Question on how to play a certain guitar l**k

Question

Okay, so I'm a beginner on guitar, but I'm definitely not bad. But one of my biggest troubles is switching quickly between two different strings. My question is: when you are playing one string, then you move up a string, and then quickly back to the original all in one quick motion, do you pick from "inside" the strings, or from the "outside"?

For example, in Stevie Ray Vaughan's song "Texas Flood," examples of this are everywhere. In tab, it looks like this:

---------3--------------------

------3-----6 (slide to) 8

---5--------------------------

-------------------------------

-------------------------------

-------------------------------

So I would like to know how all you guitarists would play the bit where there's a quick transition between the strings. I just can't seem to make the transition smooth and clean...

Any advice, recommendations, or simply saying how you play these types of passages would help a lot. Thanks! :)

Answer 1

Hi J

Sweep pick 5 -3 -3 and hammer the 6 and as you are bending , use an up or down stroke, and bend one tone up which is proably what he is doing.

The hammer-on gives you a split second to pick the guitar anywhere between the 6 and 8.

Answer 2

I tend to use a strict alternating picking pattern when I'm doing solo stuff. In other words, no matter what the transition are, my strumming pattern is the same: downstroke, upstroke, downstroke, upstroke, etc. It's harder to learn, but in time, you'll find it allows you to pick much faster and more accurately.

Here's a practice exercise: start with your pick on the Low E string, and use that alternate picking pattern I just mentioned on just that string alone, without your fret hand. Go slowly at first, then build speed. Make sure your volume is consistent with each stroke. Do this for about a minute, then move to the next string until you've worked your way down.

This'll help your picking hand to get used to fast, accurate picking and will give you a sense of the distances between each string.

Answer 3

the way i play that is to fret the note on string 3 with my ring finger  bar the notes on string 2 and 1 with my first finger and hit the next note with my little finger and slide up. i also bend the first note up into the pitch of the next note.  i also hammer on the notes on string 2, from 3 to 6. what you got is a simple pentatonic scale moving from one pattern up into the next.  

Answer 4

i think u should improve your left hand moves and dont forget your right hand tooo.

ok?

Answer 5

I pick the string in whichever way is most convenient.  It's called alternate picking.  So I would down-pick 5, 3, 3, and then up-pick the 6.  So if that's what you mean by inside the strings, then yes that is highly recommended for faster and smoother playing.  However, I have friends who absolutely cannot alternate pick, yet they can play smoothly.  It all comes down to practice.  Whichever way you choose to play it, if you practice enough, it will sound clean and smooth.