Transition from strumming to picking

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Boomershakalaka

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I'm having some issues in my progress. I'll use an example...in the song Rise by Eddie Vedder, you start with a finger picking piece directly into strumming. I find my transition from picking to strumming in this song and others is terribly clumsy. Is this just a practice-type issue that will clear up over time? If not, does anyone know of any resources that cover this? Google ain't helping me this time.

Thanks!
 
I tend to use a metronome, play the piece slowly, practice a lot and then some more at the slower pace then gradually increase the tempo, once you get the hang of it, you will put the 2 together more fluidly, hope this helps
 
what is your strumming technique? I see lots of tutorials pushing the index finger backed by the thumb for strumming. I can imagine transitioning to that from fingerpicking might be dicey. I strum down strokes with the backs of the nails of my middle, ring and pinkie fingers, and upstrokes with the back of my thumbnail. Going in and out of fingerpicking is effortless from that style.
Also, if you pinkie plant when fingerpicking, transitioning will be slower as well.
 
kaizersoza said:
I tend to use a metronome, play the piece slowly, practice a lot and then some more at the slower pace then gradually increase the tempo, once you get the hang of it, you will put the 2 together more fluidly, hope this helps
Click to expand...

I agree......practicing slowly and deliberately will yield improvements. Think learning to walk, it is slow and not so graceful but with enough repetitions it will smooth outand speed up.
 
Going from strumming to picking has been the most frustrating and fun thing I've ever done!
Try getting Sam Muir's Little Book Of Right Hand Arpeggios, and just practice the 20 exercises. It helps immensely.
 
I'm an index finger strummer and I do not plant my pinky when I pick. Thanks a ton for all the suggestions. Slow with a metronome sounds about right. I'm going to check out that book by Sam Muir as well. Thanks a again guys.
 
I need a strap if need to switch from strumming to fingerpicking. I like my soundhole neck strap.
If no the change just is not so easy.
 
Metronome is probably the best.... but if you're like me and don't know how to practice with a metronome properly is to play with the audiotrack. It improves your timing, and improves your aural skills/awareness. That's the only way I practice now is play with the audio track and rhythm/timing has improved immensely. It's frustrating at first and even sub 100bpm songs may seem hard if you've never practice this way before but your playing will sound so much better if you stick with it.





Boomershakalaka said:
I'm having some issues in my progress. I'll use an example...in the song Rise by Eddie Vedder, you start with a finger picking piece directly into strumming. I find my transition from picking to strumming in this song and others is terribly clumsy. Is this just a practice-type issue that will clear up over time? If not, does anyone know of any resources that cover this? Google ain't helping me this time.

Thanks!
Click to expand...
 
Or you could find a chord melody tutorial on youtube and practice with it. It will require you to play chords and play notes to fill in the melody which the chords miss. Or, if you know anything about the blues, you could just play a simple progression: strum most of the measures, but create a lick which you can play for a measure for variety's sake.
 
I'm not the greatest at chord melody and hardly and expert, but I do incorporate it in some songs. The way I got there was that I'm strictly a re-entrant ukulele player. I got to messing around with playing melody for a while. As we all know, you can only go so low on the scale before you run out of notes. So I started strumming chords to take the place of those lower notes. Once I got comfortable with throwing it those chords for the lower notes I got to adding a few for transition. Over time it got a little easier. But I don't get real good at it because I'm first of all a singer and my uke is accompaniment. So picking out a lot of melody isn't my thing.
 
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