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Pick
Control
Q
A flatpicking instruction book I'm using says
to absolutely adhere to alternating picking (down up, down up).
Sometimes it seems it would be more efficient to pick down, down,
up, or up, up, down. Is it OK to pick this way, or should I stick
to alternating picking?
Phil Raven
Middletown, Connecticut
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A
Strict alternating
picking helps keep your time steady and is the best way to
get good pick control. But if you can keep those eighth notes
perfectly in line, then I'd say go with whatever works. Try
taping yourself and listen to see if you are dragging or speeding
up slightly as you play. If your rhythm changes at slow tempos,
you'll really notice a problem at faster tempos. I can almost
always tell, just by listening, when my students have flipped
the beat or have followed an eighth-note downstroke with another
eighth-note downstroke. There are many players (Tony Rice,
Clarence White) who don't maintain strict alternating picking,
especially when they want to emphasize certain notes, but
those masters can hardly be accused of poor pick control.
For us mortals, playing downstrokes on the beats (one, two,
three, four) and upstrokes on the offbeats (one and,
two and, three and, four and) is the
best way to play smooth and steady strings of eighth notes.
Make sure that you maintain this pattern even when playing
slurs (hammer-ons, pull-offs, and slides). For example, if
the slur takes the place of an upstroke, follow it with a
downstroke, and if it takes the place of a downstroke, follow
it with an upstroke. This will ensure that the downstrokes
stay on the beats and the upstrokes stay on the offbeats.
One place people often get messed up is crossing from string
to string. For example, it's natural to want to follow a downstroke
on the third string with another downstroke on the second
string. Resist the temptation, at least until you know you
can do it the right way.
—Scott Nygaard
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Tony
Rice.
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What
Is Micarta?
Q
I see that some Martin guitars have a micarta
fretboard. What is micarta and how does it compare to traditional
rosewood and ebony fretboards?
Mark Kelly
Holland, Massachusetts
A
Micarta is a high-pressure
laminated phenolic material with very high density and great hardness,
toughness, and overall strength. It resists cracking, heat, warping,
and moisture. From a service standpoint it may be better than ebony
or rosewood for both bridges and fingerboards because it accepts
frets and refretting quite well and resists finger wear better than
any wood. Some people think luthiers should start using synthetic
materials to prepare for the time when serviceable hardwoods can
no longer be found, but there are still many choices of natural
hardwoods available. Micarta may well have a valid place in the
acoustic guitar industry, whether for its low manufacturing cost,
high durability, or aesthetic. There is no way of knowing about
micarta's longevity, but it appears that the stuff will last a very
long time—certainly far longer than the traditional
celluloid binding makers have been using on guitars for the last
century.
—Frank
Ford
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Moving
with Instruments
Q I
need advice about relocating with my instruments. I could have the
movers take them with the rest of my things, which means they will
be insured, but who knows what climate conditions they'll be exposed
to. I could take one guitar with me as I drive across the country.
Which is the safest way to go?
Jerry
Cavanaugh
Seattle, Washington
A People
travel with guitars all the time, so your instruments should be
fine during a cross-country move. Of the options you mention, taking
an instrument in the car with you sounds the least desirable (unless
you plan to play it on your trip), since it would be difficult to
keep it out of the heat while camping, sightseeing, etc. Another
option would be shipping the instruments, but you never know if
they'll end up sitting in a hot UPS truck or warehouse. Putting
your instruments on the moving truck is probably your best choice:
you will probably have more control over where your instruments
are placed in the truck and temperature swings may not be as severe.
And you'll save money. Just be sure to pack the instruments as if
you were shipping them: Slack the strings, remove the batteries
from any pickups, pad the headstocks, and consider putting them
in shipping boxes (which you can get from a guitar store). You may
also want to wrap the cases in blankets or sleeping bags to provide
some insulation.
—Teja
Gerken
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Excerpted from
Acoustic Guitar magazine,
March
2003, No. 123.
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