I use Gravity picks and pick at a fairly steep angle. It can result in so much chirp that I feel like a Disney princess with birds flying around my head while I play.
Matthew that’s why I like guitar players who have a “rawness” to their sound. Gary Moore was a ferocious picker and you can hear this in some of his lines Same with Jimmy Page-some might disagree with me but I like the chirp and fretouts In his fast lines😂
@@tombstoneharrystudios584 agreed! When I was young, listening to LZ taught me how to appreciate that live-rough sound. The end of the solo to heartbreaker still gets me. There’s like this little pause where the Bass and the guitar sort of “inhale” RIGHT before the vocals come back in. Omg. Fan. Fucking. Tastic!!!!
Yeah, love it, and notice it most when playing Eruption. Or any early Van Halen solo really. Another one I always remember from being a kid was Motley Crue, merry go round and round-a gnarly chirp on a low string. 😝🤘🏻🎸🇺🇸
I got into a disagreement with a friend from high school cuz I could hear the pick noise in AC/DC’s Thunderstruck and he, going from the video, thought it was all hammer-ons and pull-offs. I don’t care about the video, you can hear the pick noise!
Angus even said in an interview that when he came up with the part it was all hammer-ons/pull-offs but when they were recording the producer had him pick it to add more clarity.
There’s a lot of wonderful technique and personality in their composition. It’s almost like they’re the gateway death metal group. They’re very accessible.
Yeah, I've heard it. Yeah, it's annoying. Worse -- now I'll never be able to unhear this. I'm betting I'll hear this everywhere now that you pointed it out.
So, when Allan Holdsworth did his research (his goal was to make picked and unpicked note to sound the same) and finally chose the 1mm Dunlop to reduce the chirp and attack was, of course right and accurate. He was such a fine genius, it will take decades for the world to appreciate his genius and the depth of his discoveries and research: he did the same deep research about guitars, amps, effects, signal chain, recording equipment, recording technique and every other aspect of making music. Time will tell.
The flip side to this is that nylon abrades quickly, becoming scratchy. That’s not going to sound a lot like legato. But if you pick very lightly / not often, maybe he was able to limit the abrasion.
@@troygrady I suppose he used to change them frequently. Excuse me for the macabre quote, but when his daughter found him dead he had 6 picks in his pocket (she shared this story on Facebook and there was a picture of the picks, they looked all brand new)
1:25 that's quite a revelation after 30+ years of playing. I have of course noticed this phenomenon before, but I've never really "listened" to it. Quite amazing the things you've discovered Troy... thanks again for your wonderful teaching and ability.
The chirp has been the bane of my existence for over two years. I have to choose between a comfortable pick angle and no chirp.
Před 4 lety+7
Finally a video that goes in depth on an issue that I've had for years! This chirp sound has been bothering me for years. I've tried changing my picking technique so that the pick is flat against the string and it seemed to help, but I would still get a chirp on higher strings with faster alternate picking riffs. I finally gave up on trying to get rid of it since I assumed it was probably caused by my guitar tone, pickups, and bad picking technique. This video definitely gave me some more ideas to try and picks to test out. I really appreciate this video, you don't know how happy this made me. Hopefully I can finally take a huge step towards achieving the guitar sound I want.
I'm sure its been mentioned, but the amount of chirp is also directly related to how hard you squeeze the pick. ..probably due how the energy is distributed.
I think Mike Stern's technique of playing from the pickguard outward, using a large amount of surface area from either the edge or the flat face of the pick, does a great job of eliminating chirp. He also uses a thin or medium pick
Great explanation! Thank you so much. I've been using the Petrucci jazz 3 and thinking the chirping was an annoying digital artifact from my Kemper. Now switched to green Tortex T3 0.88 and have a good balance of brightness and greatly reduced chirping. Also now make an effort to reduce the pick angle during fast playing to further reduce chirping.
Thanks! After getting a epiphone hummingbird IBG, I was playing the other day and kept hearing a chirp and thought it was one of my smoke detectors or wireless doorbell, no amp. I thought i was losing my mind. I recorded a little on my phone and put headphones on for playback and there that chirp was! I dont remember which pick i was using. I normally use a dunlop .73 nylon or dunlop medium gel pick. Ive been playing over 40 years and just heard pick noises. After your demo, I have regained my sanity! Thanks soooo much!
An experienced players knows and uses all those small "noises" to make diferent sounds for expresion and dynamics. Its about "knowing" your sounds, and how to produce them when you want them. Thanks for this vid, a lotta players dont even hear/ recognize notes, much less such delicate influences, music is about waking your ears up and thinking faster than u play.
The chirp appeared in my acoustic playing a couple of weeks ago (but not my electric). It has gotten worse despite my changing strings, picks etc. I am so happy I found your video. I had the pick rotated too much and was catching the edge. Thank you.
For anything I want BRIGHT, like acoustic or EVH style riffage I use Dunlop Ultex 1.0mm picks and when I play in my heavy metal band I switch to Dunlop Tortex 1.0mm and Troy just explained this PERFECTLY! I myself didn't even know why. Thanks for this Troy!
Excellent exploration, Troy, thanks! I've never really cared for chirp at all, and after many years (and money) spent on far too many plectra, I've arrived at the humble Fender Heavy 351, a plectrum I'd scoffed at in younger days. Nice attack, great for strumming or picking at speed, and relatively low chirp. Love all your videos!
