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Got a quickie Question. Does anybody know how that Dick Dale style
hyper-fast machine-gun picking is done? Like, is there a special way to
hold the pick, or do you use the flat edge of it instead of the point or
what?
thanx in advance. :)
-c*
I met Dick Dale and hung out with him in his hotel for an interview.
But he never revealed the trick to staccato picking. Or I didn't
bother to ask. In any case, meeting him got me working at it, and
I've just begun to staccato (or "trem") pick successfully after
months of practice.
Here's what I do: I hold the pick tightly with the thumb and first
finger and ball the rest of the hand into a fist. I rest the fat,
flat side of my palm on the bridge or just above the low "E" string
on the upper pick guard.
I pick up-down in very minute movements, using the arm instead of the
wrist. Generally, I choke up on the pick so just the tip emerges from
my fingers. Sometimes, I turn the pick sideways and use the flat or
butt of the pick, rather than the point. But as I've gotten better,
I've started to abandon this...but it helped a lot at first!
Start slow, get your up-and-down accurate. BE SURE YOU AREN'T
BOUNCING THE GUITAR, as this will throw off your accuracy. Work up
to speed. Dick plays leaning over his guitar, probably to keep from
shaking his axe while trem picking.
It may take weeks, even months to get an accurate staccato, but once
you hit the "Eureka!" point, it stays. Once you get the trem picking
down, you can work on sliding from note-to-note and hammering on
while staccato picking (most of Dale's songs are single-string based,
to accommodate this style of picking). Staccato picking is also
crucial to glissandos, such as the intro to "Pipeline."
Good luck!
P.S. I just heard of a new pick made just for surf guitar - called an
SX-1, by Big Rock Engineering. It's kinda like a bluegrass thumb
pick, only it fits on your index finger, like a flat pick. I think
it will help a lot - all the reviews say it makes surf picking
easier. It's an expensive dude ($3.50 plus $5 shipping!), but I
ordered a couple anyway. I'll review it for SURF GUITAR 101 and
COWABUNGA once I receive it. I presently use Dunlop Big Stubby's and
Fender mediums.
>Got a quickie Question. Does anybody know how that Dick Dale style
>hyper-fast machine-gun picking is done? Like, is there a special way to
>hold the pick, or do you use the flat edge of it instead of the point or
>what?
>
>thanx in advance. :)
>
>-c*
>
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[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
I asked the same question a while back - do a search on the messages
for "trem picking" and you'll find the thread (starts at message 210,
I believe . . . )
Lots of good tips from the list that may help you. For me, the keys
are 1) using the entire arm (not just the wrist), and 2) PRACTICE,
PRACTICE, PRACTICE (I know, it sounds dumb, but it *is* important)!
Good luck!
-Dick
--- In SurfGuitar101@y..., cobalt <christophert@s...> wrote:
>
> Got a quickie Question. Does anybody know how that Dick Dale style
> hyper-fast machine-gun picking is done? Like, is there a special
way to
> hold the pick, or do you use the flat edge of it instead of the
point or
> what?
>
> thanx in advance. :)
>
> -c*
I think having the correct pick is really important there. I like it
not too hard, and not too soft, otherwise you'd be getting "stuck" on
a string. And pick shape and surface also matters. I also like picks
that grind down more easily - they take the "right" shape, and you
can shred with them better (i had these piranha picks, and i loved
them).
Heavy strings also help, i suppose.
--- In SurfGuitar101@y..., "tikitakitikitakitak" <icedkimo@h...>
wrote:
> I think having the correct pick is really important there. I like
it
> not too hard, and not too soft, otherwise you'd be getting "stuck"
on
> a string. And pick shape and surface also matters. I also like
picks
> that grind down more easily - they take the "right" shape, and you
> can shred with them better (i had these piranha picks, and i loved
> them).
>
> Heavy strings also help, i suppose.
I always try to stay as loose as possible. When I first started out
trem picking I'd get really stiff and thrown off. Definitely practice
makes perfect. I use a .96 Dunlop Gator Grip, not too heavy, not too
light, and has a nice texture that literally grips to my fingers. My
picks always used to slip prior to these puppies.-P
At 12:54 08/07/02 +0000, you wrote:
>--- In SurfGuitar101@y..., "tikitakitikitakitak" <icedkimo@h...>
>wrote:
> > I think having the correct pick is really important there. I like
>it
> > not too hard, and not too soft, otherwise you'd be getting "stuck"
>on
> > a string. And pick shape and surface also matters. I also like
>picks
> > that grind down more easily - they take the "right" shape, and you
> > can shred with them better (i had these piranha picks, and i loved
> > them).
> >
> > Heavy strings also help, i suppose.
>
>I always try to stay as loose as possible. When I first started out
>trem picking I'd get really stiff and thrown off. Definitely practice
>makes perfect. I use a .96 Dunlop Gator Grip, not too heavy, not too
>light, and has a nice texture that literally grips to my fingers. My
>picks always used to slip prior to these puppies.
My two cents! My two cents! I play the mandolin as well the guitar, and I
"prepare" my picks by filing them so they get a nice, pointy tip ( file
them in a triangular shape, almost like a Dorito :-) It gives a cleanier
tremolo on the mando, and makes the double picking job on the guitar a
little bit easier. As for pick type/thickness, it all goes down to taste,
really. I go for Dunlop Tortex picks, and never accept anything less thick
than 1 mm.
90
Thick strings (anywhere from 10's to 13's), thick pick
(I use 1mm or .96mm). That way you don't lose any of
your tremelo action to the string or pick bending. I
use the point of the pick and prefer new picks. The
first tremelo song I ever tried was Misirlou and I got
it down within an hour. All my friends seem to get it
really quick too. The trick is to use your entire
arm, wrist, and fingers, not just your wrist or
fingers. That way you don't get tired. People are
always amazed when I make it through a set, but it's
not really that hard.
Another thing that you should pay attention to are the
accents. On misirlou I think they're on the 1, the
offbeat after 2 and on 4.
ANd one more thing! Because you're using your entire
arm, playing standing up and playing sitting down are
way different because of arm angles and such. I play
much better standing up with my guitar fairly low
down.
-1460
--- cobalt <> wrote:
>
> Got a quickie Question. Does anybody know how that
> Dick Dale style
> hyper-fast machine-gun picking is done? Like, is
> there a special way to
> hold the pick, or do you use the flat edge of it
> instead of the point or
> what?
>
> thanx in advance. :)
>
> -c*
>
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