Picking Cleanly

Deirdre Higgins · From: Connecticut, USA

Would anyone care to share some tips/techniques on picking cleanly without hearing the actual picking sound while playing. No matter how lightly or shallow I pick I always hear the picks making noise.
Thanks a bunch!
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Adam Nero · From: Wisconsin

Like, the attack of a played note, or noise from pick blocking?

Do you play with a volume pedal? That could prove helpful.

Rick Barnhart · From: Arizona, USA

I wonder what your tone settings are, Deirdre. When my treble and mids are set too high, I can hear more unwanted pick and bar noise. Maybe experiment with a warmer overall amp/tone setting.
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Deirdre Higgins · From: Connecticut, USA

The noise is just when the pick hits the string, just before the note sounds there is always that slight pick thud. Nothing to do with the pickups.
On my amp I have the bass at around 10 and the treble turned down. The more volume I play with the worse it sounds.
I use National 25 gauge finger picks, I don't know if that has any bearing.

Could I not be picking properly?
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John Mulligan · From: Ontario, Canada

Is the pick noise coming through the amp or are you just hearing it acoustically?

Patrick Harison · From: Minneapolis, MN

All of the above suggestions are all great... The most important thing that I've learned is to not pick too hard. You want to get a nice resonant sweet tone out of the strings, if you pick too hard, that pretty much ruins the harp like quality that can be achieved. Try turning up your guitar and your amp louder than you normally would. Than, see what the MINIMUM amount of pick motion is necessary for good tone production. Then always do that! Of course, there may be times when you will want a louder or softer dynamic. BUT, starting out, it's hardest to find a good light and controlled picking velocity... At least from my personal experience!

One other thing... It's my understanding that many of the masters prefer to lean more on the thumb pick (it's plastic) for the execution of particularly sweet passages where the attack of the metal fingerpicks might be too bright.
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Kirk Francis · From: Laupahoehoe

i know what you mean about picking noise being amplified too much. i play hawaiian on both weiss-type guitars and a 6-string fry pan, using plastic finger picks on both.
a lot of folks think that plastic picks are too bulky, but with the standard 6-string spacing on both instruments i have no problem at all, and the tone pleases my ear. the closer string spacing on 8-string instruments could be an issue, i'll grant you.

Deirdre Higgins · From: Connecticut, USA

Yes the pick noise is coming through the amp.
Thank you for all your tips - I think as Patrick suggests I may be picking much too hard as I have the amp turned way down to #3 which is causing me to pick too hard to compensate.
Thank you all
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Bill Leff · From: Santa Cruz, CA, USA

it could be the angle of your finger picks hitting the string. I have the same problem.

Some years ago Bobby Ingano gave me a tip to put the picks on slightly facing to the right. Put your picks on so they are straight and then hold your hand, palm up. Twist the picks the right a bit to the point where the pick will be hitting the string evenly. This works for me.

Give it a try and let us know if it helps you.

Gary Meixner · From: New York, USA

Deirdre,

Could it be that you hitting the string and then pausing for just a small moment before continuing the stroke and releasing the string? The picking motion needs to be a continuous motion from contact to release. If you are new to using fingerpicks it takes some time getting use to not having direct finger contact with the string. Same as playing with the steel. Both hands have a physical barrier between your sense of touch and the instrument. At first it is hard to feel the instrument through the picks and the bar. Steel guitar is unique in this way from many other instruments.

I played finger style guitar for years before taking up the steel and played the steel without finger picks at first. When I decided to start using picks I noticed a slight pause in my picking stroke until I got use to using the picks. The pause was very slight but I think may have caused a sound similar to the one you describe.

You may also want to try using the ProPik finger picks which have a slight angle to them giving some players a more natural point of contact with the string.

Good luck,

Gary Meixner

Rick Aiello · From: Berryville, VA USA

Jerry Byrd's analogy of "closing/twisting a medicine bottle shut" ... as the motion of picking is quite helpful ...

A subtle rolling motion ... Instead of a "grabbing/grasping" motion .. Will help smooth out that pick noise ....

Bending the picks to natural curve of your fingertips ... With the picks tip just a tad above fingernail height ... Will help too ...

Add to that ... A gentle touch and a lot of practice ... Wink

Hope that helps ... Mr. Green

Jean-Sebastien Gauthier · From: Quebec, Canada

I strongly suggest you a lesson with John Ely, he is the master.

