This is Why You Suck at Guitar, lesson 1: Your picking sucks
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- Опубліковано 15 жов 2024
- Check out my Patreon page here: / benellerguitars
Twitter/Instagram @BenEllerGuitars
It's ol' Uncle Ben Eller here again with a new lesson video series for you guys called "This is Why You Suck at Guitar"! I'm gonna be laying the straight dope on you guys about why you play guitar like some kind of drunk stepdad and how you can change it. My students pay me money to sit in front of them and give them gentle instruction on how to improve their playing and meet their goals, but since you all are freeloading UA-camrs, and these lessons are free, i'm gonna take off the kid gloves and lay it on straight.
Today we are going to look at your slack-ass picking and learn why it sucks. Tired of sounding like shit? Good, i'm tired of listening to it! Grab a seat and let Uncle Ben learn you yet well.
HUGE THANKS to Jacob Long of Longwerks for making my sweet title screen! You are the man. Hit him up for your next music video, graphic design, editing project, or whatever else you need to look awesome. Jacob is one of the most talented people i've ever met!
SUBSCRIBE and keep watching for more lessons on why you suck! Let me know what you suck at, and i will come up with a way to fix it. Thanks for watching, now get to work!
My dad hated me until I watched this lesson. He heard my picking and told me he loved me for the first time in my life. Thanks 'This is Why You Suck at Guitar' Guy!
steve r Big day for you!!!!
" i'll love you and never forget your birthday son" 10/10
bquion classic
I don't have a step dad. Should I play bass instead?
Michael Murray I'm afraid so.
+Michael Murray Unless you mean you don't know who your dad is. Then you should play drums.
Michael Murray ahhh, so that's why there's so many black bassists
Hey I'm a drummer and I knew my dad.....I think that's who that was:P
If don't know who the mother is than should be the singer.
I'm still laughing my ass off at the step-dad and dad comparisons XD
ah I'm your step dad listen to your mother ah. I'm your real dad I love you son and I'll never forget your birthday
same lol cant get over it. had replay it 3x
POPsongsADDICT Yeah, that was pretty funny. :)
Probably the only guitarist on UA-cam who’s really getting to the bottom of technique tutorials. Most answers you get are just keep practising and it will come.
There''s a lot of truth to it that's why. Some of the best players I hang with will spend years on certain licks. I know a guy who rips at the guitar but spent 8 months on one Brad Paisley lick. (P.S. Brad Paisley is a shredder at the guitar. Look it up.
You must have something against your step-dad, lol
I nominate "Uhhhhhhhh, I'm your stepdadd" for song of the year.
I second that
I made a horrible snorting noise laughing at that.
Ben, I have been playing since I was 15. I am now 32. I am going through every one of your videos and following along to try and step my game up. Thanks so much for the time and the effort.
Reminds me of the South Park ski instructor using french fry and pizza in his lesson. If you french fry when you should have pizza'd you're gonna have a bad time.
+Girkadirk I almost used that for my senior quote.
+Thomas B what did u use ? Jw
Some sappy one about driving safe cause I was in a wreck that rolled 5 times the week before I graduated.
There's a person out there who's life he is nailing accurately with these comparisons and that person is me
"If your picking sounds like this...''
Me: I wish it sounds like that.
This series actually helped me get better at guitar.
Subscribed at the dad/stepdad metaphor lol
hahaha sometimes thats all ya need to know!
What do you think of sitting on ur picking hand until it goes numb, then playing ... so it feels like someone else is doing it?
"Uuuuuuhhhhh, listen to your mother."
I don't often bother to subscribe, but this is kind of original and the higher number lessons (this one is really geared toward first week beginners ) cover stuff I can benefit from. It's refreshing to learn with someone who is not churning through the lesson mono tone like yet not wasting a lot of time in the possess of keeping it fun, entertaining and interesting. This is why most other youtube lessons suck.
Ben I have seen a lot of instructional videos as I am a rookie guitarist, but I got to say this is most informative, funny and entertaining video I have every seen. You are an excellent teacher as well. I wish you the best and thanks for brightening my day sir!
That whole tip on resting your wrist to achieve precise picking totally helped. I feel waaaay more in control. Thanks man!
eejaee123 cheers!
Perfect analogy + hilarious delivery = very useful video! Thanks!
