After you get comfortable with changing chords and making your fretting hand do what you want it to do, not like picking up a glass of water but changing from C9 to G7 in less than 2 minutes. There is a ton of techniques involved with your plucking hand. In fact the right hand techniques you use are just as important as your fretting hand. This lesson will cover just a few techniques you can use with your plucking hand.
Picking
The are a lot of different ways to use a pick. You can sweep pick, alternate pick, tremolo pick, among others. Some of the most popular songs simply require some of the most complicated picking patterns. It is very very important that you become comfortable with using a pick in every type of crazy picking pattern you can. This comes with a lot of time and practice with using a pick. The best way to practice these things is to find what type of must you like and play it. You can also make up some of your own picking patterns. If there is a pattern you find that is rather difficult practice it don't stop playing it.
Finger Picking
Finger picking is agreeably the easiest way way to play picking patterns because you can keep your fingers next to the strings. Finger picking is popular in a lot of folk music and country style but can be used and found in most all styles. Finger picking isn't any special style, it's just picking the strings with your fingers instead of the pick. You use your thumb for the lower three strings and then the index, middle, and ring fingers for the higher three strings. It's good for every player to learn how to finger pick, even if your style of music doesn't use much finger picking.
Hybrid Picking
Hybrid picking is a mix between regular picking styles and finger picking. Hybrid picking involves holding the pick like you normally would and then using the middle, ring, and pinky fingers to pluck the upper strings. This is a great technique to practice because you can really sharpen up your music by plucking some higher pitches and letting them ring out. Hybrid picking is used in a variety of music styles, even rock and blues.
No matter what style of music you play it is important that you don't neglect practicing these techniques for your pick hand. There are a lot of ways to practice with your fret hand but if you don't practice a few important things with your pick hand then you simply can't play what you want to if you get a fantastic idea for a song.