Dom Franco · From: Beaverton, OR, 97007

Are you placing your hand (picks) in position slightly before playing the note? I find when I listen closely to a recording of myself playing a slow song, I will sometimes hear my pick rest on the string right before playing the melody note.

I never notice this when playing live before an audience, (perhaps the room sounds mask these lower volume noises)

When playing fast songs there is really no time in between notes to hear the noise.

It is very good that you are noticing all these little issues, you are going to be a very "clean" picker because you have a fine ear!

I have had steel guitar students that make so much noise in between the notes (bar rattles, pick taps etc.) that it is very distracting. It can take time but it does improve with practice and listening closely...
Dom Smile

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Ian · From: San Francisco, CA

Deidre,

Let me second Gary's suggestion for ProPiks - they work great for me.

Ian

Bob Hoffnar · From: Austin, Tx

The sound of the picks is something you need to properly practice your way out of. It is the same as beginning violin players getting that scratchy sound on the strings or a reed of a clarinet squeeking. Being able to pick strong and and focused is absolutely essential to getting a full good sound. And if you adjust your amp to make up for your weakness you will always remain feeble. Find a teacher and focus your practicing. It is a difficult thing to do so don't get frustrated. Every steel player I know that sounds good has put in hours a day ( everyday ! ) over years to get there picking together.
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Mike Neer · From: NJ

Like Bob said, it really is about spending a lot of time working on it and listening acutely.

Last night, I spent more than an hour trying to make each of the notes picked by my 3 fingers sound identical. Very difficult to do, but my goal is to have complete control of the attack of each note.
I simply chose a note on one string and played it repeatedly with all fingers, using different patterns, eliminating accents, and then putting them where I wanted them. A miniscule and somewhat mundane exercise, but it got me more connected with my instrument.

I usually spend at least 1-2 hours/day working on right hand stuff.
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Paul Honeycutt · From: Colorado, USA

Have you tried turning down the bass on your amp? Having it on ten and the treble turned down may be causing the thump from the pick to be amplified. If that doesn't help, the other suggestions should bear fruit.

Mike Neer · From: NJ

One of the issues to also be aware of is resting your thumb or hand on the bass strings, which can cause the strings to come in contact with the pickup. This happens to me quite a bit, so I have to be vigilant.
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Paul Sutherland · From: Placerville, California

The softer or more gently you pick, the more the sound of the picks striking the strings is going to come through the amp. If you pick harder, the signal going to the amp actually has relatively less of the pick noise and more of the musical note.

So I would say the opposite of those above. Don't pick softly or gently. Pick harder!!
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Jean-Sebastien Gauthier · From: Quebec, Canada

I think you cant have a good tone if you pick hard on lap steel, pedal steel player have a different approach, they pick harder and have more staccato.

I think the secret is to not hit the strings from horizontally (from front to back with finger and back to front with thumb) but more vertically (from down to up).

This way you can mute just a micro-second with your palm going down and pick going up, you hit the strings flat with the tip of the pick and you are more brushing the strings then hitting so you avoid the pick noise and have a softer and rounder tone.

Paul Sutherland · From: Placerville, California

If what you're doing isn't giving you the results you want, try something different.
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It don't mean a thing if it ain't got that swing.

Mike Neer · From: NJ

Just relax, feel the strings and listen very carefully to everything you play. Don't use any tracks or anything--just you.

Play the instrument with joy and love first. There will be plenty of time for anger and frustration, but for now, play a note and get to know it, using vibrato to make it sing. Discover how important the nuances are and from there you can move forward in a more musical and sensitive way.

I agree that you needn't caress the strings--nor should you punish. Imagine a piece of gum on your pants and you are using your thumb to scrape it off. That's about how hard I would pick. Smile

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Bill Moore · From: Manchester, Michigan

Jeff Newman made a video; "the Right Hand Alpha" that covers picking technique. His fix for the clicking noises; curl the fingers, bend the picks to follow the shape of the end of the finger. The wider part of the pick, rather than the tip, will strike the string first. It will kind of "slide" into the string, and no more clicking noise. You get better tone that way too.

Jean-Sebastien Gauthier · From: Quebec, Canada

Doug Beaumier · From: Northampton, MA

Jeff Newman had a line of fingerpicks, JF fingerpicks, with the blades pre-bent to the proper angle, according to him.
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