In this lesson, you are going to learn what hybrid picking is, and how you can use it to enhance your guitar playing. This will add dimension and color variation to your overall creativity. Not to mention that you will increase your fretboard knowledge and picking technique.
What is hybrid picking?
Hybrid picking is when you use both the guitar pick and your fingers to play the guitar strings. You hold the pick with two fingers (usually the thumb and index finger) and you use the other three fingers to pick the strings individually.
This is a technique that is very common with country guitar playing, banjo playing, bluegrass, and classical fingerstyle. But it has also been used in playing rock rhythms and guitar solos by some of the best players out there. So it is not a bad thing to look into learning.
Hybrid picking example, written in tab
The above example is a common way that you might read this technique. You pick the lowest open note (the 5th string A) with the pick and you then pick the other open strings (G B & E) with your fingers. Remember, that looking at sheet music (standard notation or tab) the lowest note will always be on the bottom.
Try this out on your guitar. See if you can get your picking hand working to execute this technique. If so, you’ll hear a very distinct sound and something quite different from just strumming with a pick. This will allow you to approach the guitar in a little different way.
Harmony notes in sixths
You can create some nice hybrid picking ideas when you learn about harmony notes. This is where you use two “specific” notes in your playing. I suggest sixths because of how they line up along the fretboard, but you can use any two notes.
Sixths would be using the 1 and 6th notes of the major or minor scale in whatever key you choose to pay in. You can also use thirds, fourths, and octaves. You just need to know where these notes are located on the fretboard. Start with the root note (the 1) and then find the other note to add to it.
Watch the video lesson below
More in-depth training
I strongly believe that hybrid picking and this type of concept can enhance your guitar playing. To make it easier to learn, I’ve authored and self-published a book to help you out. The guitar book I’m talking about is called Lead Guitar Wizardry Volume 1.
Lead Guitar Wizardry is a simple step-by-step method book designed to teach you the fundamental principles in a fun and easy way. With lesson plans that build upon themselves. This makes learning the concepts, principles, and techniques presented easy and provides quick results.
Lead Guitar Wizardry will teach you:
*Scale patterns for creating solos
*The 12-bar blues to solo over
*Major & minor-key progressions
*Hammer-ons, pull-offs, slides, bends, etc
*Where to solo in a particular key
*How to make your scales sound like music
*Why it is important to read sheet music
*What is the most common attribute of soloing is
*Hybrid picking, harmony notes & finger tapping
Along with much, much, more. If you dive into this method book you will unlock mysteries of the fretboard that you never knew existed.
No more frustration
Learning and understanding musical concepts can be hard sometimes because music is a language and sometimes the way it’s taught can be hard to understand. But with my method book, you won’t have that. You will be able to learn easily and if you happen to get stuck, I am here to help. This means, no more frustration trying to figure it out by yourself.
When I started learning from books, many times I wished I could have contacted the teacher to explain something better. But I couldn’t because the internet did not exist back then. But nowadays it does. In doing so, You have access to authors who publish books and training articles to help you out further.
Lesson conclusion
So, in conclusion, try out the technique of hybrid picking. Learn about harmony notes. Learn your notes on your fretboard and find the notes necessary to put this cool concept into action. I guarantee that your guitar-playing skills and knowledge will grow and your self-confidence will soon follow.
But like anything else, you’ll need to study and practice daily. This is the best way to see positive progress in your guitar playing. Grab the book I mentioned above and see how following a proven method can help.
And if more help is needed, remember that I also teach private one-on-one instruction. Customized lessons that cater to the age, interests, and skill level of the individual student. This allows for fun quick results. If this is of interest to you, contact me at your earliest convenience for a free consultation.
Best of luck and thanks for reading.
Sincerely, Dwayne Jenkins
