Homespun

Hybrid picking is a versatile technique that combines the power of a flatpick with the intricacy of fingerpicking. The pick plays strong bass and rhythm notes while your middle and ring fingers pick out arpeggios, harmonies and melodies. This style of picking can be applied to many musical genres and is used by numerous well-known players. 

Zak Hobbs has learned this technique directly from his grandfather, guitar hero Richard Thompson, who uses it for most of his song arrangements. He explores it in close-up detail, focusing on getting the right sounds with your pick-and-fingers approach. Zak demystifies hybrid picking, breaking it down to its essential elements to enhance your overall guitar musicianship. 

You’ll learn the best picking hand positions, along with exercises and technique-builders (palm muting, arpeggios, syncopated hammer-ons and pull-offs, maintaining a steady bass) that will help you develop the finer points of this style. Zak zeroes in on some of the ways Richard uses it in his songs, making this a perfect companion lesson to his very popular “Iconic Songs of Richard Thompson” series.

So pick up your flatpick, and expand your picking horizons with this exciting technique. It will be time well spent!