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Learning About Music and String Instruments


About Me

Learning About Music and String Instruments

Hi there, my name is Marcia. I play music with my friends and church group whenever I can. I play string instruments, such as the violin, cello and bass. I will use this site to talk about different instrument types and playing techniques. I will talk about reading music and creating your own pieces. I will also share information about the way I care for my instruments between play sessions. Please visit my site often to learn more about music and string instruments. Thanks for coming by. I hope to see you again soon.

Ask Your Guitar Teacher to Demonstrate Hybrid Picking

One of the fun things about taking guitar lessons is being able to hear a term related to your instrument and then ask your teacher about it during your next lesson. If you're talking to guitarists, watching online tutorial videos, or scouring guitar message boards, you may come across the term "hybrid picking." While many guitar players use either a pick or their fingers to make the strings sound, others rely on hybrid picking. This means that you're using a pick and your fingers at the same time. Generally, you'll hold the pick between your thumb and first finger and then use your other fingers to pick the strings. Here are some reasons that you should ask for lessons in this technique.

You Can Play Faster

Many guitar players are constantly looking for ways to increase the speed of their playing. Regardless of the type of music that you favor, there may be a need to be able to play fast. When you learn how to hybrid pick, you'll almost certainly notice that you can play faster. For example, if you have a sequence in which you need to play the A string and then the B and E strings in quick succession, you can pluck the A with your pick and then immediately pick the B and E with your fingers—doing so much faster than if you were using your pick for all three notes.

You Can Play with More Accuracy

There's little value in being able to play faster if you're missing notes, but that's unfortunately what happens to a lot of players as they increase their tempo. You'll find that hybrid picking allows you to play with better accuracy, especially if you learn how to do so from your instructor and work on this technique in regular practice sessions. In the above sequence of A-B-E, it's easy to pick the A string and then perhaps hit the G instead of B because you lack pick control. Because you can essentially keep your fingers above these strings, you aren't likely to hit the wrong strings.

You Can Uncover More Possibilities

A big thing that you'll notice when you learn to hybrid pick is that you'll uncover more possibilities in your playing. Picking one of the bass strings and then immediately using your fingers to pluck a melody on the higher strings can give you a unique sound—perhaps similar to playing over a backing track or with another guitarist. If you're someone who is eager to write his or her own music, you may find a significant source of inspiration from hybrid picking.

If this technique interests you and you are in need of guitar lessons, check out businesses like Guitar  Works Ltd.