XPick History & Tutorial N.1 – E. Violin (Infinite Sustain), Octaver, Slide, Pick’s Attack, TapPick
Fifty years from now, after judgment day, the machines took over and exterminated almost all of us! Small units of survivors relentlessly tried to find a method to fight … They were too powerful !! Exactly as Elon Musk said, but we didn’t listen to him … it was he, with the last remaining brilliant minds who noticed that a triple 8 (robot) could be exploded with high frequencies at high intensity causing their mechanics to resonate! This discovery brought on the battlefield infinite ranks of violinists, commanded by Colonel Yoyoma and Marshals Garrett and Stirling … who took home many victories but … you know … the violinists are too fragile and succumbed.
The only one capable of emitting those frequencies, and our only line of defense at the time, was Senator Carey But she could not do it all by herself. They tried to find a solution, many high-level guitarists tried to do everything possible Jeff Bezos and his staff were studying how to do this in his old SpaceMazon Laboratory, initially built to SHOOT packages directly to the people’s homes from space, and later closed for an accident with a guy who bought … … a Washing Machine! Here is Shipping Day … A Washing-Meteor, has destroyed half of Los Angeles … here in my time, it is only called ‘ANGELES! Anyway, they understood that you could get a rather squeaky sound even with the electric guitar, playing with pieces of metal, with slides, with coins, but the sound produced was also made up of too much noise! It was so confusing and dirty because by raising the gain, the noise of the rubbing on the string was also amplified exponentially, which outclassed the tone, since one was forced to press on the string! Almost all hope was lost when one day, a stranger …
Created the … X-PICK! It is said that he was an alien, who came to help us from the most future of the future… He came from such a future, so future, that the word future was not yet fully formed … Basically, he came from the Fu … Be that as it may, we finally had our latest weapon! From that moment the world changed radically … The Magnetic Force of the X-Pick, by rubbing it gently on the string, without pressing, was able to attract the string to itself, and to make it vibrate at maximum amplitude, to have the most ringing sound and perfect as possible! Its inventor from the Fu explained to us that the magnetism for the X-Pick is the analog of the resin for the bow of a violin! And it was all true! If you try to play the violin without the resin on the bow, it will only produce noise because the string will vibrate very little … And it was the same comparison between normal metals and the magnetic X-Pick …
This invention was capable of transforming an electric guitar practically into an Atomic Magnetic Cannon for high frequencies, and this brought all the most badass guitarists to the top of the armies … The Government contracted Marshall, Fender, and Vox, to build the greatest walls of sound ever seen before under the supervision of Admiral Renzo Piano, and hired the highest authorities in the sector. Major Vai, and Colonels Satriani and Moore, were in charge of the attack strategy together with the new president of the United States: Tommy Emmanuel … The bass players found their place in battle on the front line because we noticed that the machines could be weakened by low pulsed frequencies before the final hits of the guitarists …
These units, took the name of attack slappers, with their commanders: Pilichowsky, Wooten, Berthoud, and 504, but we will see it better, in the second part … The new promises of guitar that you follow on YouTube today, and specifically THEDOOO, PAUL DAVIS, ROB SCALLON, SAMURAI GUITARIST, TAYLER LARSON, and many others, became the HEROES of HUMANITY … and the UNDISPUTED MASTERS of these New X Pick Techniques. Their troops wiped out more than half of the machine’s armies in a few months! Subscribe now to this and their channels,
because one day these guys WILL SAVE YOUR LIFE! Were created various tutorials to train the new guitar troops … And what you are about to see is the last survivor of those tutorials, which we have recovered in VHS and sent back in time so that you all can learn how to fight with the X-Pick! … Hey man! … What the hell are you talking about ??? Who are you? … Who let you in? You’ve been talking for half an hour, just saying bullshits! Now shut up, please! Yes Sir! Sorry, Sir! Hello everyone from the X Pick Staff …
In this Tutorial, we’ll introduce 4 of the outstanding techniques of this innovative Pick: Electric Violin, Octaver, Slide, and tap pick! Also going into detail on what happens when we use this object at an electromagnetic, magnetic, and acoustic level … Let’s start by remembering that every sound that comes out of your guitar or bass is the result of a set of electronic processes designed to modulate the electromagnetic fields of the pickups of your instrument, based on the vibration given to the strings … So essentially, this is translated in: “If I modify or interrupt an electromagnetic field, while the strings vibrate, I obtain a parallel modification of the output sound!” And of course, we all know that getting this modulation is possible in a variety of ways, including your amp’s EQ, gain, guitar knobs, pickup-to-string spacing, effects pedals, software adjustments, and more … But there are also 2 other methods, which are more analog: The ELECTROMAGNETIC INTERACTION making a string vibrate through electromagnetic fields, a technique that was introduced by the E-Bow, to obtain a violin-style sound, with an exceptional FADE-IN, which give you softness … And then there is the MAGNETIC INTERACTION, which is the one that uses the X-Pick …
