for as long as I can remember.

When I saw these videos, I tried to start slanting and found it was definitely faster for my right hand, but now my synchronization was out of whack (Ben Eller has a couple good videos on this topic). Without good sync, it doesn't matter how fast one hand can go.

The other thing I found was that once I slanted and rotated so the edge of of the pick was rolling over the string, the pick shape started to matter a lot more for both speed and tone. when I tried the dunlop flow shape, my picking with a slant was awful because the rounded shape changed my pick speed compared to the jazz III I normally use. Even more so with really round tips like an H1 shape.

I'm not a full on speed demon player though, so maybe if I was to try and reach modern/elite shred speeds, maybe this would be more important, but for now I'm kind of tabling the idea of trying to purposely slant. I mostly practice cleanliness in playing when I practice technique, and think more about phrasing than speed at this point.
 
I want to play faster and cleaner. I'm currently using some of Wu-Flu down time to relearn how to pick.

What I'm finding is that pick angle and slant has a huge effect on speed...but also on tone. My default is slight upward pick slanting, with the pick almost perfectly parallel to the strings. This makes for good tone and short bursts of speed, but trips me up on longer runs. If I force myself to follow conventional wisdom (angle the pick 20-30 degrees, change pick slant direction as needed) the speed comes quickly and the tripping hazards are gone....but the tone suffers. Well, suffers may be the wrong word. The pick attack is sharper and raspier. It's a different sound for the tool box, but not what I always want. So much for having one consistent technique...
 
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