When I first started playing again after thirty years, this sound drove me bonkers. Everyone thought I was nuts, and had no idea what I was talking about. I was trying to find answers on Ultimate Guitar and one other person had posted a query about the same issue. No one had any answers for them. Now I use it when I need to, and avoid it when I don't, but to this day I call it 'picksqueak' like pipsqueak, probably to make it seem less annoying to myself. I use the John Petrucci Jazz III picks because they're nice and hard for higher speeds (and I need the extra help), and also bigger than the regular Jazz IIIs so they're easier to hold onto. My husband prefers the Ultex ones...the big yellow, standard-shaped picks. They grip nicely, but the so-called point is too round for me. I toss my picks when they get dull. He's more for rhythm playing, while I gravitate toward lead...unsurprisingly.
Thank you so much for this video! Over the years my taste in picks has changed and more recently I've started to hear so much chirp all the time playing high gain leads and it drove me CRAZY today to the point of trying to research the cause! Looks like I'll have to get some nylon picks to try out. I'll use them for recording at the least. I started on dunlop nylons back in the day, which now explains why I don't remember the chirp being such a problem before...
Don't lose heart, Brian May has used coins as picks for decades. When I saw ZZ Top Billy Gibbons was playing on 7 gauge strings and sounding articulate and great. Music will go on.
Chirp is the main reason I've stuck with the red jazz iii. It's the heaviest pick I've found that doesn't chirp for me. I've tried hundreds. Can't even listen to players that chirp anymore. It's all I hear. It's like touching a filling with a fork.
@@troygrady is nylon hard?? I need the hardest material. what is the hardest????? I posted my question here somewere with my explanation. we need a video on the hardest material pick for faster picking. faster than on the video.
@@troygrady What do you think of the dunlop flows? they make the 4.20 dank flow, not a joke actually a real flow pick. Best chirp in the game right now, better than nylons
My FAVORITE pick material is stainless steel .080", or thick, because it is SOOOO slick on the string, but it chirps TOO much, and I have to make them myself:) The compromise is the 3.0 mm Big Stubby:) Most picks are too soft and bind on the string, hurting your speed:) However, when your picking is optimal depth, which is in fact minimal depth, the chirp becomes a part of the note:)
So, we've not all been individually crazy hearing this stuff and then choosing our picks which noise was more pleasing in what ever we were playing at the time. We're collectively crazy. Good to know.
Chirpies, it's a canarial disease and the worst thing about it it's untweetable...unless you get a new pic. LOL Troy, you are the ultimate analyzer of the guitar and we love your videos. Just had to put the above joke in there.
The first time I ever heard/noticed chirp was when listening to Tony Iommi playing in Black Sabbath. Once I heard it, it was hard to un-hear it because I would notice it in a lot of their songs :D. It was kinda cool though too ;). Listen to "Thrill of It All" or "The Writt" and you'll notice it bigtime!
I first noticed this audio phenomenon when I bought Vinnie Moore's "Speed, Accuracy, and Articulation", way back in 1980-something, only I didn't call it the "chirp". I call it the "kiss" because it kinda sounds like the pick is kissing the string. The "chirp" Vinnie gets in that video? I won't buy a guitar unless it has THAT particular "chirp". Pinch harmonics are easier too.
was actually trying out the americana a little bit before watching this video and noticed how much i hated that sound it was making lol. now i know a little bit more.
I have actually never gotten these kinds of noises before, maybe I just wasn't doing it right haha. Still sounds like something i would like to try to get more common, because it sounds cool!
Interesting, Troy, your observation regarding cancelling out the pick chirp the closer you get to the pickup - watching Allan Holdsworth with Soft Machine cerca 1979?, when he still had his white SG Custom, you can clearly see him picking almost over the last fret - and of course this reflects in the warmth of his tone. It’s a shame you never invited Allan to participate before his passing, because he not only had a flawless legato technique, but was also phenomenally good at alternate picking. This can be heard on the acoustic guitar solo he recorded on the Bundles album with Soft Machine. I’d love to see a video of that!
I've always called it how "Clickly" a pic was. One of the reason I tend to always come back to nylon pics. Pics make a bigger difference in not only overall tone but how you play than I think most realize. I sometimes bring multiple style pics to shows with me if I'm not really sure what I want for the night. Also just ordered some Tusq pics from Graph tech, just being curious how this material is going to sound and feel.
ive always loved the chirp, it defines notes during fast runs. The best chirp pick by far is the new dunlop flows, the 2.0 is the sweet spot. More chirp than gravity picks. The Petrucci dunlops are 2nd place, and the ultex (milky clear color) 1.5 are a close 3rd.
If you want to hear the craziest chirping noise, go watch Van Halen live in Australia from 1998. When Eddie picks fast on the high E string, there is a big chirping sound.
