Brett Garsed Discussion

[Myke]

Firstly, hey..

I was just wondering how many hybrid pickers there are here.. I've been working it since I first looked at Bretts playing and have had some great results. I've got a way to go with it but it's pretty much replaced a lot of existing picking ideas I had. Arps are more relaxed and it opens up a more informal world where you can phrase the same line tons of times in tons of ways. Not to mention the cool looking finger nails..

Anyone else enjoying the feel of steel on their fingers?

M

[JJW]

I play some licks with hybrid playing-or use the fingers even more for that dire straights tone-some wide interval licks are easier using pick and finger combos.but i sweep all my fast arps

I dont think there is a right way to play mate.you do what feels natural to you

[Carlo]

I am also a hybrid picker. Although my proficiency with the technique is nowhere near the same league as Brett (but who is!?), I love the smooth sound I can get from the technique, plus it helps me navigate through the freboard easier. I also sweep (when it comes to large arpeggios) and alternate pick quite a bit as well.

I am also an aggressive player so hybrid picking really helps me in balancing out the dynamics......although i am still REALLY struggling in bringing all these approaches together without sounding clumsy

[yingyang]

I picked up the technique from Brett's first video. Middle and ring fingers work great. Pinky still puts up a fight every once in awhile. It definitely add alot your playing, especially if you work on the dymanics of it. Like, keeping the notes even volume wise vs. popping the heck out of the string. Greg Howe and Alessandro Benvenuti also have a wonderful hybrid technique.

[Myke]

Thanks for your comments guys. I guess I should check out Greg Howe then?!

I was just curious how widespread it was cause i'd not really seen it much in electric playing outside of 'jazz' and 'country', untill I caught Brett's playing of course!!

I started showing a few of the ideas to my students and mates down here and got a mixed response. Same old story I guess, different things for different people!!

Def agree that it adds a range of cool string tones though..

[Big Kev]

It still isn't a very widespread technique - Brett was certainly the first player I ever came across who used it (outside of the chicken pickin' school of course). However, I reckon that Brett still owns the technique, despite a few others picking up on it now. As far as I'm aware, he's the only player who uses it as a fundamental corner stone of how he plays (like TJ and tapping), versus just something to add depth or variety to your technical repertoire (cf most other tappers).

Kev

[markmcg]

I've recently started incorporating more and more hybrid picking into my playing when the mood takes me. I've always liked playing just with fingers on occassion too, something extra in that softer attack, more organic.

As with most I became aware of it via Brett Garsed and Guthrie Govan and try out ideas with hybrid and sweep picking to see which feels more comfortable.

One day I may even be able to use the little finger in there
_________________
Cheers
Mark.

Time is the best Teacher, unfortunately it kills all its students
http://www.markmcguigan.com
http://www.soundclick.com/bands/7/markmcguiganmusic.htm

[Myke]

I abandoned the pinky straight off the bat cause it just wasn't workin'. I've now had to trim back the middle and ring fingers for my wedding on Saturday so I haven't got much of a hybrid style at the moment

The point is that atfer only a few months of practice with the ideas, i've gotten reasonable results and already miss not having it. So that's gotta be the way forward..

I just wonder how long it'll take before the fingers feel as natural as the little bit of plastic I've been clinging to for 12 years!!

[n_mountain]

It's funny. When I started playing I always thought you had to have great alternate picking to be a great player. That idea probably came from me beeing a miserable alternate picker. So I kind of set my aim on the thing I was the worst at and didn't reallly work on the things that came easy to me.

Now after a 3 year guitar break I started again and I have lost my old fix ideas.

I'm starting to incorporate all the techniques I can get my hands on and one of them is hybrid picking.

The interesting thing is that I've always used it a little but never worked on it consciously.
Having also played some acoustic guitar, hybrid picking feels real comfortable (I mean I get along, I'm nowhere near Garsedland). Except for my little finger which has never been used before.

Well, funny how you can block yourself with strange ideas you have in your head like 'alternate picking is the way...'. The same with tapping. In my world it was half forbidden, cause it was too flashy and it was a kind of cheating. Nowadays I use it as a technique which gives you a certain sound and enables you to play certain things which would be very difficult with other techniques.

Whoa many words.

[JJW]

Hybrid picking isnt the holy grail of guitar playing lads!Its just one of the many tools musicians use to express themselfs.