(ONYRD SKYNYRD Gimme 3 Steps Hybrid Picking FOR THE LEAD MELODY in “Gimme Three Steps,” guitarist Gary Rossington employs a useful right-hand technique known as hiybrid picking. By plucking cer- tain notes with his fingers while accenting others by picking them, Rossington pro- duces a crisp, percussive attack. Hybrid picking involves holding the pick between your index finger and thumb in order to free up the remaining digits to fin- gerpick a chord or riff. It enables you to take advantage of both flatpicking and fin- gerpicking techniques simultaneously or individually without setting the pick down (or dropping it on a sticky bar-room floor!) Figure 1, an excerpt from the song's intro, provides us with a great example of hybrid picking in action, Here, Rossington plucks the double-stops on the 2nd and 3rd strings in the first measure with his middle and ring fingers, while picking the B note on the 4th string. He then switches to straight flatpicking for the run in the next ‘measure, When playing this example, you should have the pick firmly grasped and ready to go before the second measure. Any shifting of the pick in your hand will most likely interrupt the riff’s rhythm, as the fh from plucking to flatpicking occurs in the space of an eighth note! If this tran- sition feels awkward, try practicing ita it~ tle slower, using a metronome or drum machine to keep steady time, For those who are not familiar with this type of fingerpicking, check out measures 48 and 49 (Fig. 2). When fingerpicking the double-stops in the first measure of Figure 2, you'll probably find it most comfortable touse your middle and ring fingers. The lit- tle finger should be avoided as its shorter reach will make it awkward to simultane- ously pluck both notes. Incidentally, this “plucking” motion is what gives the riffs in this song their distinctive quality. Realize that when you strum two or more strings, ‘you're actually picking them in succession. ‘The pick can only make contact with one string at a time, no matter how fast you strum! By plucking the doublestops with the fingers though, you achieve a more uni- fied sounding attack, similar to that pro- duced by playing a chord on a piano. Pulling or ‘snapping” the strings slightly ‘with your fingers will help you achieve the popping, percussive sound heard on the recording. Muting the strings with the right-hand fingertips after each attack will help keep the rhythms staccato (short and punctuated). In the second measure of Figure 2, I sug- ‘gest picking the note B (4th string/9th fret) in the second beat, This particular use of hybrid picking keeps the middle and ring fingers “assigned” to the 3rd and 2nd strings, rather than having them jump back and forth from these strings to the D string, Try applying this hybrid picking approach. to other double-stop riffs in “Gimme Three Steps” to economize right-hand movement and help improve your rhythm playing. Hybrid picking is a useful technique for any style of music. The combined use of both the fingers and the guitar pick lends to unique sound and playing feel al its own. Jeff Perrin BASS NOTES ‘Skynyrd bassist Leon Wilkerson plays with the conviction of a Tibetan monk and the finesse of a skilled surgeon. Combining a killer groove with an interesting part (prob- ably the two most important elements in bass playing), Wilkerson’s touch and feel are amazing. Coming from such strong ‘musical influences as the Memphis Stax/ ‘Volt and Muscle Shoals scenes, Wilkerson’s playing shows a true r&vb understanding and sensitivity. Of particular interest is Wilker- Wilkerson’s touch is the intangible ele- ‘ment that makes this song swing and ‘groove. If when playing this you don’t sound exactly like Leon, realize that it can take years to develop a confident, authori- {ative touch. However, there are some ways. to practice developing a great touch. Play ing along with records and learning the songs inside-out, playing ballads (slow tempos reveal many things) and scrutiniz~ ing the intensity with which your right hand, or picking hand, attgcks the strings, should help you see anoticeable difference in your touch relativity fast. 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