I have been dealing with this issue, an I am only a beginner/intermediate player. Pick noise really bothers me, and I usually use a Medium (0.60-1.00) pick, usually a 351. I encountered this when playing without an amp, or when my amp was low. Because I have hand problems, I was looking to get a larger pick like the 355 or 346. The 355 is very noisy, even with a Medium thickness and made out of celluloid. The 346 is a lot quieter, but has a larger, more rounded tip (like a 351) than the 355, which has more of a Jazz III or 551 point. I found that grip wasn't exactly helped by size, and unless my hands are really bad that day, I will usually choose a Medium 351, that may have a textured surface or not. The Dunlop Big Stubby or Jazz Stubby seemed to help with holding on to the pick, and not getting fatigue or pain, but they were a bit more noisy with pick noise. My goal is, since I am mostly learning and playing Hendrix, were I need to play rhythm and lead both, that the Medium 351 is best for that. My other goal is not only to be able to hold on to the pick, but to be able to without pain, fatigue, an numbness. I did some experimenting, so what I found is that also I tried taking a paper hole punch and punching a hole or two, maybe three, in the center of the pick, and that helps a ton with grip. Using Hendrix and Frusciante as a template and starting point, I tried and experimented with the Fender 351 Medium Celluloid, and a Dunlop (orange) Tortex 0.60mm picks, and those led me to trying variants of those picks, like the Fender Mojo Medium Celluloid, Fender Medium Celluloid Wavelength, the former has a rubber sleeve over the end of the pick, and the latter has a debossed pattern on the pick. The Mojo increased grip by a large degree, but unfortunately you cannot use the round top of the pick which Hendrix and SRV did, and I find very useful, especially with playing Blues, Funk, and Rhythm in general. The Fender Wavelength is "debossed", not embossed, so the pattern is sunken into the surface and doesn't give as much grip as it would if it was embossed, IE raised off the surface of the pick. I ran into the same problem with a great product I liked a lot, called the "Pick Ninja", which is available on Amazon, and is not expensive, and the package comes with three pick holders, and you can put two picks in each holder, so you can have a thin on one side and a heavy on the other side. I did manage to come up with a work around for the problem of not being able to use the rounded top of the pick to pick with on the Pick Ninja, you just insert another pick point facing the middle of the pick grip. That problem solved, it did get in the way of using the picking technique of Hendrix which he apparently learned from Curtis Mayfield, where you place your index and thumb closer to the tip of the pick, and this not only allows you do dig in more, but it adds additional harmonics. The Pick Ninja can get in the way of this, along with the fact that if you pick in this fashion, you are no longer using the Pick Ninja for gripping, but just holding an extra pick if you have one in the Pick Ninja. So now on to the pick that Frusciante uses, the Orange Tortex 0.60mm. It has a little bit of a higher toned pick chirp than the Fender Medium Celluloid 351, it isn't to bad of an issue, but I found a fix for it anyway; one is to use the Dunlop Tortex Flow 0.60mm, which is a blend of Tortex and Nylon, and the other was to use a Dunlop Gator Grip 0.71mm light purple pick, as this is pretty close to the celluloid but with increased grip like the Tortex. I also found the Fender Tortuga picks, and the Medium thickness I found a little stiffer that I was wanting, so I got some in a thin thickness, and those worked pretty well also. The Nylon picks help also, both from Dunlop (regular and Maxgrip) and Fender, as well as Ernie Ball and D'andrea Brain picks from Snarling Dog. Another absolute winner is the Dunlop Gels, the Medium light (green) and the Medium(purple) Fun stuff!!!!
Did you ever hear "Flash of the Blade" by Iron Maiden? At about the 3 minute mark there is some serious pick chirping going on in that instrumental section. Cool though
I found the Fender Mediums by accident (were a gift, half a handful of them) and they immediately reduced the terrible scraping pitch at around 2800Hz that occured with heavy single note muted rhythm playing when using any of my JD Nylons (It occurs everywhere from 0.88 to 1.14 in different variations). I proceeded to do a little test as I noticed that the edges of the Fender mediums were completely soft and in one piece whereas the JD Nylons had a very pronounced scratchy edge. Originally I thought I liked that sound but in time it turned out it wasn't the scrapyness of the edge but rather the scraping of my playing angle and the material gripping itself. I then proceeded to file my JD Nylons smooth. They feel and play amazing now :)
During a Steve Vai's show I get his pick up. I used it on my guitar and I fell confortable on playing. I used other pickups some times but Steve Vai is better... for me of course!
Thank you so much for this video. I was going insane after recording a fast trem picked riff with this noise droning in the background. I’m going to try some nylons and re-track it to see if it is lessened along with the different picking patterns I picked up through your other video.
Nylon can chirp if you pick with the corner and it's a model that has rounded edges instead of beveled. I've been playing bass with a 1.5 mm max-grip, and I get plenty of chirp with it. The tone is like a chirpy version of the 2 mm gator grip.
Nice to see the bluechip pick. I've been using the same Bluechip TD100 for over 12 years now (mostly used on an acoustic with 12 gauge strings). Given I pick hard, theres hardly any wear (after the initial tip wear that causes the pick tip to better form to your picking movement/technique). Amazing the stuff was used on the space shuttle. I'll have to dig out the electric and check out its chirp-tastiness ..I guess you could use 'the chirp' as a tapped note. Getting high notes beyond the fretboard (treating the pick like an inverted fret) and extending arpeggios beyond the fretboard :).
What? No course on how to harmonize your chirps with each note??? ;) Awesome stuff, Troy! Always so inspirational. Makes me wonder if it was the particular "chirp" sound that Brian May got from the sixpence he used might have been another reason for using it. I actually find the chirp sound appealing.
@troygrady One thing not mentioned that I can tell, is the way you can "control" or slightly mitigate the chirp with the location on the string that you are picking on....either closer to the bridge or to the neck. Would love to hear @troygrady's opinion on that aspect of it.
I found it's not only the pick material but, the Angle of Attack is what leads to that type of characteristic. I used metal picks made from cymbal material and never had this issue. In the example above, it's the attack involving highly rounded / beveled pick edges of thicker picks that typically induce this to more or lesser degree. You could induce chirping by rotating a medium Fender pick so that the striking surface was the one sporting the larger radius. It does not catch the string but slides over the surface of the string. In the clean picking example in the 1:33 which is fantastic by the way, if one were to change the angle of the pick, (regardless of pick material used), this could be virtually eliminated via a change implemented to match the end use-application and / or , as some have already mentioned, by making a change in material type for those who cannot manage changing the AoA on the fly to factor that artifact out.
There's no way to get rid of the chirp with the Americana - it's rounded on all surfaces and the material is hard. There is simply no way to position it to eliminate the clicking, which is why we used it for that example of extreme chirpy-ness!
