Really Fast Pick Technique

[squish]

I'm playing a tribute show for a fallen friend in a few weeks. The set list has a lot of great songs including Yes' Heart of the Sunrise. I've been trying to learn the intro riff, but it is too fast for me to play smoothly. I play fingerstyle 99.5%. I just recently discovered that playing with a thinner pick allows more speed. Would lighter strings help with speed as well? Or am I at the mercy of hours of practice? We are only playing that song up to where the vocals begin.

Any help would be appreciated!

[aLxBASS]

do you try it just down picking or alternate picking (up and down) ?

[squish]

OMG, I could not imagine down picking that song!

Yes, I alternate. I am decent at pick-playing and used to do it a ton years ago. But I just prefer the more powerful sound of fingerstyle and mostly gave up the pick.

My buddy said I could borrow his Rick 4001 to play that song and was considering using a lighter gauge string to help with the speed.

[Floyd Eye]

I'd stick with medium strings and a heavy pick. Let just the very tip of the pick stick out and let your thumb AND the pick strike the string. That's how Squier does it. Practice the technique for a few hours and you'll get it.

[Alvaro Martín Gómez A.]

Here are my 0.02:

I went through your exact same situation. "Heart Of The Sunrise" is one of my all-time favorite Yes songs and when I had the chance to play it with my band for the first time I faced the same dilemma. Although I always carry a pick in my wallet, I'm not a pick player. I only try to use it for stuff in which I feel the pick attack as "essential" for a particular bassline's tone and character, i.e. "Roundabout" or the bass break in the middle of ELP's "Pictures At An Exhibition".

Of course, my decision was influenced by the fact that I'm not a competent pick player, but I decided to play the intro section of "Heart Of The Sunrise" with my fingers and use the pick for the slower parts, specially the solo section after the intro. I'd feel sort of frustrated if the pick attack in that part were as distinctive there, but since the drums play practically the same rhythm, the pick attack isn't really noticeable (again, IMO). Actually, I think nobody would have noticed a difference if Geddy Lee had recorded that part with his Ric during the "Farewell To Kings" era (using his fingers, of course).

In other words, the tone when using a pick may have lots of components that differentiate it from the fingers, but to me, the attack is the only relevant one that would make me decide to use a pick. Otherwise (like in this case) I use my fingers, which definitely make me feel "at home".

Originally Posted by aLxBASS

do you try it just down picking or alternate picking (up and down) ?

Just curious: Have you heard the song? (I mean, that part can't be played with just downpicking unless you have a bionic arm or something like that).

[Chupacabra]

Originally Posted by Alvaro Martín Gómez A.

Here are my 0.02:

I went through your exact same situation. "Heart Of The Sunrise" is one of my all-time favorite Yes songs and when I had the chance to play it with my band for the first time I faced the same dilemma. Although I always carry a pick in my wallet, I'm not a pick player. I only try to use it for stuff in which I feel the pick attack as "essential" for a particular bassline's tone and character, i.e. "Roundabout" or the bass break in the middle of ELP's "Pictures At An Exhibition".

Of course, my decision was influenced by the fact that I'm not a competent pick player, but I decided to play the intro section of "Heart Of The Sunrise" with my fingers and use the pick for the slower parts, specially the solo section after the intro. I'd feel sort of frustrated if the pick attack in that part were as distinctive there, but since the drums play practically the same rhythm, the pick attack isn't really noticeable (again, IMO). Actually, I think nobody would have noticed a difference if Geddy Lee had recorded that part with his Ric during the "Farewell To Kings" era (using his fingers, of course).

In other words, the tone when using a pick may have lots of components that differentiate it from the fingers, but to me, the attack is the only relevant one that would make me decide to use a pick. Otherwise (like in this case) I use my fingers, which definitely make me feel "at home".



Just curious: Have you heard the song? (I mean, that part can't be played with just downpicking unless you have a bionic arm or something like that).

+1 to Alvaro's post, also...

When Yes split into 2, the Anderson, Bruford, Wakeman & Howe version of Yes toured with Tony Levin & Jeff Berlin - I doubt either of them played with a plectrum & I doubt any of the fans didn't enjoy the shows as a result.

[Lammikkovalas]

When I read the title "Really Fast Pick Technique", I thought that the "fast" would mean something like 16ths at 200+ bpm which is close to my own limits in picking speed. But problems at 120? Oh well, sucks to be you.

And I play mainly with my fingers.

[251]

Originally Posted by squish

I'm playing a tribute show for a fallen friend in a few weeks. The set list has a lot of great songs including Yes' Heart of the Sunrise. I've been trying to learn the intro riff, but it is too fast for me to play smoothly. I play fingerstyle 99.5%. I just recently discovered that playing with a thinner pick allows more speed. Would lighter strings help with speed as well? Or am I at the mercy of hours of practice? We are only playing that song up to where the vocals begin.

Any help would be appreciated!

Have you considered using your fingers - thumb/index?

I find it articulates & can attack similar to a pick.