Bare Knuckle Pickups Forum
At The Back => Time Out => Topic started by: BloodMountain on May 09, 2007, 09:15:48 PM
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hi
does having bigger arm muscles allow you to speed pick for longer periods of time without feeling strain? my arm muscles are minute, and i was playing a song i recently wrote that has about 80% speed picking in. thank god i wrote it with a break in the middle, because the strain at the end was pretty huge!
if this is the case, what would you recommend to build up my arms (bear in mind that i'm weak at the moment)?
thanks a lot guys, BM
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it depends what you mean by speed pick, but i can pick pretty quickly and am the biggest wuss around...
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I wouldnt think it would. I work out quite a bit and my speed hasn't really gotten any quicker. Just look at paul gilbert, he's always been weedy and he's one of the fastest about
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Hey man.
I think what you need is stamina, not strength; more like a marathon runner than a weight lifter.
Without wishing to sound obvious, continued practice is the best way to build stamina, just try to go a bit longer each time :) Bigger muscles probably won't help, and might even make it worse ...
Although on the other hand, the ladies do love them, so I heard :P
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Play master of puppets at double speed for an hour a day :)
Bigger muscles probably won't help. More mass to move around if you think about it. Smaller things generally move faster. Heavy weight boxers are slower than bantomweight boxers, terriers move around more than golden retrievers etc.
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I agree with 99_not_out (although "speed picking" for me personally is about 20 bpm). Practice and you'll build your stamina. And don't think about it too much, if you're not relaxed you'll tighten up and get slower.
I remember when Joe Perry was a bit of a fitness freak around the early 90s he said he would ease off the weight-training before a tour because it made his hands, and therefore playing, stiff.
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yep...mass has nothing to do with speed-size really doesnt matter!!!I look more like a damn bouncer than guitar player-lifted a lot of 12/16/32 oz. bottles in me day..he he...but if you want the chops..ye must practice/practice/practice...no curls..bench press..etc...lynch could shred well before he picked up a 45 lb. dumbell-if you are working out,you could be at home pluckin' away to your metronome!when us fatboys play fast,it just doesnt look right,anyway!! :x
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Hmm, could depend on whether you pick more from the wrist or the elbow.
Well, I spose Paul Gilbert is a stick and John Petrucci is buff, so I spose it can't matter that much...
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This guy from the Toy Dolls (if you remember the 80's) was/is a very skinny guy but one of the fastest players I've ever seen.
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You could always try the pie method that seems to work, look at Shaun lane, Michael Romeo and Yngwie, FAT = FAST!
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^ :lol:
now what we need to determine is, is being weedy or fat better?
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^ :lol:
now what we need to determine is, is being weedy or fat better?
Fat (my idea of woodshedding is eating cakes and drinking beer).
Where's the link to that video of the two Dutch(I think) shredders, one weedy with a kindof cowboy hat the other one a fat fella in a bumblebee suit?
EDIT: found it! http://www.bareknucklepickups.co.uk/forum/viewtopic.php?t=4193&highlight=bumblebee
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^ :lol:
now what we need to determine is, is being weedy or fat better?
Fat (my idea of woodshedding is eating cakes and drinking beer).
Where's the link to that video of the two Dutch(I think) shredders, one weedy with a kindof cowboy hat the other one a fat fella in a bumblebee suit?
EDIT: found it! http://www.bareknucklepickups.co.uk/forum/viewtopic.php?t=4193&highlight=bumblebee
Born to Shred!
GREATEST MOVIE EVER!!
Mr Crab and Uli CC Rottweiler are awesome :D
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yeah what i meant was does bigger arm muscles improve stamina, because i start to get a strain in my bicep when i pick fast for about 2 mins or so, and that's with picking from my wrist.....
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:D speed wont come from arm muscle it`ll come from your wrist [ yes i no what jokes come next ! ]
keep practicing its the only way, remember a little longer every day.
:D 8)
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Sounds like what you've got is muscle tension, you are probably tensing up too much or maybe it's your posture when you play. Try to relax and do stretching excercises a la Petrucci before you play.
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If I were you I'd start taking a look at your guitar technique, forget muscle, it's a complete delusion OK.
I've had CTS (carpail-tunnel-syndrome) and it started with just minor pains like what you've got. Thats why I take technique and posture very seriously. From experience if you have any pain always stop playing the moment you feel it and analyse your posture and technique. My wrists have been perminently damaged through playing too much through pain! and even now three years later I havent fully recoverd!
Take my experience and use it positivley.
Ben.
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ah ok, thanks Ben!
i'll try to relax then.
gingataff, i won't even consider JP exercises! i'm only just learning the basics of shredding at the moment.
haha jp, isn't it better to use your arm AND your wrist :twisted:
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gingataff, i won't even consider JP exercises! i'm only just learning the basics of shredding at the moment.
I think he only means the stretches, not any of the actual speed exercises, although I'm just learning the basics of shredding myself, and I've found John Petrucci's Rock Discipline to be quite helpful.
Heres a link to the stretching video:
http://youtube.com/watch?v=bINkQUbA33o
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yeah i've got some of my own stretching exercises, which have improved my abilities over the course of a few days!
:!: :idea:
i've solved the mystery of my picking hand's demise..... i was digging in too much! that caused there to be too much drag on the pick as it hit the string, therefore wore me down quickly.
now it barely hurts when i reach the half-time part :twisted:
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Nice!! what speed are you playing at?
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haha no idea, i never clock myself, i just speed pick the notes.... not shred speed picking, it's more like Slayer-esque riffage picking really