@@troygrady AH HA! "Rounded on all surfaces" - got ya there my friend / totally understand. Love your videos by the way. Top quality workmanship on compiling these things - they've been very helpful to say the least. CM
My left hand is as good as yours. No prob. Any time. May right hand is slower than your elbow!!! Man, you're the best! Oh, and chirps in studio while recording... Oh, my!
Excellent explanation! I'm not a guitar player, but I've wondered what that sound is on the solos from "Mr. Crowley" and Van Halen's "You Really Got Me." I assumed it was a deliberate effect (and maybe it was).
Great call. You're talking about the effect where you hit the string with the pick while a note is sounding, and stop the sound while also making that little chirp? Yep, that would be chirp!
I’ve been noticing and wondering about this for years! Fabulous explanation. I’m currently on a rabbit hole trying to figure out how to remove icepick type frequencies from my guitar amp. I’m tired of splitting my ears open. Just want a warm tone, man!
I tried a lot of picks, and casted one out of brass, like a 3mm chubby. The plucked tone is brilliant and has lots of overtones, but the chirp was unbearable loud. But if the position on the string was choosen right and the chirp blends in with the note, the effect is quite nice. Maybe training with the "chirpiest" pick could help almost eliminate that sound later with softer picks...It's a matter of how hard or soft you bang on the string right before the stroke...My favorite pick at the moment- .86mm Celulloid
Been playing with Ibanez Vai picks for almost a decade now. For the sake of comparison, I've tried several other material/profiles but this one feels like the ultimate pick with all-round best performance characteristics. Never paid attention to the chirpness though :)
It's been my experience that red Jazz llls, for acoustic guitar playing, produces just enough flex to "snap" off the string and give me the loudest output I could get. I find that Ultex 2.0 mm produces a compression effect which I don't always like (I prefer the ability to reach a high dynamic ceiling).
This has driven me nuts for the best part of a decade. Once i started recording it I'd hear it all over my leads, particularly on slower parts and if i noticed it I'd kind of focus on it and it would drive me nuts. A flatter pick attack gave me more of a sizzle which was worse. I like the feel of pointy, thick picks which doesn't help. I like the feel of the Dunlop Petrucci, but it chirps badly. I started using my fingers for slow parts. I used to use gator grips but they got hard to find. I think i need to find more of them. Can't stand the nylons, they start catching on a string.
I use Gravity picks and pick at a fairly steep angle. It can result in so much chirp that I feel like a Disney princess with birds flying around my head while I play.
😂... thats an awesome analogy!
You clearly have/had bad attack technique. Today I can't make a gravity pick chirp even at 3.0 mm. I am not rich, so can't tell about 4.0 and 6.0
I actually like chirp in fast runs. It’s part of why I like Paul Gilbert’s older stuff so much. The pick attack was brutal.
Matthew that’s why I like guitar players who have a “rawness” to their sound. Gary Moore was a ferocious picker and you can hear this in some of his lines
Same with Jimmy Page-some might disagree with me but I like the chirp and fretouts In his fast lines😂
Imagine Chuck Norris's pick attack
@@tombstoneharrystudios584 agreed! When I was young, listening to LZ taught me how to appreciate that live-rough sound. The end of the solo to heartbreaker still gets me. There’s like this little pause where the Bass and the guitar sort of “inhale” RIGHT before the vocals come back in. Omg. Fan. Fucking. Tastic!!!!
Tons of presence in the early Gilbert stuff. He even points this out in one of his 80s vids.
Yeah, love it, and notice it most when playing Eruption. Or any early Van Halen solo really. Another one I always remember from being a kid was Motley Crue, merry go round and round-a gnarly chirp on a low string. 😝🤘🏻🎸🇺🇸
Like I needed one more thing to obsess about. Damn it.
fr….(i was already obsessing about it 💀💀)
I got into a disagreement with a friend from high school cuz I could hear the pick noise in AC/DC’s Thunderstruck and he, going from the video, thought it was all hammer-ons and pull-offs. I don’t care about the video, you can hear the pick noise!
Yep. Been given shit before when I play it picked, sounds FAR better!
Actually early ac dc you can hear not only pick noises but left hand rest touching the strings and squeaky while they change hand positioning.
you can also see him picking in the live versions
Angus even said in an interview that when he came up with the part it was all hammer-ons/pull-offs but when they were recording the producer had him pick it to add more clarity.
I wouldn't be surprised if, in the studio, they removed strings or used other kinds of dampeners to get the sound.
NOOOOO. ... I can hear it *everywhere* now... you ruined my music listening experience. And improved my guitar playing. So it's ok.
LOOOOOOOL
It's actually quite desireable
Gojira actually uses chirping in their playing as an accent. Its awesome lol. Check out flying Wales towards the end
They have way better songs than flying whales lol
@@ATthemusician Did he say it was their best song?
Gojira songs are tough on the picking hand. You can have a song down pretty tight and still be flubbing every pick scrape lol
There’s a lot of wonderful technique and personality in their composition. It’s almost like they’re the gateway death metal group. They’re very accessible.
This is like the time I had the Fed EX logo arrow pointed out to me.
That is an awesome analogy. And it's one of the coolest logo "easter egg" designs ever.
well I'll be damn. lol
Negative space logos are awesome.
Yeah, I've heard it. Yeah, it's annoying. Worse -- now I'll never be able to unhear this. I'm betting I'll hear this everywhere now that you pointed it out.
Ha. Sorry!
Lol. I know that feeling.
I don't mind chirping though.
So, when Allan Holdsworth did his research (his goal was to make picked and unpicked note to sound the same) and finally chose the 1mm Dunlop to reduce the chirp and attack was, of course right and accurate.