That is, the interactions between iron strings and/or electromagnetic fields of the instrument’s pickups, with the magnetic ones of the pick itself … In this tutorial, we will see the interaction between pick and string, while in the next we will talk about the interaction with electromagnetic pickups … In other words, with the X-Pick, we get a different sound for each position and interaction, between the Pick and the Pickups of the instrument or with the strings. And this, opens up a new world of creativity available to the artist, because being able to change the electromagnetic field in real-time when it comes to electric instruments, means HAVING TOTAL CONTROL … Guys, remember that the more time you waste setting up the instrumentation, the more you will benefit from it in the final sound and above all in the cleanliness of the sound … To begin, it would be advisable to bring the TREBLE pickup as close as possible to the strings and move the RHYTHM pickup away, and this is because for this type of technique, we mainly use the treble pickup, but also to dampen the attraction that the rhythm pickup has with the X-Pick, to obtain a more homogeneous sliding on the strings, in the notes right above that pickup …
Furthermore, we have created and made available in the description, freely downloadable, The Continuum of the Guitar Fretboard, printable and applicable on all guitars, with 22 and 24 frets … logically, each guitar has different octave settings, so it will not be precise to the millimeter, but we will certainly have a few more references to start understanding where the notes are over there, because guys, with this pick you will gain more than an octave on each string of playable notes.
No no, please. make me repeat !! here we go … With the “X-Pick”, you will gain more than one octave on each string of playable notes … Ok, happy? now shut up! And therefore: – print it on an a4 sheet … (without retouching the dimensions, and without automatic adaptations), – you have to carefully cut out … – use small strips of adhesive or double-sided tape, and stick it first on the wooden space after the last fret (in this way) and then, spreading it, also on the treble pickup. Note that we will never be able to make the notes sound right above the treble pickup, because the piece of string that will have to vibrate is too short, and you will only hear the confusion of magnetic fields due to too much proximity. In addition, two words should be devoted, to choosing the best strings to maximize this type of effect… All types of strings are fine, but if you want to get the most out of it, you should opt for: … the 3 thin strings, E – B – G, a mixture of highly reactive material to magnetic fields; from our numerous tests, we have noticed a particular emphasis of these effects, using cobalt strings, but the classic nickel strings are also fine …
And as for the thickness, just remember that the string vibrates better if it’s thinner, it’s true; but if it’s thicker it sounds louder … So it just depends on your style … Instead, speaking of the last 3 strings: D – A – E, it would be advisable to opt for strings that are not overly thick in diameter, and this always to try to help the execution, dampening the magnetic attraction with the X-Pick Ok, let’s analyze how to proceed to obtain this infinite and so ringing sound … When using the X-Pick, and in particular with this type of technique, the more you press on the string, the more it will NOT play … It’s quite the opposite … When I approach the string with the side part of the pick, the string will be affected by the magnetism, so you should not press it, but rub it as gently as possible, letting the magnetic fields act which will attract the string and make it vibrate automatically …
As you have just heard, another wonderful thing that you will be able to do is also create a wonderful FADE IN or FADE OUT in the note, based on the movement and pressure exerted, making a small circle with the pick on the string. You have to make the magnetic fields act exactly like the bow of a violin. For the construction of the sound you heard, and to be able to make the most of the violin-style dynamics, we used a little compressor, and very little distortion as you can see, similar EQs both on the virtual amplifier output, and in the effects chain, always with: open highs … and few lows, to limit background noise … We also used a Gate, which perfectly combines with the magnetism of the pick, just to create the fade in or fade out, and then chorus, delay, and reverb according to your tastes …
