[nuthatchwinters]

hello all. just wanted to throw a topic out there I've been thinking about lately and that is how important Jerrys right hand, which is to say his picking and strumming, is to his sound. from how I interpret it Jerry had a very deliberate picking style that was key to his technique. take china cat for instance. you will see a lot of players play this one just kind of doing lazy hammer on type things for that very familiar opening part in key of g. Garcia picks it very deliberately backing it with a lot of pop and really making it distinctive. you know its jerry. that is just one example. he picks everything like this. little run ups and riffs picked very deliberately making it a style all his own. I have really tried to absorb that into my own playing giving it as much attention as any notes being played with my left hand. even when he's strumming, very distinctive. take eyes of the world- a 73/74 version for instance. those opening chords are strummed in a very deliberate style and not just played in a lazy way. it has a cadence and a pop to it that brings it to life. I could go on and on with the examples. anyway anyone with any thoughts on the topic I would love to hear. thanks. MK

[ac4468]

Agreed! I also love listening to his strumming and fill patterns (or lack thereof) on 74' versions of Scarlet. To me a great example of how what may appear random is anything but.

[frankenstein260]

Jerry's right hand in my opinion is the most important part of his touch. He used something called sarod picking which involves using your thumb and pointer finger instead of your wrist. This allowed him to greatly control his pick dynamics. There was an interview that I read where he mentioned this is a large difference between him and many other guitarists.

[ac4468]

Jerry's right hand in my opinion is the most important part of his touch. He used something called sarod picking which involves using your thumb and pointer finger instead of your wrist. This allowed him to greatly control his pick dynamics. There was an interview that I read where he mentioned this is a large difference between him and many other guitarists.

Ironically the one thing that guitar instructors will tell you not to do is exactly that. I do get that using your thumb and forefinger reduces speed that you can play, but it is absolutely critical to the sound.

[Bigfoot Co.]

Jerry's right hand in my opinion is the most important part of his touch. He used something called sarod picking which involves using your thumb and pointer finger instead of your wrist. This allowed him to greatly control his pick dynamics. There was an interview that I read where he mentioned this is a large difference between him and many other guitarists.

"the scalpel technique"

Mentioned in this article

https://www.guitarplayer.com/miscellane ... tober-1978

[PurpleTrails]

I've posted about this before, but when watching the dead I used to focus on Jerry's left hand until I had the pleasure of being in the second row at a Jerry solo acoustic show. It was a revelation to see him up close, and I was blown away by his right hand technique. He was a true magician; the pick would disappear for a finger picked run, then reappear for a bar or two of lead work or strumming.

I had barely begun playing guitar when I saw that show, and I frequently wish that I had an opportunity to see him again in those circumstances when I had gotten more experience and was better able to understand exactly what he was doing.

[playingdead]

interesting ... I had never heard of sarod picking. Something new to experiment with. And he was constantly palming the pick to fingerpick, you just kind of sweep it into your palm with your thumb, and do the same to bring it out again. In all these years, I can't remember ever dropping a pick onstage doing that, and I never saw him drop one. Using that thick 2mm Adamas graphite pick helps in that respect.