Picking that close to the bridge gives you more treble which is good for some songs but many times you need to pick closer to the sound hole for a deeper tone.
I subscribed, liked and shared the whole "This is Why You Suck at Guitar" series, thank you so much for your efforts and teaching, and telling me why I suck.
Hey man. Just want to say your lessons are excellent. No question is raised determining your playing abilities. Personally I like to play finger picking songs but none the less you have truly explained a great example of what individuals do wrong while playing with a pick. But on another note, I want to say I am impressed with your devotion to your son. I am a step dad myself to a boy whose father pretty much gave up on him. So I don't want you to think all step dads are bad. I have been raising him and supporting him since the day he turned 2, with no help from his biological father. He is 6 now and I love him as my own. Teaching him to play the guitar is a great joy.
Keep strong sir and kick ass
Hey Jacob! I’m a dad and stepdad. All my kids are loved the same, biological connection or not, and it makes me happy to see you defending (good) stepdads a bit. 😊 It’s been 8 years since your post, so your stepson should be about 14 now. I gotta know… are y’all still close? Did he continue playing guitar? Hope you’re well!
While I agree with almost everything in this video (I especially like the paintbrush/pencil analogy, good one!), I think you should've at least mentioned that it is possible to "use the pencil" in the floating position, too. Sure, it is more difficult, but sometimes it is necessary. For example if you want to change your picking position to get a different tone, (playing closer to the bridge vs. playing closer to the neck) or if you want to add small scale runs in between chord strumming. Otherwise, great video!
Well thought !
glad to find this channel on random Sunday morning - great work man!
Another advantage obtained from resting your wrist on the bridge is that is easier to have a good sense of the location of the strings you want to pick, useful for alternate picking and no need to see where is your pick going to land when picking to the desired string.
As a novice player, I have the basics down but knew I would develop bad habits along the way. I feel this video helped get me back in the right direction. Good work and I look forward to more lessons from you.
Ive recently noticed that i don't actually put my wrist on the bridge of the guitar unlike most good guitarists out there and rather than pick side to side with my wrist, I almost do a very fast and small back and forth motion with my wrist, almost like a very fast, minute bitch slap. If you don't understand what I mean say and I'll try explaining better.
JoeyMicknot some players do well with this!
Yes! There are more people like this! I felt like a jackass for playing like that but now I don't!
I used to hold the pick like a pencil, until I started to get good with tapping and needed my right middle finger more often.
Makes a lot of sense. Like the pencil and paintbrush analogies. Teach your stepdad.
good deal! glad to help!
This actually made my playing sound about 50% better. My actual picking was pretty good, but strumming chords was off because I was still using my wrist. When I used my elbow it made a big difference. Thanks bro!
Pretty much. Only it was my dad that always forgot my birthday and my step dad that taught me how to do things. Except play guitar well. Thats why I'm watching this
Thank you so much for your awesome lessons! These have been the MOST beneficial guitar technique videos I've been able to find and great sense of humor.
thanks beth! and hit me up for Skype lessons!
Your Welcome Ben! I've already started using your guitar techniques daily with great results.
Thanks Again!
VinDC
great, virgil! thanks again!
This is soo cool. I got you all an extra tip: crossing the street is safer when no trucks are passing fast on the street. Viceversa, and this' the really cool trick, when no cars are passing you can step on the street
+Alfonso Anagni lol
Love the subtle showing off your guitars in the beginning
This was the first song I learned to suck at so it was very appropriate for the first video in this series. Thank you so much for helping me learn not to suck! Your lessons are seriously the best I’ve ever seen and I’ve watched a lot of them because I really suck! You are so entertaining as well-I love how you talk about how your stepdad plays the guitar vs your real dad. You’re awesome dude. 👏🤘🏼
This is the best video to explain how to strum faster. No other video is as straightforward as this or as funny
great video, thanks for posting it. I love your sense of humor. I know all this stuff is second nature to you now, but it's really helping me, along with the pinch harmonics video. The strumming was helpful because it was very counterintuitive to me to move my arm at the elbow to strum. I thought i would just pick everything. The pinch harmonics video is excellent for me because the closeups and descriptions really showed me what i have to do and why i was doing it wrong. Alternate picking, natural harmonics, chord fingering technique, and where to put your fretting hand when starting at a box position to play something and not be playing the scale starting with the wrong finger on the wrong fret, are all things i'm having trouble at. I know experience helps greatly, but your videos let me learn faster and avoid bad habits that i have to change later. Please keep making more. thanks. Rock on.
