That Bouncing Right Hand

Jim Fogarty · From: Phila, Pa, USA

I'm mostly a pick blocker, with palm blocking occasionally, as needed.

But I see a lot of players with their RH bouncing up and down to mute, almost exclusively. Is that a standard technique that's taught somewhere? Is it what Newman teaches in "Right Hand Alpha"?

Just curious. It seems to wide-spread to just be players figuring it out on their own.

Advantages?

Thanks.

Ricky Davis · From: Bertram, Texas USA

I think there is an advantage and delivery of the few main picking styles. I also think it's important to work on those picking techniques; so when you need them, you can pull them off. Watch this solo I played 20 years ago in Holland..ha..and I start with palm blocking; then go right in to pick blocking; then into bouncing hand and on from there to twin Dale...It is ALL the hand technique can offer.
You can tell how fluid and the delivery of all techniques in the solo; is what makes the solo soooooo cool. Actually Lloyd Green heard it and said:

Dave Hopping · From: Aurora, Colorado

Once I learned how to "bounce-block", pick-blocking came easier. It started with doing harmonics with the heel of my right hand, and progressed from there.It all becomes muscle memory.

Kenneth Mennen · From: Wisconsin, USA

HI Jim - I started playing almost exactly three years ago, and I started out learning to pick block. I got pretty good at it I thought, but I always had "chinking" sounds as I blocked, and this drove me nuts when I started to record. So, fast forward to the start of the pandemic, where I was working from home 100% of the time (and still am), and I decided It'd be a good time to try Jeff Newman's Right Hand Alpha - best decision I could have made. Humbling at first for sure, and believe it or not, I'm still working on it! Unlearning old habits is slow going, but trust me, it's well worth the effort. I'm faster by far, and way cleaner in blocking both picking (bouncing, etc.), and also how I handle all my grips. NO "chinking"! Just one man's opinion of course...

Ken
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Jeff Garden · From: Center Sandwich, New Hampshire, USA

I'd classify Buddy Cage as a "bouncer" too - check out his break at 2:25 on Hello Mary Lou https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qFD7Ltn5TF8

George Biner · From: Los Angeles, CA

I'm playing for three years, I've only done pick blocking, but I'm beginning to see that to play really fast, you will have to do some palm blocking.

In particular, in pick blocking, usually in the process of picking the next not, it just works out that you block the last note. Sometimes that's not true and you have to take special movement to block the last note -- and there's just no time for that special movement when playing really fast. Especially if you're double stopping.

So now I have to train myself to palm block -- actually I think a lot of folks do it with their rolled-under pinky instead of the palm. Like others, I would be curious the best way to learn this, also.
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Fred Treece · From: California, USA

There have been great players who appear to have employed one blocking technique or the other almost exclusively. I believe this is a misconception. As Ricky Davis implies, different circumstances allow (or require) different techniques, including left-hand involvement, sometimes in the span of a single 15-second solo.

Paul Franklin discusses â€œfingertipâ€ blocking in one of his blog posts. https://www.paulfranklinmethod.com/post/tackling-blocking

When palm blocking, I have been under the impression that the height of the â€œbounceâ€ should be minimized. Buddy Cage had a very aggressive up-tempo right hand attack. I think thatâ€™s why his blocking bounce seems so busy compared with other players (like the other Buddyâ€™s) whose pick hands almost seem to be at rest on the strings.

Gene Tani · From: Pac NW

This is the whole German TV studio clip from the New Riders, lots of closeups of Buddy Cage's bar hand also, lots of thumb blocking, bar tracking, tipping bar on nose:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MZWw87UgrwI
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Ian Rae · From: Redditch, England

It's good to hear a player as experienced as Ricky point out that you need to have both main styles. There are things you can't pick-block and things you can't palm-block, so it's no use expecting to do everything in your preferred way.

The "bouncing" style is simply what happens if you palm-block rapidly (unless I'm missing something) Smile

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Dale Foreman · From: Crowley Louisiana, USA

I absolutely agree with Ricky, you need to learn multiple ways to block. I use pick blocking when playing single note riffs and when using multiple grips I employ palm and pick.
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Donny Hinson · From: Glen Burnie, Md. U.S.A.

"Economy of movement" is a topic that players should study and become familiar with. While there are some good players that do exaggerated up and down wrist movements to block, I think most pros would advise trying to do the same task with smaller movements.

Mike DiAlesandro · From: Kent, Ohio

I agree with Lloyd, nice playing Ricky, that's a cool video clip... Smile

Steve Mueller · From: Cincinnati, Ohio, USA

Nice playing Ricky! And the "Hello Mary Lou" video is Buddy Cage at his best.
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Ian Rae · From: Redditch, England

Mark Dershaw · From: Arizona and Ohio

I'm a huge fan of Buddy Cage and have always strived, but never 100% accomplished his bright, bouncy blocking technique. Ricky is "on it" in the video clip he provided. Kudos man! I learned some things on the steel guitar when I was young, but never really felt like I was getting anywhere until I was able to take some lessons from Jeff Peterson in the late 70's. If he taught me anything, it was right hand technique. I'll be forever thankful for that.

Tom Quinn · Posted 5 Nov 2020 8:04 am

The Bounce. I figured it out 45 years ago when I realized that it was more the "up" and not the "down." In other words the resting position is with your palm on the strings and the hand is raised just enough to let a note ring out.

The really good pickers have a much more subtle move to their hands. I was taught that pick blocking tends to make clanky noises as the metal pick touches the strings. Obviously there are GREAT pickers who use pick blocking but I've stuck with palm blocking through the years, sorta like Ford vs. Chevy...
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Lynn Fargo · From: Fort Edward, NY

Dale Rottacker · From: Walla Walla Washington, USA

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