He was such a fine genius, it will take decades for the world to appreciate his genius and the depth of his discoveries and research: he did the same deep research about guitars, amps, effects, signal chain, recording equipment, recording technique and every other aspect of making music.
Time will tell.
The flip side to this is that nylon abrades quickly, becoming scratchy. That’s not going to sound a lot like legato. But if you pick very lightly / not often, maybe he was able to limit the abrasion.
@@troygrady I suppose he used to change them frequently. Excuse me for the macabre quote, but when his daughter found him dead he had 6 picks in his pocket (she shared this story on Facebook and there was a picture of the picks, they looked all brand new)
@broomsterm come join his group on facebook, tons of invaluable infos in there, from people that were very close to him.
Not taking anything away from his amazing playing and musicianship, but why did his tone always sound thin and scratchy?
That depends on technique.
Some people seem to wear out common picks in a show.
While I can use the same one for many months and have minimal wear.
1:25 that's quite a revelation after 30+ years of playing. I have of course noticed this phenomenon before, but I've never really "listened" to it.
Quite amazing the things you've discovered Troy... thanks again for your wonderful teaching and ability.
Lee McDaid - Donegal 60fps agreed, this channel is like sportsscience for guitars.
The chirp has been the bane of my existence for over two years. I have to choose between a comfortable pick angle and no chirp.
Finally a video that goes in depth on an issue that I've had for years! This chirp sound has been bothering me for years. I've tried changing my picking technique so that the pick is flat against the string and it seemed to help, but I would still get a chirp on higher strings with faster alternate picking riffs. I finally gave up on trying to get rid of it since I assumed it was probably caused by my guitar tone, pickups, and bad picking technique. This video definitely gave me some more ideas to try and picks to test out. I really appreciate this video, you don't know how happy this made me. Hopefully I can finally take a huge step towards achieving the guitar sound I want.
What are your findings?
I'm sure its been mentioned, but the amount of chirp is also directly related to how hard you squeeze the pick. ..probably due how the energy is distributed.
I think Mike Stern's technique of playing from the pickguard outward, using a large amount of surface area from either the edge or the flat face of the pick, does a great job of eliminating chirp. He also uses a thin or medium pick
15:19 That melodic run ending in an open chord sounds so amazing!
Great video again Troy. Keep rocking brother 👍🏻
Great explanation! Thank you so much. I've been using the Petrucci jazz 3 and thinking the chirping was an annoying digital artifact from my Kemper. Now switched to green Tortex T3 0.88 and have a good balance of brightness and greatly reduced chirping. Also now make an effort to reduce the pick angle during fast playing to further reduce chirping.
Thanks! After getting a epiphone hummingbird IBG, I was playing the other day and kept hearing a chirp and thought it was one of my smoke detectors or wireless doorbell, no amp. I thought i was losing my mind. I recorded a little on my phone and put headphones on for playback and there that chirp was! I dont remember which pick i was using. I normally use a dunlop .73 nylon or dunlop medium gel pick. Ive been playing over 40 years and just heard pick noises. After your demo, I have regained my sanity! Thanks soooo much!
An experienced players knows and uses all those small "noises" to make diferent sounds for expresion and dynamics. Its about "knowing" your sounds, and how to produce them when you want them. Thanks for this vid, a lotta players dont even hear/ recognize notes, much less such delicate influences, music is about waking your ears up and thinking faster than u play.
The chirp appeared in my acoustic playing a couple of weeks ago (but not my electric). It has gotten worse despite my changing strings, picks etc. I am so happy I found your video. I had the pick rotated too much and was catching the edge. Thank you.
Deeply impressive research and explanations, way to go, never seen anyone come near this kind of helpfulness on the subject, thank you!
Black ultex jazz III til death, baybay!!
I love those and they last...I question if it’s ultem cause it sure doesn’t feel or look like it
@Aurora Borealis very, very chirpy.
i like the milky/clear Ultex Jazz III XL's. They are awesome, but you should try the Dunlop Flows if you like the ultex
For anything I want BRIGHT, like acoustic or EVH style riffage I use Dunlop Ultex 1.0mm picks and when I play in my heavy metal band I switch to Dunlop Tortex 1.0mm and Troy just explained this PERFECTLY! I myself didn't even know why. Thanks for this Troy!
Excellent exploration, Troy, thanks! I've never really cared for chirp at all, and after many years (and money) spent on far too many plectra, I've arrived at the humble Fender Heavy 351, a plectrum I'd scoffed at in younger days. Nice attack, great for strumming or picking at speed, and relatively low chirp. Love all your videos!
When I first started playing again after thirty years, this sound drove me bonkers. Everyone thought I was nuts, and had no idea what I was talking about. I was trying to find answers on Ultimate Guitar and one other person had posted a query about the same issue. No one had any answers for them. Now I use it when I need to, and avoid it when I don't, but to this day I call it 'picksqueak' like pipsqueak, probably to make it seem less annoying to myself. I use the John Petrucci Jazz III picks because they're nice and hard for higher speeds (and I need the extra help), and also bigger than the regular Jazz IIIs so they're easier to hold onto. My husband prefers the Ultex ones...the big yellow, standard-shaped picks. They grip nicely, but the so-called point is too round for me. I toss my picks when they get dull. He's more for rhythm playing, while I gravitate toward lead...unsurprisingly.
Thank you so much for this video! Over the years my taste in picks has changed and more recently I've started to hear so much chirp all the time playing high gain leads and it drove me CRAZY today to the point of trying to research the cause! Looks like I'll have to get some nylon picks to try out. I'll use them for recording at the least. I started on dunlop nylons back in the day, which now explains why I don't remember the chirp being such a problem before...
