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purplepiper 
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 Topic: al di meola's picking strategy
Posted: June 01 2007 at 17:11 |
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hey, does anybody know what sort of pick al di meola uses? Light, medium, heavy? does he use jazz picks? please inform me!
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for those about to prog, we salute you.
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TheLamb
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Posted: June 01 2007 at 17:19 |
do you really find this imporant or interesting?
(not being sarcastic, im really asking... do you?)
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robertplantowns
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Posted: June 01 2007 at 18:57 |
 TheLamb wrote:
do you really find this imporant or interesting?
(not being sarcastic, im really asking... do you?) |
Haha, shalom TheLamb. He obviously does or else he wouldn't have started a thread on it. Whatever pick Di Meola uses, it doesn't really matter because he plays the way he does because of everything else except what pick he uses. I don't know what pick he plays with but I bet it would be a very stiff one for all that fast-picking action.
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Walker
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Posted: June 01 2007 at 20:48 |
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^ as a guitar player myself, I have to agree that it would be very stiff in order to play at the speed he does. Beyond that, I have no idea.
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Atavachron
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Posted: June 01 2007 at 21:32 |
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Al's picking technique is extraordinary, as are his bending methods.. don't know what he uses. I myself have been using Jim Dunlop .73mm for years cause they grip so well and have a nice feel... I'd also be curious as to Di Meola's specific applications; is his right hand picking movement wrist or finger-oriented, things like that.
Edited by Atavachron - June 01 2007 at 21:33
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Chus
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Posted: June 01 2007 at 21:42 |
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I think it's wrist-oriented, very difficult when you shift strings but effective in speed. Also he tends to stretch his middle-ring finger, I don't know how effective that is when you do sweeping, Gambale makes a sort of fist, but I find it easier to do sweeping with Di Meola's grip. I think he uses a heavy for ovation, medium-light for electric, I'm not sure though
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Jesus Gabriel
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Slartibartfast
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Posted: June 01 2007 at 22:00 |
purplepiper wrote:
hey, does anybody know what sort of pick al di meola uses? Light, medium, heavy? does he use jazz picks? please inform me! |
The type of pick is only part of the strategy, there's technique, an there's style. Style you can hear, and if you're lucky, you can see the techique either live or on video.
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Released date are often when it it impacted you but recorded dates are when it really happened... 
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Atavachron
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Posted: June 01 2007 at 22:31 |
Chus wrote:
I think it's wrist-oriented, very difficult when you shift strings but effective in speed. Also he tends to stretch his middle-ring finger, I don't know how effective that is when you do sweeping, Gambale makes a sort of fist, but I find it easier to do sweeping with Di Meola's grip. I think he uses a heavy for ovation, medium-light for electric, I'm not sure though |
yeah I think it is more wrist action.. saw him about ten years ago and I noticed that. I've been experimenting with jumping strings, even three or four between, both up and down.. some good ideas and effects can be had.
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purplepiper
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Posted: June 01 2007 at 22:34 |
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yes, I was thinking he must use a heavy pick, but I wanted to hear what other people thought. I myself am a guitarist and do find these things highly interesting. I like heavy picks myself, but find it difficult to do runs across strings without using hammerons and such. I can immitate al's speed, but certainly not the precision! His technique has me baffled and astonished.
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for those about to prog, we salute you.
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Atavachron
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Posted: June 01 2007 at 22:42 |
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know what you mean.. the heart of his style seems to lie in his simple but increadible picking. In fact I rarely hear him pulling or hammering more than a few notes at a time. And of course the muting and machine-gun stacatto notes (which are fairly easy)-- what really stumps me are those astounding bends he gets that seem to weep or something.. never been able to do those.
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Atomic_Rooster
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Posted: June 02 2007 at 01:42 |
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It's a slightly hooked wooden pick that he hand carves.
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I am but a servant of the mighty Fripp, the sound of whose loins shall forever be upon the tongues of his followers.
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puma
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Posted: June 02 2007 at 02:01 |
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he harvests them from the bears he slays in the thick forests
the spirit of said bears is unleashed in his music
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TheLamb
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Posted: June 02 2007 at 11:43 |
Im not a guitarist... But I have seen DiMeola live a few months ago and I noticed that he moves his picking hand alot... his entire arm actually, not only the wrist.... seems very violent compared to other fast-picking people I have seen...
Sorry for my first post in this thread... just seemed to be a ridiculously pointless subject for a thread... I thought "What the hell does it matter what pick he uses?"... But It seems moe people agree that it has some importance so... Here we are :P
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Atavachron
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Posted: June 03 2007 at 01:34 |
It's not pontless to guitarists.. perhaps a bit  , but not pointless. Fun to just gibber about silly musician things more than anything else.
anyone doing complex arpeggios? Y'know like, 1-4-6-#6-8-2 and then back.. and do you sweep them or phrase each individual note??
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shredtheater
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Posted: June 06 2007 at 03:43 |
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he doesnt use jazz picks, there a bit small for acoustic playing, great for electric tho. He uses heavy D'andrea picks. They aer very similar to the Larger Fender picks. In terms of gauge there going to be heavy, prob around 1.21mm.
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purplepiper
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Posted: June 19 2007 at 01:54 |
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that's an interesting riff atavachron, if I hear in in my head correctly. Spanish sounding it appears...from the phrygian mode, I think. Since I started this thread i've made sufficient progress with the fast picking. Still sooo tempting to use hammerons! I'm using the dunlop jazz 3 pick and it works well on electric, but is difficult to use on my steel string acoustic. Now i'm just rambling...al dimeola kicks ass!
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for those about to prog, we salute you.
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Yann
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Posted: June 19 2007 at 19:52 |
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Dunlop jazz 3 (small size, not the XL) are a must! Depend of you! But I can't imagine playing like that with a smooth pick...
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Ertê tnof soun sons sel
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al di meola's picking strategy
