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Thread: Best exercise source for fast accurate picking?

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    Default Best exercise source for fast accurate picking?

    Hi:

    I'd appreciate some recommendations for fast folk picking mandolin exercises - whether bluegrass, Irish or whatever. I'm looking for material with exact detailed technique suggestions as to how best to hold and move the pick hand and arm to achieve this, rather than 'here's a good page of notes' .

    Also this question - I also have a good comprehensive mandolin technique book by a lady who plays a lot of classical music. Are there likely to be techniques in there that folk/bluegrass mandolinists either don't need or are better without, or is it a case of 'all good'?

    Thanks, Max

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    Default Re: Best exercise source for fast accurate picking?

    My brief exposure to classical techniques didn’t provide guidance on fast bluegrass style picking.
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    Registered User DavidKOS's Avatar
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    Default Re: Best exercise source for fast accurate picking?

    Quote Originally Posted by A-board View Post
    My brief exposure to classical techniques didn’t provide guidance on fast bluegrass style picking.
    A great deal of classical mandolin technique can be applied to BG and other styles of music.

    a good example, the book by August Watters:

    https://www.amazon.com/Exploring-Cla.../dp/0876391625

    https://bluegrasstoday.com/exploring...ugust-watters/

    "Now you can practice these techniques by playing musical pieces designed with a technical goal in mind, which is more rewarding than just practicing exercises. For example, most bluegrass players use a pattern of eight notes for crosspicking rhythms such as DUUDUUDU. There are specific patterns like that, with from 3 to 12 notes, in the literature. The 18th century methods Leone and Denis both have delightful music based on those patterns.”"
    Last edited by DavidKOS; Jan-09-2021 at 11:42am.

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    Default Re: Best exercise source for fast accurate picking?

    Quote Originally Posted by DavidKOS View Post
    A great deal of classical mandolin technique can be applied to BG and other styles of music.

    a good example, the book by August Watters:

    https://www.amazon.com/Exploring-Cla.../dp/0876391625

    https://bluegrasstoday.com/exploring...ugust-watters/

    "Now you can practice these techniques by playing musical pieces designed with a technical goal in mind, which is more rewarding than just practicing exercises. For example, most bluegrass players use a pattern of eight notes for crosspicking rhythms such as DUUDUUDU. There are specific patterns like that, with from 3 to 12 notes, in the literature. The 18th century methods Leone and Denis both have delightful music based on those patterns.”"
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    Default Re: Best exercise source for fast accurate picking?

    Thanks guys - I bought the Watters book, it looks really good. Max

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    Default Re: Best exercise source for fast accurate picking?

    More than specific exercises though, I find it's usually the case of playing slowly and consistently with a metronome. Then raise the tempo once you can play it a few times perfectly. Start slower than you would think. That has helped me a ton!
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    Default Re: Best exercise source for fast accurate picking?

    Quote Originally Posted by ColdBeerGoCubs View Post
    Cheaper at Elderly and supporting a sponsor:

    https://www.elderly.com/products/exp...26854635733056
    Per usual, it is out of stock at Elderly.

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    Default Re: Best exercise source for fast accurate picking?

    I'm in UK, so with current possible freight disruptions Elderly (who I've used in the past) wasn't an option - I got it from a UK source. I was looking through it a few minutes ago - what a great book. I also had Marilyn Mair's 'Complete Mandolinist'. That also looks excellent, but more 'straight down the line'. The Watters book is full of interesting techniques such as 'string splitting' - different notes on one pair of strings. There are also some great looking 'finger breaker' exercises for both hands - the kind of thing where you have to sort your brain out before trying to get your hands round it.

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    Default Re: Best exercise source for fast accurate picking?

    Folded scales and a metronome help you work on accuracy and speed. 1231 2342 3453, etc.

    This video gives alot of ideas, start slow and then mix it up with double picking, triplets, and 16th notes such as:

    double - 11223311 22334422
    triplets - 111222333111 222333444222
    16th notes - 1111222233331111 2222333344442222

    https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=Xy3ZRxxicF8
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    Registered User maxamy's Avatar
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    Default Re: Best exercise source for fast accurate picking?

    I’ve tried to get his second exercise down and I’m struggling ... I’m just not the kind of learner that can pick up that way of teaching I need to see it then I can learn it ... any ideas where I can find tab for the second pattern he teaches ?

  17. #11

    Default Re: Best exercise source for fast accurate picking?

    Quote Originally Posted by maxamy View Post
    I’ve tried to get his second exercise down and I’m struggling ... I’m just not the kind of learner that can pick up that way of teaching I need to see it then I can learn it ... any ideas where I can find tab for the second pattern he teaches ?
    He doesn’t do tab, what exercise are you talking about? He does what he calls the skipper which is skipping a note so...132435465761...etc (talking scale tones not frets) YouTube has a slow down function and an app called Audio-Stretch will slow down videos like Amazing Slow Downer does music files. It’s hard when you first try it but keep at it, I couldn’t have done this a few years ago but I just kept at it and now by ear is my preferred way of learning.

    There are alot of exercise books out there with these types of exercises, wait for a Mel Bay coupon code to come around.
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    Default Re: Best exercise source for fast accurate picking?

    its the second one and the video... 4:30 into the video...it's like number 13 I think because he does the first lick 12 different ways but its the one that reminds me of an arpeggio workout.... kind sounds "song ish" I think he ends the video in it too but real fast... I've been playing guitar for years and have never been able to learn this way. Maybe I have a disorder :-/ I'll try that youtube feature if I can find it.... thanks

  19. #13

    Default Re: Best exercise source for fast accurate picking?

    Quote Originally Posted by maxamy View Post
    its the second one and the video... 4:30 into the video...it's like number 13 I think because he does the first lick 12 different ways but its the one that reminds me of an arpeggio workout.... kind sounds "song ish" I think he ends the video in it too but real fast... I've been playing guitar for years and have never been able to learn this way. Maybe I have a disorder :-/ I'll try that youtube feature if I can find it.... thanks
    Yeah, he calls it the skipper - not in this video but in others he’s done. He goes over it at 4:37

    It crosses strings, here it is in notes and frets - keeping in mind you have to go up to the next string to get the higher tones as one moves up the scale so the second 0 is not the G string but the D string.

    G B A C B D C E D F# E G F# A G
    0 4 2 5 3 0 5 2 0 4 2 5 4 0 5
    Northfield F5M #268, AT02 #7

  20. #14
    Registered User maxamy's Avatar
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    Default Re: Best exercise source for fast accurate picking?

    I used the YouTube speed truck you suggested... I did not know that... thank you ... I’m thinking the 5 note you suggested is actually 4th fret and not 3rd... I’m getting it now though ... thank you very much for your help...

    My apologies to the original poster, didn’t mean to hack your thread :-/ I’ve just been wanting to learn this practice drill

  21. #15

    Default Re: Best exercise source for fast accurate picking?

    Yay, glad you got it and yes should be a 4 not 3...
    Northfield F5M #268, AT02 #7

  22. #16

    Default Re: Best exercise source for fast accurate picking?

    Quote Originally Posted by bigskygirl View Post
    Yay, glad you got it and yes should be a 4 not 3...
    Just wanted to add that one could use the flat 3rd over the major chord, something that Bill Monroe did frequently...
    Northfield F5M #268, AT02 #7

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