Don't lose heart, Brian May has used coins as picks for decades. When I saw ZZ Top Billy Gibbons was playing on 7 gauge strings and sounding articulate and great. Music will go on.
This is hands down the best explanation I have ever seen, and I searched a lot! I am heading to the website now 🎸
Chirp is the main reason I've stuck with the red jazz iii. It's the heaviest pick I've found that doesn't chirp for me. I've tried hundreds.
Can't even listen to players that chirp anymore. It's all I hear. It's like touching a filling with a fork.
It’s true the red nylons are a better chirp value
@@troygrady does it also depend on the pickups? Which are good pickups for a good chirp? Cheers chirp Roger 😊
@@troygrady is nylon hard?? I need the hardest material. what is the hardest????? I posted my question here somewere with my explanation. we need a video on the hardest material pick for faster picking. faster than on the video.
@@troygrady What do you think of the dunlop flows? they make the 4.20 dank flow, not a joke actually a real flow pick. Best chirp in the game right now, better than nylons
@@runnershigh7573 yes, alnico do not have as much chirp as a ceramic magnet.
I love these pick videos you’ve been doing! Keep it up! If you don’t, I may never find the right pick! Haha
I've been..... fretting about this for the last few weeks. Really pleased it's not just me!!
Thank you so much for this video. I hate the chirp so much and to find a video like this gives me great pick recommendations.
My FAVORITE pick material is stainless steel .080", or thick, because it is SOOOO slick on the string, but it chirps TOO much, and I have to make them myself:) The compromise is the 3.0 mm Big Stubby:) Most picks are too soft and bind on the string, hurting your speed:) However, when your picking is optimal depth, which is in fact minimal depth, the chirp becomes a part of the note:)
great study! thanks so much
Wow that chirpy chirp was sick dude! I’d listen to that all day! I think you just invented a new genre of music
Now I understand whats going on with gojira's guitar parts.
Sounds like harmonics realy
So, we've not all been individually crazy hearing this stuff and then choosing our picks which noise was more pleasing in what ever we were playing at the time. We're collectively crazy. Good to know.
very n depth, stuff i would have never thought of. i have been using some of this tech and it has improved my playing. thanks.
Most excellent video indeed! Thank you so much for such deep analysis into a chronic malady!
Chirpies, it's a canarial disease and the worst thing about it it's untweetable...unless you get a new pic. LOL
Troy, you are the ultimate analyzer of the guitar and we love your videos. Just had to put the above joke in there.
Man, your videos are top notch
The first time I ever heard/noticed chirp was when listening to Tony Iommi playing in Black Sabbath. Once I heard it, it was hard to un-hear it because I would notice it in a lot of their songs :D. It was kinda cool though too ;). Listen to "Thrill of It All" or "The Writt" and you'll notice it bigtime!
I first noticed this audio phenomenon when I bought Vinnie Moore's "Speed, Accuracy, and Articulation", way back in 1980-something, only I didn't call it the "chirp".
I call it the "kiss" because it kinda sounds like the pick is kissing the string.
The "chirp" Vinnie gets in that video? I won't buy a guitar unless it has THAT particular "chirp".
Pinch harmonics are easier too.
was actually trying out the americana a little bit before watching this video and noticed how much i hated that sound it was making lol. now i know a little bit more.
I have actually never gotten these kinds of noises before, maybe I just wasn't doing it right haha. Still sounds like something i would like to try to get more common, because it sounds cool!
Interesting, Troy, your observation regarding cancelling out the pick chirp the closer you get to the pickup - watching Allan Holdsworth with Soft Machine cerca 1979?, when he still had his white SG Custom, you can clearly see him picking almost over the last fret - and of course this reflects in the warmth of his tone. It’s a shame you never invited Allan to participate before his passing, because he not only had a flawless legato technique, but was also phenomenally good at alternate picking. This can be heard on the acoustic guitar solo he recorded on the Bundles album with Soft Machine. I’d love to see a video of that!
Holy shit someone explained this. Thank god.
This is so nerdy and I love it
I've always called it how "Clickly" a pic was. One of the reason I tend to always come back to nylon pics. Pics make a bigger difference in not only overall tone but how you play than I think most realize. I sometimes bring multiple style pics to shows with me if I'm not really sure what I want for the night. Also just ordered some Tusq pics from Graph tech, just being curious how this material is going to sound and feel.
Dan Nobles Same for me. I like the feel of many picks much better than the Dunlop nylon 0.73, but the chirp drives me mad, so I keep coming back
ive always loved the chirp, it defines notes during fast runs. The best chirp pick by far is the new dunlop flows, the 2.0 is the sweet spot. More chirp than gravity picks. The Petrucci dunlops are 2nd place, and the ultex (milky clear color) 1.5 are a close 3rd.
i started to hear this when i started using heavier picks.
Thanks Troy your videos are the best
Pretty sure Allan Holdsworth used the 1mm Nylons. Makes sense now because of the least amount of 'pick' sound
Great T shirt dude.... What a brilliant insight. Great video for sure.
amazing analysis as always!
I've been using regular 2.6mm Chicken Picks lately, and am pretty happy with them so far!
A lot of my chirping was due to a bad habit of resting the pick on the string. Changing the way I play made a big difference.
Can't watch now, but definitely later today.. I can't stand the chirp at times!
OK....thanks to Ben Eller for pointing to you. Super detail. I'm in!
Troy il tuo canale è fantastico, complimenti
If you want to hear the craziest chirping noise, go watch Van Halen live in Australia from 1998. When Eddie picks fast on the high E string, there is a big chirping sound.
@Aurora Borealis Nothing. It just sounded bad.