Checked out this series. I think i know most of it, but i subbed anyway. You are hillarious. And MUCH more in-depth than most teachers i've seen online!
killer, thanks a lot dude!
helped a lot...I didn't end up doing exactly what you showed but the idea of just my hand helped thanks man
sick! glad i could help!
Hey Ben, I find your videos to be the best out there. Absolutely hilarious and extremely thorough. I was wondering if you could do one on posture when playing? Back issues and RSI are a common thing with guitarists. You have a lot of great knowledge so any tips at why I suck at holding my guitar would be much appreciated!
awesome. I figured out how to get more accurate over time by resting or stabilizing my wrist on the bridge. it was so great to hear Ben confirm and how to change from arm, elbo, wrist. great lesson
I'm loving this series.
Thanks for uploading!
DuckofaPato thanks so much for watching and commenting!
Dude! I've played guitar for 25 years pickless and now at 38, decided I really needed to learn to use one. This helped tremendously! Thanks man !
Nice video but I think I don't want to anchor my hand to the bridge. Players in the Tony Rice, Doc Watson tradition seem to combine the 2 methods you mentioned leaving the hand float freely but like you said... It depends on the music you want to play. Thanks...
yes indeed, you are correct! oftentimes you will see dudes like that float when playing on the low strings, and when they're on the high strings, they'll rest on the low ones.
You are correct, the relationship between the picking fingers and the fretting fingers have to come more equal in execution of notes per second execution, that the fretting hand can bounce an extra finger in legato and push pull technique will aid the strum hand in the fast execution of the speed shred note per second area by letting sustained note playing be bounced for accompaniment with the note fret picking together so that the sound is gained in the area of more notes per string played faster. Good effort to demonstrate this area of improving picking skills. We appreciate the reminder.
Don't mean to step on your toes Ben, but I use the "pinky-resting" technique. I will not say it is better than palm resting, not to be confused with palm muting, but I find that I have a much better range and tone by reaching farther away from the bridge (on the higher strings mainly). It really all boils down to how you hold your pick; adjacent to to your thumb or parallel to your thumb. I do appreciate the breakdown for "stiff arm pickers" tho lol. Really gotta let that wrist sweep a little!
ForTheLoveOfChrist This video obviously isn't meant for you. If we already can pick, we already have "our way" which is either most comfortable or most practical. This is for beginners or people struggling. I came here because of the title. I already play like a boss. As I'm sure you do.
great humor in this vid dude. I find with my students they respond better to thinking about turning the wrist while strumming. its like putting out a match out when you are holding it, that flicking motion, the wrist stays very loose. in fact the elbow and forearm should do less actually almost nothing. as far as arpeggio picking is concerned there are so many ways to do it its worth its own vid...If these ideas work for people then hey its all good. guitar is tricky keep practicing.
awesome! good comparison. thanks for the suggestions and for watching!
Dude. You've corrected things I've been doing wrong for a while. I love your series.
I already knew the song, so i played along and this video helped instantly. The hand on the bridge worked wonders for me. Thanks bro!
Going from unskilled hardcore to a more prog style and you've helped me improve my playing. Thanks sir!
whats really fun is when you started talking about pencils I picked one up, looked at how I held it, then held my pick like that and I was able to play hail to the king( the solo)
I got a kick out of this. I'm sharing this purely for my guitar buddies to get a kick out of also. Thanks man. Sense of humor is key!
I was watching one of my own videos and the title for this video was next to the screen lol...............i thought to myself "how does youtube know?" haha
hahahaha damn!
Pretty sweet... I just improved my picking and got started on learning a new song. Thnx Ben!
Wow. You were born for this. Great instruction, great entertainment. So glad I clicked on this. Thanks.
You had me at "this is why you suck at guitar." Great video, I've been picking by anchoring the tips of my fingers below the high E, but as you said, I suck. I'm a bass player now trying to learn guitar so it's kinda like learning to walk again. This helped a lot, very cool and very funny.
Excellent! Thanks so much man, i'm really glad you liked it! Yeah picking is odd, there are SO many ways players do it… Actually though, many great guitarists anchor a finger or two on the body (John Petrucci comes to mind!), so if anchoring works for you, keep doing it!
