Hard, loud pick hand with relaxed chord hand

[David M.]

Seems whenever I play hard (really, pretty hard) and loud with my pick hand, I clamp down hard w/my chord hand. When I play soft and quiet, the chording hand is more relaxed and comfortable.

Any exercises yall practice to help increase power w/pick hand (right hand) yet maintain a non-death-grip on the neck?

It's not been a real problem thus far, just something I've noticed. Maybe it would help extend life of my frets...

thanks!

[Bill James]

This is something I struggle with as well so I'll be watching this thread. My guess is that the more accomplished players are able to vary the pick attack (at least to some degree) while still using the minimum amount of pressure necessary to fret a clean note. Both of my hands seem to be wired to the same terminal (so to speak).

As an excercise, I try to get a good "pop" with the pick and actually try to fret muted notes with the left hand which is very difficult for me to accomplish, especially with any amount of speed. I tend to fret enough to get a clean note and as the speed and attack increases so does the fretting pressure.

When I first started playing I spent a lot of time playing softly. In retrospect I think this was not a good thing and contributed to the problem which is now more ingrained into my technique.

[hedding]

this is just one of those problems that will work itself out with time and practice. I had this same problem on when i started banjo everytime I'd think about a roll or changing my left hand both would screw up. Now its second nature just like with mandolin. Just think about it when your pracitcing but don't fight the natural tendencies of your brain. Slowly lose the habit becuase if you don't you won't be able to play long without your hand hurting.

[MandoSquirrel]

I'd suggest seeking out & working in any & all Right hand studies you can find,I expect that would help, since it happens when you change your pick "attack" (try for"seduction" instead)

[Walter Newton]

How about something like starting by banging away hard on the open strings without your left hand touching the instrument at all - you can concentrate on keeping it nice and relaxed, even shake it out a bit - then while still keeping up the right hand place it gently on the neck, say forming an open G chord, focusing on just pressing hard enough to get a clean sound? You can try changing to other chords etc, really thinking about the feel of your left hand while letting your right hand just mindlessly strum??

[mythicfish]

Just the idea that you noticed the problem is the first step in solving it.
This is not as "trivial' as it may seem. Many bad habits never get noticed and -therefore- never get addressed.
Stay alert and don't forget to breathe.

Curt

[Fretbear]

Larger banjo size frets make a clean note easier to achieve without applying too much excess pressure. As well as lasting a lot longer, I think they deliver a stronger note as well, but that's just my opinion. Mythicfish is right, you're halfway there by just noticing it.

[kudzugypsy]

the LH thumb is more than likely the first place to start. people want to use the thumb as a vice with the fretting fingers - really, VERY LITTLE pressure should come from the thumb - test it out, its REALLY hard to *mush the strings* (as Frank Wakefield says) when you take the thumb out of the grip.

some people put the "V" of the neck into the natural V between the thumb and index finger and this does the same thing - try some small amount of space and let the inside knuckle of the index finger support the neck instead.

a lot also depends on the shape of your hand too - i have long skinny fingers and playing a mando is sometimes tough if i have a long gig or jam, so i try to be aware of the pressure of the thumb. i use to get cramps in my thumb after about an hour of hard playing (gigs and jams, not just noodling)

[Jim Gallaher]

Another tip is to be conscious of how you're supporting the neck with your left hand. If you seem to play looser when you're in a sitting position using your left thigh to support the mandolin, but seem to tighten up when you're in a standing position and using a strap, you're probably using your left hand grip to support the relatively unbalanced weight of the mandolin.

Try to transfer that weight back to the strap. If it's sliding too much and allowing the peghead to fall, you can compensate by holding your right forearm closer to your body and pressing in on the mandolin body.

If the peghead end is dropping, your natural tendency is to "grab and hold" the neck with your left hand.

[Bill James]

All good advice and much appreciated. So true that just being conscious of the issue is half the battle. It's amazing how your brain will start working to correct the technique as you keep it in mind while practicing.

Thanks for all the input.