Yes I hear it often & it drives me nuts.
I have been dealing with this issue, an I am only a beginner/intermediate player. Pick noise really bothers me, and I usually use a Medium (0.60-1.00) pick, usually a 351. I encountered this when playing without an amp, or when my amp was low. Because I have hand problems, I was looking to get a larger pick like the 355 or 346. The 355 is very noisy, even with a Medium thickness and made out of celluloid. The 346 is a lot quieter, but has a larger, more rounded tip (like a 351) than the 355, which has more of a Jazz III or 551 point. I found that grip wasn't exactly helped by size, and unless my hands are really bad that day, I will usually choose a Medium 351, that may have a textured surface or not. The Dunlop Big Stubby or Jazz Stubby seemed to help with holding on to the pick, and not getting fatigue or pain, but they were a bit more noisy with pick noise. My goal is, since I am mostly learning and playing Hendrix, were I need to play rhythm and lead both, that the Medium 351 is best for that. My other goal is not only to be able to hold on to the pick, but to be able to without pain, fatigue, an numbness. I did some experimenting, so what I found is that also I tried taking a paper hole punch and punching a hole or two, maybe three, in the center of the pick, and that helps a ton with grip. Using Hendrix and Frusciante as a template and starting point, I tried and experimented with the Fender 351 Medium Celluloid, and a Dunlop (orange) Tortex 0.60mm picks, and those led me to trying variants of those picks, like the Fender Mojo Medium Celluloid, Fender Medium Celluloid Wavelength, the former has a rubber sleeve over the end of the pick, and the latter has a debossed pattern on the pick. The Mojo increased grip by a large degree, but unfortunately you cannot use the round top of the pick which Hendrix and SRV did, and I find very useful, especially with playing Blues, Funk, and Rhythm in general. The Fender Wavelength is "debossed", not embossed, so the pattern is sunken into the surface and doesn't give as much grip as it would if it was embossed, IE raised off the surface of the pick. I ran into the same problem with a great product I liked a lot, called the "Pick Ninja", which is available on Amazon, and is not expensive, and the package comes with three pick holders, and you can put two picks in each holder, so you can have a thin on one side and a heavy on the other side. I did manage to come up with a work around for the problem of not being able to use the rounded top of the pick to pick with on the Pick Ninja, you just insert another pick point facing the middle of the pick grip. That problem solved, it did get in the way of using the picking technique of Hendrix which he apparently learned from Curtis Mayfield, where you place your index and thumb closer to the tip of the pick, and this not only allows you do dig in more, but it adds additional harmonics. The Pick Ninja can get in the way of this, along with the fact that if you pick in this fashion, you are no longer using the Pick Ninja for gripping, but just holding an extra pick if you have one in the Pick Ninja. So now on to the pick that Frusciante uses, the Orange Tortex 0.60mm. It has a little bit of a higher toned pick chirp than the Fender Medium Celluloid 351, it isn't to bad of an issue, but I found a fix for it anyway; one is to use the Dunlop Tortex Flow 0.60mm, which is a blend of Tortex and Nylon, and the other was to use a Dunlop Gator Grip 0.71mm light purple pick, as this is pretty close to the celluloid but with increased grip like the Tortex. I also found the Fender Tortuga picks, and the Medium thickness I found a little stiffer that I was wanting, so I got some in a thin thickness, and those worked pretty well also. The Nylon picks help also, both from Dunlop (regular and Maxgrip) and Fender, as well as Ernie Ball and D'andrea Brain picks from Snarling Dog. Another absolute winner is the Dunlop Gels, the Medium light (green) and the Medium(purple)
Fun stuff!!!!
DID I JUST PLAY THAT? WAIT... I DID ...BUT HOW? I WATCH A TROY GRADY VIDEO AND IT MADE ME OVER ANALYZE THE GUITAR AND MY HAIR TURNED GRAY!!!!
Did you ever hear "Flash of the Blade" by Iron Maiden? At about the 3 minute mark there is some serious pick chirping going on in that instrumental section. Cool though
Good catch. Pretty obvious on the solo guitar intro too.
I found the Fender Mediums by accident (were a gift, half a handful of them) and they immediately reduced the terrible scraping pitch at around 2800Hz that occured with heavy single note muted rhythm playing when using any of my JD Nylons (It occurs everywhere from 0.88 to 1.14 in different variations).
I proceeded to do a little test as I noticed that the edges of the Fender mediums were completely soft and in one piece whereas the JD Nylons had a very pronounced scratchy edge. Originally I thought I liked that sound but in time it turned out it wasn't the scrapyness of the edge but rather the scraping of my playing angle and the material gripping itself. I then proceeded to file my JD Nylons smooth. They feel and play amazing now :)
During a Steve Vai's show I get his pick up. I used it on my guitar and I fell confortable on playing. I used other pickups some times but Steve Vai is better... for me of course!
i actually want this sound. The intro to A New Level by Pantera uses this intentionally
Thank you so much for this video. I was going insane after recording a fast trem picked riff with this noise droning in the background. I’m going to try some nylons and re-track it to see if it is lessened along with the different picking patterns I picked up through your other video.
Hate da chirp!
Ah man i was really enjoying the intro too.
Nylon can chirp if you pick with the corner and it's a model that has rounded edges instead of beveled. I've been playing bass with a 1.5 mm max-grip, and I get plenty of chirp with it. The tone is like a chirpy version of the 2 mm gator grip.
Nice to see the bluechip pick. I've been using the same Bluechip TD100 for over 12 years now (mostly used on an acoustic with 12 gauge strings). Given I pick hard, theres hardly any wear (after the initial tip wear that causes the pick tip to better form to your picking movement/technique). Amazing the stuff was used on the space shuttle.