Hey man, I still use my step dad's alternate picking technique and have to use my forearm for speed. Would love to learn to play like my real dad who can play real fast with his wrist. Please show me how!
Subbed, man I can tell you how entertaining your stuff is. Dude I haven't attempted to play the guitar in years. A teacher who isn't afraid to tell students they "suck" and "this" (as in this video) is why. Awesome work man...
Thankyou for the lesson! I like your attitude. Probably a really good dad/teacher.
You should mention that when picking using your wrist, it is important to keep it straight with your forearm. I've played for years resting my wrist on the bridge, and developed a weird contour which is only now manifesting itself in carpal tunnel syndrome. I'm having to unlearn years of practice and relearn a new way of picking which uses larger muscle groups. It's frustrating. I would recommend learning properly, the first time, as it will save you hassle down the road.
ah yes indeed. good advice!
Great video. I've love to have one like this for all the brain farts I have when forcing myself to alternate pick; where I fret one note of one string and pick a string adjacent to it.
ah that CAN be tough! Good idea!
I'm a beginner and incredibly enough I already knew this.
I don't do it right of course and I have to say the way you explain it made me understand the errors I do and what I need to do to make my playing likable!
Wish I would have seen this within my first few weeks of playing. Been playing for a few months now great video thanks man!
Finally a musician that really shares what he knows!
Hey Ben, you are awesome man, keep the learning fun for people. You may have covered this but do you have any tips or could you cover some tips about really locking in with the Kik and riding in the pocket? I feel that this is so important and I know it's more than just practicing to a click. Any help would be much appreciated! Unfortunately I'm one of those people having to un learn all the bad habits I picked up when I first started playing... :/
James Austin great call, man. I would definitely like to do some bass You Sucks as well, that would be an excellent topic for that!
28 year old dude with no stepdad reporting...switching from picking straight onto the string to slicing into the string at an angle changed my life. Thanks Ben
Didn't realize I was a step-dad until I started watching this channel
I love the way you deliver these instructional videos. Great brand.
nau I know how to pick like my real dad :)
that guy knows whats up!
youre videos, r going to help me become a better guitar player, ,for this band that im in, thx
thank you man!!!
How are you now
I have that exact model Masterbilt...bought it new in 2009 or '10. It's still the best sounding acoustic I own. When purchasing it at the store, I let all the customers choose which guitar I was to buy. I went in with a $2000 budget, and I played Taylors, Gibsons, Breedloves, Takamines, Martins...all against this guitar in a 2 hour impromptu acoustic concert at Sam Ash music in San Antonio, Texas. I played everything from country blues, bluegrass, Beatles, 70's songwriter stuff, classic acoustic rock (think Zeppelin's Babe I'm gonna leave you), 80's & 90's country love songs (The Dance, Bluest Eyes in Texas, What might have been,..) etc.. I used various strumming, Travis finger picking, and hybrid picking styles It was unanimous ... hands down! Every customer and the 2 guitar salesmen, too, chose the Masterbilt. It listed for $499 on the sticker, but because there was a quarter size ding with a crack on the back bottom edge, I paid $425 total out the door. John at Guitar Tex made it all perfectly disappear for $65. Best guitar purchase I ever made.
Arm for strumming, wrist for picking. That's totally obvious - now that you pointed it out. That was exactly what I needed to know at this exact time. Thanks, Ben. Even if you're not my real dad.
I don't have a stepdad, and my dad doesn't play guitar, but it's great to see a video that is about technique!
What about guys who use elbow picking like Batio and Rusty they dont have problems with small movements. Playing with the elbow is great for fast picking
its true! yeah man, tons of sick players out there, tons of sick techniques... there's no clear cut "right" or "wrong", just guidelines!
Awesome video, Ben. Do you rest your hand at different positions if you're focusing on treble or bass strings? When I rest the heel of my palm on the bridge pins as you do, I seem to have a hard time reaching the low E. Again, great, helpful video.
I love your sense of humour, Ben!
and i love your comments! Thanks!
I sense a big improvement in my playing in the near future. Thanks so much for this video. Great explanation and illustration without wasting a bunch of time just talking.
Thank You Uncle Ben this did improve my technique, It was something I wasn't giving enough attention and your method of explaining I was able to grasp!
The wrist and the elbow...that's the secret I was looking for all those years ! Great now I know why "I" suck playing guitar !!! LoL.
