How hard do I pick?

[Eagle]

I know you disagree with me on this but strings have a huge impact on how hard you can pick. Gain also compresses the dynamic so you need to be more subtle. I also play a Gypsy Jazz and the sound is massively affected by how you pick.

 

[Orvillain]

While true, a) you started it and b) that still is no excuse for deleting all posts, which renders the last two pages of this thread into an utterly useless mess. Do you do that in real life as well? Like killing everybody who has witnessed something you've once said but wish you hadn't?

pahahahahahahaha!! I only just read this !! omfg! Genius!

 

[Sascha Franck]

I know you disagree with me on this but strings have a huge impact on how hard you can pick.

I never disagreed on that.

 

[Ed DeGenaro]

Ok, reviving this thread for a bit.
I actually worked on my picking during the last months and there's noticeable improvements here and there. Which IMO also have to do with picking strength.
First thing I noticed was that I just needed a certain picking strength for certain things, especially when trying to "milk" certain notes. So that had to stay at least sort of.
Otoh, for faster runs, things seem to become noticeably easier when I pick somewhat softer (in combination with not digging into the strings just as deep).
Now, at first this sounds like "so, with faster runs we don't need to sound as articulate?" - but in fact, IMO the opposite is the case, at least on any kind of overdriven sounds, note separation actually seems to become better when picking a tad softer. Makes sense physically as well, as the string amplitude is lower, hence there's less sharpness following the attack (which can always become an issue with hard picking).

In a nutshell, I like that kinda progress (fwiw, I'm not particularly picking faster now, but things feel more relaxed).
One problem remaining would still be clean leads. I just like to pick clean leads harder, so I'm not exactly sure yet what to make out of things.

Fwiw, I found it to be a decent balanced picking strength when trying to pick as hard as my fingers in hybrid picking mode. Not too easy to get there, though.

i changed to lighter attack about 2 years ago and yes I agree it makes huge difference also on clean stuff.

 

[duzie]

Maintaining a lighter touch, both fretting and picking is an ongoing issue for me.
I’ve recently been working on this for a month or so.
Years of not paying attention to this is difficult for me to overcome.

 

[Sascha Franck]

i changed to lighter attack about 2 years ago and yes I agree it makes huge difference also on clean stuff.

Thing is, I always loved Benson's picking sound, also Django Reinhardt's - and both of them seem to be picking pretty hard.

 

[Ed DeGenaro]

Thing is, I always loved Benson's picking sound, also Django Reinhardt's - and both of them seem to be picking pretty hard.

Django yes, Benson absolutely not.
Plus Django super heavy thick pick (rounded tip) light strings 10-45 Ssvarez Argentine(Gypsy Jazz)shirt scale. Benson standard size .71mm heavy strings (flatwounds) Thomastik 12-53

 

[vino_buono]

Otoh, for faster runs, things seem to become noticeably easier when I pick somewhat softer (in combination with not digging into the strings just as deep).

From a player (me) that is certainly not as accomplished as you or many others on this forum are... for me, rather than "picking softer", a right-hand technique breakthrough has been to grip the pick more lightly. In this way, I do pick softer, but my brain also adapts and keeps the pick more square against the string, which allows me to modulate attack strength, does away with a lot of picking inconsistencies, and is conducive to fluid right-hand motion. Also agreed on not digging in too much with the pick (but for some reason my brain does not seem to conceptualize this well and I kindof dig in Blackmore-style all the time...)