Part 3 - Right Hand Movement - Single String Picking

Now that we have our right hand placed comfortably on the guitar, we can focus on the picking movement.

The basic alternate picking movement for single string picking is a rotation of the wrist and forearm.
This is extremely subtle and in most cases not clearly visible. This is why there is so much confusion surrounding this movement. It is referred to commonly as the "turning a doorknob" or "turning a key" picking motion

To illustrate the movement on its largest scale, take your open right hand and place it in front of you, palm up. Now rotate your wrist and forearm so that your palm faces the floor. Rotate the wrist again so that the palm faces upwards. The above is a very exaggerated description of the movement.

See the video for a slightly less (but still) exaggerated movement. Please note, this is for illustration only. Attempt to make your movements more subtle and smooth.

Picking Motion Video (QuickTime may be required)

Remember: To execute this rotation movement you need to lean your wrist toward the little finger side of the palm. See part 2 of this series for a description of what to do.

Some other approaches for picking are Circular picking, picking with a side to side movement of the wrist, and picking the string by locking the wrist and moving the entire forearm from the elbow. Different people have varying degrees of success with all the methods mentioned above. Research and try each one and see what works best for you.

In the next and final installment we will look at various string crossing methods.

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