Pick vs Palm Blocking

Eric Gearhart · From: Bellingham, Massachusetts, USA

I pick block for the most part because I was first taught that by someone who thought I was already palm blocking, but in fact I knew neither technique at the time. Any thoughts?

Ray Minich · From: Bradford, Pa. Frozen Tundra

Blind hog finds acorn?

No, really Eric, sometimes you find a solution to the problem and only later find that someone calls it a particular technique.

[This message was edited by Ray Minich on 07 July 2004 at 02:35 PM.]

Larry Bell · From: Englewood, Florida

When I first started playing, I palm blocked, because nobody ever even talked about pickblocking. Paul was doing it, as well as many others who either learned from Paul or did it naturally.

I tried to learn to pickblock as a primary technique, but found that I naturally pickblocked certain movements but certain others (a forward roll, for example) were BEARS to pickblock, so I followed my instinct and palmblocked those. It works fine for me, but I'd love to be able to do either. It's just a matter of repetition at slow speed to build muscle memory (in other words, JUST DO IT), but I haven't spent the time to make it stick. I like the legato sound of pickblocking, especially for uptempo single string stuff, but I also like to listen to Buddy Emmons or Doug Jernigan play fast stuff -- palmblocked, or ring-finger-under blocked.

There's another type of blocking: NO BLOCKING. I think a lot of less experienced players tend to block TOO MUCH and the playing sounds choppy. There are times when no blocking works fine.

Oh, yean, and another type: Left Hand Blocking
Behind the bar with the middle finger. Slide the bar back on passages going from higher to lower strings and don't block at all with the right hand.

Learn it all. It will serve you well. You'll know you're there when you don't have to think about it.

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Larry Bell - email: larry@larrybell.org - gigs - Home Page
2003 Fessenden S/D-12 8x8, 1969 Emmons S-12 6x6, 1971 Dobro, Standel and Peavey Amps

Bill Brummett · From: Greensburg, Pennsylvania, USA

This is a subject that really caught my attention several years ago. I had played for years and never even really knew what "blocking" was.

I asked Herb Remington and he watched me play a few things and told me I was palm blocking. Funny, I did'nt even know it!! Of course he also quickly noted that I was also -- as he put it -- foot pedal blocking which he strongly discouraged.

Then as I paid more attention to this subject, I discovered that I actually "left hand blocked" more than palm. In a few "single string situations" I discovered that I was "pick blocking" even though I didn't even know what it was. In actuality, I was just doing what felt "natural" for the particular situation without even being aware of it.

I started getting a complex and started to counsiounsly try to avoid left hand blocking. And it really screwed me up.
Then while researching some stuff on the web I found out that most Hawaiian players exclusively left hand block. Then it dawned on me that if you are used to playing much non-pedal ( which I am) you naturally are probably more adept at handling the bar (than a pure pedal player) and moving it around and picking it up, etc. If this is the case, then left hand blocking can really be the smoothest method. It automatically guarantees that the block is coordinated with the change.

Then, I really started looking at what some of the greats REALLY do on some of their videos. I noticed,for instance that Herb Remington (who is a rabid supporter of palm blocking) ACTUALLY does some left hand blocking. (Which is not surprising, given his strong Hawaiian roots.) I also noticed that Buddy Emmons does some foot pedal "dampening" which is another way of "blocking." Now , in my humble opinion, these two guys are the 2 greatest steel players in history. (Well, I guess you'd have to fit Jerry Byrd in there, too.) At any rate, the bottom line is that these guys really use all of the techniques to "block" or deaden notes when necessary. In other words, fit the "blocking" to the given situation!!

So. I think it all boils down to what fits a particular situation and how it "feels" best to you when doing it.

Like every thing else about this fantastically beautiful, soulful, and unbelievably frustrating instrument, it appears there really isn't (at least yet) any standard way of "doing things". I guess that's the very reason that it can produce such an unbelievable range of sounds and emotions!!!!!! I challenge ANYONE to name another musical instrument that even comes close!!!

Ron Page · From: Penn Yan, NY USA

When I first met Buck Grantham I mentioned his pick blocking. He told me he started doing that rather naturally and figured he was a pick blocker before he knew what one was.

Use all of the techniques available to you. Don't think of it as one method "vs." the other. I usually try pick blocking a lick but if it doesn't feel right I'll change to palm blocking, which I do with an equivalent lack of skill.

Like Larry mentioned, sometimes I'll let the fingertips of the left hand handle the muting when I pull the bar toward me.

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HagFan

[This message was edited by Ron Page on 09 July 2004 at 06:36 AM.]

Mark Krutke · From: Tomahawk, WI USA

I was taught to block by using the knuckle of my ring finger, and then whatever I missed to be blocked by my 4th finger in unison with the ring finger.

It creates a very clean and staccato style, insomuch that I've had to ease up a bit because the notes got too short. This is the way Eddie from AATW blocks, also.

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www.authenticrecording.com

Terry Sneed · From: Arkansas,

I also block with my ring finger turned under. although I do block the lower strings 8,9 and 10 with my palm sometime. but the majority of my blockin is done with my ring finger.
But nothin sounds better than a steel player that can pick block and do it right.course it depends on the song being played (tempo etc)as to whether you need to palm block or pick block. listen to some of Bruce Buoton's recordings when he was playin with Ricky skaggs. so smooth! I hope I can pick block that good one of these days.

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84 SKH Emmons Legrand D10
session 400'rd Steelin for my Lord.

Brian Henry · Posted 13 Jul 2004 5:41 pm

This "either or" dichotomy between pick blocking and palm blocking surfaces every so often. I think that all these techniques have their merits. When out on a gig I find myself using all of them in one night. There is no really one right way. As an artist one should decide which one is appropriate at a given time. Having said that, often the decision is an automatic instinctive impulse. I think that we need to remember that steel guitar playing is an art not a science.

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