I'll have to dig out the electric and check out its chirp-tastiness ..I guess you could use 'the chirp' as a tapped note. Getting high notes beyond the fretboard (treating the pick like an inverted fret) and extending arpeggios beyond the fretboard :).
Dava Control picks, the very first run of the original green ones FTW
Try using a coin or metal pick, and you will definitely notice the chirp. I like hard picks and my bandmates can sometimes notice the chirp.
Metal picks are crazy chirpy. Not my thing but I can see the appeal if you want that attack.
Just so happens the Dunlop Nylon 1mm has been my go to for years without thinking much about the chirp!
I'd love to see you talk about string gauges, materials and brands too...
I used to do as much legato as possible to avoid this.
I even got into this kind of no-picking sweep picking.
And it's beautiful
This was freaking sweet info!
What? No course on how to harmonize your chirps with each note??? ;) Awesome stuff, Troy! Always so inspirational. Makes me wonder if it was the particular "chirp" sound that Brian May got from the sixpence he used might have been another reason for using it. I actually find the chirp sound appealing.
The chirp is the reason why I love alternate picking.
Lol
Great as always
@troygrady One thing not mentioned that I can tell, is the way you can "control" or slightly mitigate the chirp with the location on the string that you are picking on....either closer to the bridge or to the neck. Would love to hear @troygrady's opinion on that aspect of it.
I found it's not only the pick material but, the Angle of Attack is what leads to that type of characteristic. I used metal picks made from cymbal material and never had this issue. In the example above, it's the attack involving highly rounded / beveled pick edges of thicker picks that typically induce this to more or lesser degree. You could induce chirping by rotating a medium Fender pick so that the striking surface was the one sporting the larger radius. It does not catch the string but slides over the surface of the string. In the clean picking example in the 1:33 which is fantastic by the way, if one were to change the angle of the pick, (regardless of pick material used), this could be virtually eliminated via a change implemented to match the end use-application and / or , as some have already mentioned, by making a change in material type for those who cannot manage changing the AoA on the fly to factor that artifact out.
There's no way to get rid of the chirp with the Americana - it's rounded on all surfaces and the material is hard. There is simply no way to position it to eliminate the clicking, which is why we used it for that example of extreme chirpy-ness!
@@troygrady AH HA! "Rounded on all surfaces" - got ya there my friend / totally understand. Love your videos by the way. Top quality workmanship on compiling these things - they've been very helpful to say the least.
CM
Chirp is like Tuvan throat singing. Multiple notes at the same time. It can actually be somewhat musical and additive depending on where you pick.
My left hand is as good as yours. No prob. Any time. May right hand is slower than your elbow!!! Man, you're the best! Oh, and chirps in studio while recording... Oh, my!
Excellent explanation! I'm not a guitar player, but I've wondered what that sound is on the solos from "Mr. Crowley" and Van Halen's "You Really Got Me." I assumed it was a deliberate effect (and maybe it was).
Great call. You're talking about the effect where you hit the string with the pick while a note is sounding, and stop the sound while also making that little chirp? Yep, that would be chirp!
@@troygrady Probably? It's at ~3:15 in Eruption/You Really Got Me, and around 2:21 in Mr. Crowley. Thanks for the reply!
I’ve been noticing and wondering about this for years! Fabulous explanation. I’m currently on a rabbit hole trying to figure out how to remove icepick type frequencies from my guitar amp. I’m tired of splitting my ears open. Just want a warm tone, man!
I tried a lot of picks, and casted one out of brass, like a 3mm chubby. The plucked tone is brilliant and has lots of overtones, but the chirp was unbearable loud. But if the position on the string was choosen right and the chirp blends in with the note, the effect is quite nice. Maybe training with the "chirpiest" pick could help almost eliminate that sound later with softer picks...It's a matter of how hard or soft you bang on the string right before the stroke...My favorite pick at the moment- .86mm Celulloid
I love the chirp sound.
Been playing with Ibanez Vai picks for almost a decade now. For the sake of comparison, I've tried several other material/profiles but this one feels like the ultimate pick with all-round best performance characteristics. Never paid attention to the chirpness though :)
Thanks for the great video!
It's been my experience that red Jazz llls, for acoustic guitar playing, produces just enough flex to "snap" off the string and give me the loudest output I could get. I find that Ultex 2.0 mm produces a compression effect which I don't always like (I prefer the ability to reach a high dynamic ceiling).
Another great vid from Mr. Grady.
But maybe a bit less background music when comparing chirps? I found it made them a lot harder to hear.
What a great engineer of the guitar you are Troy. Amazing! Thank you for your truly interesting and entertainment work again and always.
You are the messias of the pick!!
Chirp or pick/ plectrum harmonic? You decide! Annoying or pleasing! Plastic/ nylon/ wood/ select your noise! Peace✌🏻️😎✌🏻
My chirping is awful. I’ve been using those Pertucci Black picks. I’m going to try the Eric Johnson (jazz 3) and one of the others you demoed.
This has driven me nuts for the best part of a decade. Once i started recording it I'd hear it all over my leads, particularly on slower parts and if i noticed it I'd kind of focus on it and it would drive me nuts.
A flatter pick attack gave me more of a sizzle which was worse. I like the feel of pointy, thick picks which doesn't help. I like the feel of the Dunlop Petrucci, but it chirps badly. I started using my fingers for slow parts. I used to use gator grips but they got hard to find. I think i need to find more of them. Can't stand the nylons, they start catching on a string.
The modern rage for super heavy gauge pointy picks made of hard material only ends in one place - chirp!
Led Zep. Moby Dick. That riff is chirping like crazy.