How can I improve accuracy more efficiently

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The key part is it’s not an anchor (even though it’s called that), it’s contact that floats. Wrist contact with the bridge, finger contact with the body. There’s really no flexibility involved. Check out that slash video I linked above.

I wouldn’t be able to get across all 6 strings with a fixed anchor.

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Hey Michael,

Not sure I know exactly what you mean, but when filming picking practice to see how I’m going, I look for 3 main things;

  1. That my hand is tracking up and down the bridge in a pretty much vertical motion. Like its on train tracks. So my pick angle/ wrist motion remains the same.

  2. The movement of my wrist doesnt go upwards past the plane of my arm profile. ie it doesnt go anti-clockwise, past the straight position. This will create a ‘cramped’ feeling for me and introduce tension.

  3. That my hand, arm etc is relatively relaxed, and tension is not present, or building. I’ve found this to be perhaps the most important factor for me.

As I said before, this is a default, or neutral technique/position that I’m presently trying to move from the conscious to the unconscious. In actual playing situations, alot of other things will be happening in addition to this, but this is like a ‘default’ if you like.

I’m far from being any sort of expert, so please take what I say as my experience, not necessarily advice. I’m just finding/developing my own technique with what I believe are solid principles. I do know its working for me because I can perform some faster licks/ runs pretty comfortably now, and with decreasing tension. Those same licks were absolutely impossible 6 months ago.

Cheers, Shane

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Hi @jkahn,

Slash seems to be using finger 3 as his reference point, wrapped around the pickup. That is what I have been doing, but I also have been keenly aware now of the pick getting pushed/pulled in and out with fingers and I do not see him doing that and believe it is what you were telling men to be careful of.

I feel a bit better about having the palm mobile. It makes a lot of stuff feel better.

Hi @sclay,

#2 is what I was describing. Ok, both you and JK cleared up my question there with a very similar answer.

So now I am back to almost what I was doing, just being mindful of moving only at the wrist for the adjacent picking changes, but sliding up and down for the larger changes. Avoiding finger movements to reach for alternate or further is the big thing I am changing.

Thanks for your patience!

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