Jerry Byrd RH technique

[Jonathan Lam]

Pretty clear view of jerry alternate picking with his thumb on Kohala March.
http://youtu.be/M0RvvAfcBtY?t=1m50s

[Ray Montee (RIP)]

I first discovered JERRY used the front and back picking action on the right thumb......

when attempting to learn his rendition of "STEEL GUITAR RAG".

When you're a master, you can do whatever you want for whatever reason.

The rough part is for those of us trying to figure out what's going on..........but then again, it's highly rewarding to an individual to realize they figured it out....correctly.

[Chris Templeton]

What a version! Never gets old.

[Ray Montee (RIP)]

Jerry always used to sign off of his written correspondence with "KEEP YOUR PICKIN' THUMB HOT"
or words to that affect.

Now, I can appreciate the full meaning of that.

[Jonathan Lam]

I can't find a pick that stays on like that. Kind of was shocked to see he did that.
He also makes the choice to play it with just thumb on that Eb in the melody. Whereas the phrase before he used thumb middle thumb.
Really incredible.

[Mike Neer]

Sometimes that's the only way to get the picking clean on one string when I'm playing chromatic notes like that. The Fred Kelly speed picks work well.

He does play the tar out of that tune. The first phrase is easier to play with two fingers because it's on the first string. On the other strings, it's a little harder to use two fingers and get it perfect every time.

[Jonathan Lam]

maybe i got a weird thumb, the golden gates are tight, but WAAAY too tight, and the fred kellys slip too much on the up stroke.

[Mike Neer]

Dip the Golden Gates in some hot water (not boiling) for a few seconds and then stick it on your thumb. It should reshape it to fit better.

[Ray Montee (RIP)]

These are by far the finest picks I've ever experienced. My friend David Kolars introduced me to them at one of the inter'l guitar shows. I'll be forever grateful to him.

[Jonathan Lam]

I am gonna try that ht water thing, ive done it in the past and it never seemed to quite work. The small GGs are so tight they turn my thumb blue!!

Ah, to be jerry.

[Bill Mollenhauer]

Jonathan, Maybe you should try a larger size pick if it is hurting. I use the white Golden Gate and the multicolored Golden Gate, both from Resophonic Outfitters in 3 sizes. I dont have the problem of them turning if I am not picking hard. Maybe my thumb is different. If I am going to pick hard, I just wet my thumb with spit and it doesnt move.

[Ray Montee (RIP)]

Notice how relaxed Byrd's right hand is, slightly curled under.

No spastic looking rigid finger poked out toward the audience....... Right hand NOT resting on the ARM REST.............

[Chris Scruggs]

Jerry Byrd is one of those few artists who, no matter how much I have heard him play before in my life, ALWAYS captivates me and pulls me in heart first from the first note he plays. I never get "used" to his beautiful sound. It's new and fresh to my ears every time. The passion and perfection in his playing is impossible to take for granted. The sign of a truly great artist.

[Jack Aldrich]

I first discovered JERRY used the front and back picking action on the right thumb......

when attempting to learn his rendition of "STEEL GUITAR RAG".

When you're a master, you can do whatever you want for whatever reason.

The rough part is for those of us trying to figure out what's going on..........but then again, it's highly rewarding to an individual to realize they figured it out....correctly.

Man, do I agree with you on this. IMHO, a master has transcended the limitation of the instrument and plays pure music.

[Jamie Mitchell]

man, I've watched that video many times and never picked (har har) up on that.

more to practice!

[Ken Campbell]

Notice how relaxed Byrd's right hand is, slightly curled under.

No spastic looking rigid finger poked out toward the audience....... Right hand NOT resting on the ARM REST.............

Ray,

You've mentioned several times that I can recall the specific shape of Jerry's right hand and the fact that his hand is not resting on the armrest. As I watched the video I noticed the Jerry's forearm seems to be resting on the guitar. Can you talk about the differences please? I play an SD 10 . You can see why I'm curious.

Thanks for everything you do Ray....

Kc

[Matthew Dawson]

I too have watched this video many times and never comprehended the way he was using the thumb pick. Now I have to re-think my right hand!

[Andy Volk]

When we talk about JB's technique and incredible intonation it's in almost magical terms as if he were somehow superhuman. I wonder just how many grueling hours of practice he put in as a kid to achieve those results?

