Clean speed

[outsidenote]

Oh to be able to pick fast and clean without visible effort. I tapped this tempo at about 230 quarter notes per minute. It doesn't seem fast until you try it at that speed. Spencer Strickland makes it look easy.

[Ivan Kelsall]

From above - " Spencer Strickland makes it look easy". It is easy - when you can do it !. If i had $1 for every hour that guy's spent practicing to play that cleanly,i'd invite you round to view my collection of Lloyd Loars. That's what it takes - 100's & 100's & 100's of hours practice,slowly at first until the notes fall under your fingers without thinking,& then playing at faster tempos keeping the left hand cleanly fretting the notes. Unless you've been miraculously endowed with awesome 'picking prowess' - is there any other way ?. Of course,we all know this,
Ivan

[Bertram Henze]

I tapped this tempo at about 230 quarter notes per minute. It doesn't seem fast until you try it at that speed.

In ITM speak this is about 115 bpm, and it is not fast (in fact, I play it at about that tempo). If you want it fast, listen to this version

[UsuallyPickin]

Well .... 120 bpm isn't light speed but it is a great tempo to play these kinds of tunes at..it moves and the dancers can't sit still ... light speed is left to the younger generation, that will in their turn develop carpal tunnel and tendonitis and arthritis ........ while teaching their grands to pick ....... R/

[outsidenote]

I really like this tempo. I like that it doesn't seem like they are speeding through it. Ivan's points are well taken and I'm trying to speed up gradually with a metronome but I'm not close to 230 bpm yet. I start falling apart at around 170 bpm, or 160 bpm after one beer - which is a little ironic given the title.

Bertram - when I tapped out your (very nice) example, I found it to be approximately 120 bpm (Irish). Given that you are pedaling the big chainring that is significantly faster.

[Ivan Kelsall]

I tend to agree that the tempo in the OP's video clip isn't all that fast,i play tunes that are quite a bit faster than that - but not too fast,i avoid OTT fast ones like the plague,because to me,they're just a 'thrash'. The one thing that is outstanding,is Spencer's 'clean & precise' picking he's got that nailed for sure,& it's a fine example of what we should all try for. Unfortunately,my 70 year old hands with their hint of Tendonitis don't quite make it 100% of the time - but,i have my moments !,
Ivan

[Manfred Hacker]

In ITM speak this is about 115 bpm, and it is not fast (in fact,

That's some incredible picking, Bertram. By the way, counting half notes instead of quarter notes is not ITM-specific. For speeds over 200 bpm (quarter notes) the metronome click is usually too crowded and better reduced to half note speed.
But I hardly ever need that because it has taken me ages to get clean picking of barrages of 8th notes from 180 to 190 bpm (quarter notes).

My metronome conks out at 252, so I had to clock the following video at half note speed (about 150 bpm !! = 300 bpm quarter notes).
I don't know how many pickers (except for CT) can pick as fast and cleanly as Sierra Hull, and her band mates are no slouches either:

[JeffD]

Spencer Strickland's speed is not excessive in that video. Its just the right speed I think. Its the speed you play when you are sharing a tune with someone (as opposed to playing a tune for someone).

Sierra's playing is in fulfillment of a different mission. And she does fulfill that mission well.

[Julian Morris]

From above - " Spencer Strickland makes it look easy". It is easy - when you can do it !. If i had $1 for every hour that guy's spent practicing to play that cleanly,i'd invite you round to view my collection of Lloyd Loars. That's what it takes - 100's & 100's & 100's of hours practice,slowly at first until the notes fall under your fingers without thinking,& then playing at faster tempos keeping the left hand cleanly fretting the notes. Unless you've been miraculously endowed with awesome 'picking prowess' - is there any other way ?. Of course,we all know this,
Ivan

Well said.

[Bertram Henze]

Once you have all your engineering lined up (playing posture, pick grip etc.) it is easy to play fast, but you tend to lose perception of it. So it's not difficult to gain speed, but hard to control it. I have been accused in sessions of having had too much methamphetamine apparently, and I guess that's because I have been playing too often with my dealer. Just kidding - the truth is that I have come into this genre by listening to Bothy Band and De Danaann records, and their speed represents the feeling I always try to recreate, instinctively.