picking position

[alphadog808]

Hey guys,
Kinda ties into the pinch harmonic thread...I was able to figure out the pinch harmonic "thing"..Biggest changes was pinch closer to the neck pup and chokin up on the pick even more, since I can't "dig" into the strings as much.

That being said, in the past I would leave my picking hand on the bridge to lightly mute strings and was able to pinch from that position. However, with the charvel, I need to move my picking hand towards the neck(I assume due to scale) when I want to pinch and then move back when I'm playing regularly.

I tried the old way of using my pinky to anchor down and that way I can both play and pinch without resetting my hand. However, I notice that I can't "chug" on the low E and A as well, I suppose it's because I can't mute the string as well/too well unless I'm resting on the bridge. It sounds, kinda tinny when I try to chug with the pinkie anchor.

So..I'm kinda stuck between a rock and a hard place...unless I move my hand back and forth depending what I'm doing. Seems like a waste of movement when you're trying to be as efficient as possible. I tried to stretch from the bridge picking position when it's pinch time, but it feels weird/awkward.

All that boils down to...where do you guys put your picking hand? I know some do the pinkie anchor, some do free floating, and some rest on bridge, etc. I can rest lightly on the floyd and not go sharp/flat as I have a trem stablizer.

[Newc]

The human body has endless stores of renewable energy, so I'm not following the "efficient" thing.

As for picking hand position, for mutes/chugs, I rest my hand on the front of the Floyd saddles where the strings come across them, not where they come out, so there's no risk of the notes going up or down. For "kill mutes", I do have to watch the pressure as my hand is then far enough forward to cause the pitch to raise.

For pinch harmonics, it's all in the picking thumb. I use a Jazz III and hit the string at about a 30-45 degree angle, choked low on the pick, and raise my hand off the bridge to let the note ring just long enough to pinch it. I don't have a working 22 fretter to compare, but on 24 fretters the pick crosses the string directly between the pickups.
So for 22 frets it should be about 1/2" in front of the bridge pickup? Maybe 3/4".

[alphadog808]

what I meant by efficient is smaller movements will help you play faster in general. No need to pick in huge strokes when a smaller stroke will get the job done. Yngwie is a master at that. His picking hand barely moves(up and down) when picking.

I also do my mutes/chugs exactly where you do as well. It's just I'm out of position for pinching as the sweet spot for me is a bit out of range.

I use Jazz IIIs as well. From what I can gather(still figuring it out), seems like the sweet spot for me is about...1" or so below the bottom edge of the neck pup.

Hey, thanks for the response!

Rats, just saw there was a technique section, I shoulda put this in there...

[Trem]

Do you have really small hands? I mean from the position of resting my hand on the bridge my hand can cover between neck pickup to bridge pickup without moving my hand much if at all. Pick would naturally be in between two humbuckers and with only a little movement of the fingers holding the pick can cover any distance needed for normal picking range. I mean the distance between the bridge and the 24 or even 22nd fret is only 6 -7 inches. Between the edge of your hand and your pick when holding it between your thumb and pointer finger and layed across the strings with the edge of your hand muting is around 4 - 5 inches depending on someones hand size. You shouldn't have to pick right over the neck pup to get pinch harmonics. There is a little bit of range back or forth to get certain harmonics from different guitars, but a few things come into play. Pups output, string gauge, fresh strings, the guitars setup, some guitars are just more responsive ect.

[alphadog808]

My hands aren't huge, for sure. I have to look where my pick actually is, but I think it's probably a bit past/near the top the bridge pup. I mean, I could possibly stretch my thumb and pointer to get to the sweet spot, but that seems awkward. I'll have to check later tonight.

[Newc]

I keep my thumb pulled in/bent when doing pinch harmonics, but during regular picking it's mostly extended.

[Mr Sandman]

A long time ago I had to learn `La Grange` note for note and by ear...

Learning the outro lead break taught me that to get the pinch harmonic started, I had to pinch the string with the fleshy part of my thumb while at the same time using my pick at a certain angle. To replicate the solo I also had to take the same `hit and miss` attitude as Gibbons did I guess. Sometimes I hit and sometimes I missed.

Replicating this solo also taught me that different pinch harmonic tones can be achieved by sliding your picking hand across different parts of the string area while using the same fretted note.

a few things come into play. Pups output, string gauge, fresh strings, the guitars setup, some guitars are just more responsive ect.

^^^^Exactly!!! A hot humbucker in the bridge, new strings and a lot of gain!!! IMO

Hope that helps.