Pick scrapes? Who here does em? Im terrible.

[bsman]

I only rarely use picks, so haven’t done this much and each time I try I am disappointed…

 

[dasherf17]

They are the guitar style and technique that everyone else hates about me so, yeah.

Practice practice practice. It's like windmills and throwing it over yer shoulder. No amount of advice is going to help, you just have to do it.

I will suggest keeping your hand in front of the pick, drag it along on an angle. Sure, it beats them up, but it's for your art. Man.

rct

Just keep new ones taped to yer micstand...you'll be good!

 

[Alex_C]

Start slow & use old picks.

 

[Old Picker]

Use the rounded corners on the butt end of the pick, not the pointy end. And don't go too fast.

Then when you use the rounded end after "messing it up" to strum or play a solo, you get an extra raspy tone.

Thank me later.

 

[stratocarlster]

Is there any song ever that the crowd looks forward to the pick scrape?

Maybe that one Gunners song... Can't recall which one.

 

[eclecticsynergy]

I used to do them a lot back in the 80s. I was using heavy picks back then.
Unlike others I don't find them as natural with the medium picks I use now.
I tend to push, rather than drag. Maybe that's the problem.
But it's a sound I use only rarely these days.

 

[alainvey]

Sounds ridiculous, I know. We sometimes cover songs with pick scrapes and if there is one thing I botch every time.......

They seem to ruin picks too so, theres that.

Advice? Thoughts? You do em?

This is probably the thing I most wanted to do when taking up the instrument. I was very into punk and the Buffy theme tune.

I was disappointed with the results I got with the ‘drive’ on my Squier SP-10 amp.

I recall having a wide selection of picks, all with deep grooves along the edges from doing this.

Not something I do these days.

 

[Andrew Wasson]

I do them on a few songs with my old band. Nothing over the top, just leading from one place to another either leaving a solo into the verses or from the chorus or bridge to a solo. Timing is everything. You have to exit the scrape into wherever you're going with enough time to hit the next note or chord on time. Also, as others have mentioned, use the rounded edge or the flat side at an angle to the string so that it doesn't get caught up on the string. Practice makes perfect.

 

[Derrick]

who did the first pick scrape? hmmmmm

Is there any song ever that the crowd looks forward to the pick scrape?

AC/DC - Highway To Hell

 

[Hazard Nova]

I was in a band with a guitarist who could do really good pick scrapes (he was in general just a very talented guitarist). I regret not watching closer; none of the songs I play call for them but it's one of those things I'd love to be able to have in my back pocket. I can't even remember if you're supposed to mute the strings with your left hand while you scrape with your right.