If, on the other hand, you want to sacrifice dynamics a little, for a brighter and more powerful sound, turn up the gain and presence in this way, but remember that the more gain you put into it, the more you will have to limit the rubbing on the string to have a clean sound … Hello? Oh Liv, How are you? … Guys, excuse me a minute … how is your dad? … nice … I am here in the studio in San Francisco … Ah … ok … he’s gone … But we keep going … And so we were saying… … by raising the gain, presence, and high frequencies, you will be able to use your weapon at MAXIMUM POWER! Guys, for the sound to continue indefinitely, the string must practically resonate, but the movement must ALWAYS BE PRESENT and as LIMITED AS POSSIBLE, if you want to get a clean sound …
And so in this way, we have seen how it is possible to use the pick to have the sound of an Atomic Electric Violin and save the future of the entire human race! Hey! You again! Stop it! And go f*** yourself out of here now … BUT … Now! … OK … So … Sorry for the interruption … We were saying that it is also possible to use the X-Pick as an OCTAVER … When we slide on the string, it is not we, who will have to follow the string, but it will be the pick itself thanks to its magnetism; we just have to accompany it to the desired note … It is possible to use it as a SLIDE with the RIGHT HAND, finally leaving the left free to put chords … … and this is also one of the reasons that give the futuristic shape of this pick, because from the rounded side part, it is possible to be able to take 3 strings simultaneously, with the back of the pick you can take 2 strings, while with the sides cut, it is possible to take them individually, to be much more precise when playing with these techniques when performing whole scales with passages on all the strings, to avoid obstructions in the passages …
And it is also wide enough to allow it to be rubbed on the tone to be played for the violin effect, to be able to mix the 2 techniques … Talking about the ATTACK of this Pick, if we were to make a scale of the intensity of the attack of all the picks in the world, we would find the X-Pick both on the side with greater intensity and on the other with lower intensity. How is this possible? Why does the X-Pick have the attack with greater intensity? … Each pick of ferrous material has a very powerful attack, but when you bring the X-Pick close to the string, magnetism will be activated which will attract the string to the pick, adding to your strength. It is for this reason that the attack of the X-Pick is so powerful that it must be controlled …
In this sense… If you are playing in the key of E, it is useful to learn to picking the same key or scale, to avoid dissonances and for an extra embellishment. Why does the X Pick also have the lower intensity attack? Because thanks to the magnetic fields, you can play a note or a chord without the presence of an attack, that is without touching the guitar … just slap the electromagnetic fields of the pickup, with the magnetic fields of the pick, while you put the chords or a scale, and make the strings vibrate … But we will see this better in the next tutorial …
There remains the last technique to examine in this tutorial, which is the Tapping with the Pick, or TAPPICK! … Everything remains the same at the level of settings, even if it is easier to get ringing sounds because in this case, we are going to tap on the string; and that is, let’s strike with the pick in the position of the desired note … Be Careful though … you must not press on the fret like the Vikings, but always and only gently place the pick, because I remind you that he will attract himself the string and produce the sound … And this will allow you to perform the wildest and most acute Tappings ever heard … And the best thing actually, is to mix these techniques each other and with your usual techniques … If we can express personal thought, the X-Pick has exaggerated potential … Like all new ideas, it can still be improved and perfected, but to do this, we need you and your advice…
And yes, we are old school too, but we are also open to experimenting with new things, new techniques, new approaches, always in strict compliance with good music, and not all that s*** that is on Radio and Tv these days! … Guys, the possible techniques with this object are so many that we had to create a second part … In this tutorial, we have seen the techniques between the X-Pick and the strings, next we will see the possible interactions between the X-Pick and the pickups of your instruments …
So, stay tuned, and see you next time! What is happening? … OH NO … THEY ARE ALREADY HERE! I TOLD YOU! … Ok, ok … LET’S TAKE THE X PICKS! Hurry up!! TO MY SIGNAL, ALL UNITED, IN SEQUENCE! THREE … TWO … ONE: WOOO … IT’S MINOR, MAN! … Excuse me, Sir! And now … the Final Blow … Ok … they go away … No man, now you have to tell me … in your whole life … when have you ever heard someone killed with a major … ?? I mean in movie soundtracks too … When ?? You’re right sir … Excuse me sir … I mean… Do you understand? … Not only does it not work … It is illegal to kill someone in major! come on … What a rookie! The First who plays entirely: “Marooned by Pink Floyd” with the X-Pick, will take my place in command of the resistance!
