Re: What is "Crosspicking"? Fun with definitions...
It's often instructive to search the forums for threads related to a topic of interest. Of course, you may be phrasing your question differently than previous posters, but you may find the answer to your question, and plenty of related information, contained therein.
What comes to my mind is a thread from a couple years back, in which the subject got discussed pretty thoroughly. The McReynolds pattern came up repeatedly, held to be the standard. My position is that there are many different patterns available to someone using the technique of picking strings alternately - as I define "crosspicking" - and to say that incorporating the 3-3-2 rhythm into the definition is too limiting. My post #39 sets out my premise in more detail. Essentially, I consider crosspicking to be the mandolin equivalent of arpeggiating a chord - that is, notes being played go up and down in pitch while the chording hand maintains its position. The 3-3-2 rhythm is just one pattern using this technique. My preferred pattern is a straight 4-4 breakup of an 8 1/8 note bar, the strings being played in a 4-2-3-1 order. I'm not sure how I tumbled onto this pattern, but I like how it gets things rolling by establishing the low note first and then mixing up the notes, ending with the highest one. And it can still sound like a banjo roll, even without the syncopation of the Habańero beat.
Also in that thread was some discussion concerning that what I was describing might more properly be called "alternate string picking" or "alternate picking." I prefer calling it "crosspicking," and the McReynolds pattern a variant of it. I consider this akin to back-formation, and prefer leaving a definition clear, but also broad enough to include variations. This is similar to the example provided by jesserules - "fingerpicking" is the general term, and "Travis picking" is a specific variant, however popular.
But that's just my opinion. I could be wrong. - Dennis Miller
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