Seriously your tuto are really helpfull for some guitar apprentice that's expecting to get the good advices to start learning correctly how to play this wonderfull instrument.
Thanks Ben for sharing your experience with us :-)
Fabrice Strub cheers, thank YOU!
Not only was this extremely helpful, but you're freaking funny too. Two thumbs up :D
Mario Medina thank you Mario!
Awesome! Thanks for the help! I laughed at least 3 times out loud watching this! Great video :)
Another good video on the basics of picking and strumming. Thank you.
I love watching these videos, I've learned quite a bit from listening to Uncle Ben. But these videos are worth watching for the stepdad jokes alone! Dude has me rolling!
Thanks Ben Eller. I'm a begginer and I've been wanting to improve because I'm so interested in the guitar but little things like this I am unaware of. I'm going to click the subscribe button as of now!
Great stuff man, I'm really digging the format of your videos. Thanks!
The best guitar tutorials on UA-cam!
Been playing for 2 years now and I've watched through tons of videos but I find alot of peoples videos monotone and boring, I loss interest quick because they take SO LONG to get the ball rolling but your approach to it is great and full of character, you don't fart about and just get on with (it's like you know we have a rewind button - wow!)
Any advice/videos on how to train the speed and strength of my pinkie and ring finger? I struggle with more complex chords and have come to terms that I actually have pretty small hands.
I can't arpeggiate or scale very quickly because of it :(
Also how would I go about training to get better accuracy with picking?
Thanks again man!
thanks Stephen! i really appreciate it, man. Hit me up any time for some one on one lessons via Skype, i'm sure i can help you out!
I've, in the past, been taught to rest my pinky finger on the pick guard and use it as a sort of home base. I still use my wrist and not my elbow. I've tried the method of resting my wrist on the pins/saddles, but my hand is a bit short. It doesn't provide the clearest of sounds.
I almost passed over this video, but then I thought "WTF not?" So I watched it and I'm glad I did. My strumming/picking sucks! But your instruction was very helpful. Being self-taught doesn't always turn out well. Thanks! Subscribed!
this helped me out a lot. I hated playing arpreggiated chords and now my picking is more precise.
My picking has improved my real dad loves me again! Thanks Uncle Ben!
Well done Ben, your videos are great. You have taught me so much, so quickly. I don't mind at all being told that I suck at guitar... We all feel like that at levels of skill. Keep up the good work.
probably the most underrated video!
Dao Yang thanks so much for watching and commenting!
WOW!!!
YOU GOT MY VOTE!
FANTASTIC TEACHING ON THIS ISSUE!
thanks Virgil!
So what about putting your pinky down? To keep your hand somewhat fixed but still floating? What are your thoughts on that. Or should I just put my frickin wrist down lol
i tried the real dads style
it didn't feel comfortable for me
i prefer using my little finger to hold a certain distance between my hand and the strings, that way my picking is only done by my wrist. and because i play right over the sound hole, the sound is warmer/softer than picking with my wrist resting on the bridge
Thanks for the cool videos, best no bs lessons, lm trying to learn guitar at 48!!!! Every one keeps putting me down,your too old and its impossible, lm watching all your lessons and improving day by day thanks to you ben,Cheers Rory
The "Step Dad" "Real Dad" jokes kill me every time. I will continue coming back for more and will be posting some #weekendwankshop licks soon. Keep being awesome dude. \m/
Good video, but I really like the Bucky and Satchel artwork in the background. Are those prints, or original pieces?
Thank you!!! I painted those myself years ago. Oils on canvas!
Ben Eller Are they oil on canvas?
I pick acoustic songs using a "floating" position, but I still do it from my wrist as opposed to the elbow. It gives you slightly less control, but you'll also have less risk of muting the strings in case you want the notes to ring out. For playing with distortion, however, palm muting is key, so then I do anchor my wrist. Do you think I should start anchoring my wrist for playing acoustically (picking) as well?
Wow! thanks for this man! Very helpful! Now I know why my picking and strumming sounded like I was using a comb! haha! I find it extra hard to control the pick because I'm left handed, I dunno how other left handed players do it right but now I think I can if I just follow your instructions and practice hard. I know now it was all about what parts to use for strumming and picking! Thank you so much! Definitely subscribing! Looking forward to learn more from you!