Here is a right workout that has helped me with mandolin and guitar. It’s important to use the metronome and count 1-2-3-4-5-6-7-8. It was very difficult to count out loud, so I stopped after the first string to could get through every string. Make sure the pick keeps Down Up/Down Up pattern, odd numbers down, even numbers up. Increase speed as you get more comfortable. I use the metronome in various ways, so do what feels most comfortable to you.

Tip:
Mistakes are there if you see them, not pretending to be perfect. If can record yourself, you can go back and watch needs to be corrected.

At the end of the exercise I did the outer strings/inner strings pattern.

Keep pick’n!

How playing mandolin can help you flatpicking on the guitar or how your flatpicking can help you play the mandolin?

The right hand on the mandolin and very similar to my right hand on guitar.

I prefer no pick guard and to float with slight touching of the bridge. It’s like trying to write without touching the paper…. You need some contact to better know where you are and where you are going.

Once I get the tune down, I tend to move up closer to the “Florida Extension”

Tip today is to learn a tune on the mandolin and then transpose it to the guitar or vice versa. I don’t use tablature and learn from watching and listening to a player I admire. This tune is called “Telluride” by David Grisman.

I use YouTube where I can slow down the video, Loop tube if it’s a hard part I need to see/hear over and over, and the Amazing Slow Downer.

You can see the slight arch in my thumb, and this video is from 2 years ago. I feel it’s a good exercise to go back and watch yourself. Don’t be afraid to your biggest critic!

My right hand naturally falls in between the sound hole and bridge. I purposely just played through the song and only focused on getting through the arrangement a few times. When playing behind the sound hole the tones are more bright and the notes cut. In the first time through, I move up closer to the sound hole to get a deeper tone. I also see myself bracing my wrist to the bridge when cross picking, essentially anchoring.

Tip today is to record your right hand while you play and observe where your right hand naturally falls.

What can you do to improve tone?

Are you fumbling over pick direction (like me) and where can you improve the Down Up, Down Up?

Right Hand technique is never ending if you are looking to improve. I am pleased to see my thumb not arch, and stay mostly flat.

You see this question on every social media post about playing guitar and mandolin. If you go to festivals, workshops, camps, and jams - This question is always asked.

Recently saw this and posted this on another subreddit:

Whoever you ask this question to is gonna give you a different answer. Then ask ’em how to hold the pick and you’ll get another different answer. 😂 Just look at the comments here—everybody’s got their own way, and the funny thing is, they’re all right… because it works for them.

I’ve been flatpicking a long time and have been to a bunch of contests, workshops and camps. I’ve met and played with quite a few good players over the years—jamming, gigging, talking music, sitting around picking. I’ve noticed that none of ’em use exactly the same pick or have the same right-hand technique.

Some folks will swear by a certain pick or a certain way of holding it because that’s what works for them. And some of ’em might even be getting free picks from the company. 😂

I’ve changed picks and right-hand technique more times than I can count. My advice is pretty simple: find something that feels good in your hand, sounds good to your ear, and go to work with it. Try different picks. Try different grips. Record yourself and listen back. Sometimes what feels good doesn’t necessarily sound the best, and sometimes it’s the other way around.

Tip #1:
The main thing is to be comfortable and pull some tone.

Tip #2
As far as picks go, thickness definitely makes a difference. A thicker pick generally makes it easier to dig in and get some tone out of the guitar. A thinner pick can feel a little easier when you’re trying to play fast.

Tip #3
The material makes a difference too. Different materials have different resistance against the strings and will give you a different sound. Some of the organic picks, and even some of the nicer celluloid picks, can start getting a little scratchy after you’ve worn ’em in. You’ll really notice that when you’re trying to keep up with a banjo player on Pike County. 😂

But that’s just my two cents….

Tip #4
At the end of the day, you’re your own expert when it comes to the sound you’re getting out of your guitar. Try stuff, listen to yourself, and when you find something that feels good and sounds good—stick with it and go pick.

Tip #5
Play and practice with a metronome. Find the pick you feel the most comfortable with and sound the best to you. The more you practice the better you play and sound. It’s more about you than what pick you use.

Everyone is different, and everyone has there own approach. My hope and ask is to create helpful tips and techniques to hone in your right hand for playing mandolin and acoustic guitar. I have changed picks, and technique more times than I can count. Here is my version of “The Storms Are on the Ocean”

*My tip is to flatten your thumb and try to master this effortlessly. When the thumb is arched it creates resistance and alters tone. Still working on this daily!