I believe that certain folks have a genetically gifted nervous system that allows them, with the same amount of practice as others, to achieve superior results but the real equation is time over desire, I think. Barney Kessell claimed to have missed only a few days of practice out of his entire playing career. I'm sure Jerry was so determined to play that he put in thousands of hours of practice well before he ever played in public.

[Ken Campbell]

I think that is insightful Andy. Perfect practice makes perfect. I feel like JB really loved playing the steel guitar. It shows in everything I've heard him play. Guys like that play constantly.

[Mike Neer]

I believe that certain folks have a genetically gifted nervous system that allows them, with the same amount of practice as others, to achieve superior results but the real equation is time over desire, I think. Barney Kessell claimed to have missed only a few days of practice out of his entire playing career. I'm sure Jerry was so determined to play that he put in thousands of hours of practice well before he ever played in public.

Andy, I agree 100% with the first sentence of this. If you would like further insight into the central nervous system and its role in piano playing, George Kochevitsky wrote a fantastic book many years ago called The Art of Piano Playing. The book is very scientific, but it is so interesting in describing the evolution of piano technique since the invention of the pianoforte and the different schools of thought through the centuries. But the main point is that in order for the nerves and muscles to be able to execute difficult passages, the ear must be able to hear or anticipate the note. This is the one skill that all great musicians have.

I've been doing a lot of research on building right hand technique for steel, which I want to write about at length at some point, because I have been unable to articulate some of the experiences that I have been having until I revisited Mr. Kochevitsky's book.

[Jamie Mitchell]

Mike, I'll be first in line to buy that book!

[Jamie Mitchell]

Also, Raphael McGregor does quite fast tremolo picking with his thumb, and no pick...

[Jerome Hawkes]

my theory (fwiw) is that one must start as a child or in that tween development stage when the brain and muscles are growing and able to absorb freely. i have no scientific evidence, only my own struggle to play violin in my early 20's...i worked hard at it and got "ok" but i was "upset" by younger students who had been playing the same time as me - oh, i could use my "educated" ear and knowledge to get around, but i noticed the fine motor skills were much harder on me - i had a fully developed adult sized hand that had never been twisted and contorted so much....not to mention the torture of the sound of fighting cats as i learned the bowing. which brings up the other point that adults are impatient far more than kids - a kid will sit for hours and bang out 1 think over and over, it can sound awful as i'm sure you can imagine - adults dont have this, if they dont see satisfaction progress they give up. they say - i'm not cut out for this and give up. kids just plow thru it warts and all til they lose interest..or finally develop it.

if you read JBs autobiography, some great clues are in there to his early development. one of the most overlooked is the fact that Ron Dearth(sp?) sold him the famous Ric bakelite on credit for his handwritten transcriptions of the popular hawaiian tunes of the day which he credited .50 cents each toward his balance...that would be well over 200 transcriptions!!! this is a BIG DEAL. whether JB never took a lesson from Ron or not - this "work" of JB, at 15-16 years, painstakingly transcribing off of 78 discs all the hot steel parts from the best players of that era is, IMO, why he became what he did....along with his deeply held belief that he was meant to play the steel - it was his calling in life - his main purpose. add those up and you have a perfect storm.
he recounts another story in the book from his early years where he was challenged by a returning Navy vet to play any hawaiian song he called for $1 a pop - JB says he took every dollar that sailor had (over $20) - he had "tied to the wrong cat"

The Art of Piano Playing is a great book - i've read the relevant chapters as they are applicable to any fine motor skill....though i've no doubt forgot it by now..
its amazing how much pedagogy is available for the "classical" instruments going back 2 centuries.

[Orville Johnson]

"But the main point is that in order for the nerves and muscles to be able to execute difficult passages, the ear must be able to hear or anticipate the note. This is the one skill that all great musicians have."

This is such a critical point that is so hard to elucidate and get across to students. Another is the idea that tone is a concept that originates in your mind, not your hands, and not something that is a result of your picks, guitars, amps, etc.

[Liz Williams]

I love this conversation. Another lens on this is in the research presented in The Talent Code, by Daniel Coyle. Which is essentially this: Deliberate, focused practice lays down layers of myelin around neural circuits in the brain, making them into information superhighways that fire faster. In this way, practice makes permanent and only perfect practice makes perfect.

It's changed the way I practice.