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I've always had problems with picado, just not a natural and always have to work at it. I was thinking about ToddK who uses a pick and that got me thinking. I've mentioned this before in a previous post but now I know for sure. Thing is that I always thought of picado as a right hand technique. The fingers have to go in sequence with no crossing or missing the sequence crossing strings. Too much to concentrate on, then Todd! I guess he doesn't have this worry (no i,m) and he gets a great sound! So I've come up with this thought and it's working for me. Still not great, but now a lot more steady and faster.
So hear goes;
Picado is a left hand technique. That's it, think about it. Normally, you go into a run (at least I did) with my thought focused on my right hand. where to start, how fast and the cross overs...after a few notes it goes wobbly, uneven and sometimes I loose the scale.
So now try it the other way 'odacip' ....
Focus on your left hand, make your mind go there and play the scale, seeing the pattern in your mind as you play. Just allow your right hand to follow.
Hm Jim thats nothing new; my teacher also told me to concentrate more on left hand, feel the left hand as the "leading" one, first to grab a fret and THEN to stroke.... I,M is a very monotone motion. Theres not much to concentrate imo.
I think the key is, and Im still at the beginning of developing it, to feel I,M as a continuous motion, which you cant control or change. Its like your fingers move by itself without your order.
You just try to change the volume or have in mind where you want to change strings etc. Right hand, or left as for lefties as me, is more important when it comes to ras, arps, alz.
I'm also into odacip now ....but my practice always contains and some exercises of picado. U know five minutes odacip ,five more picado...the hard part is doing odacip and picado in the same time .It seems like whenever I concentrate on odacip, my picado has to suffer and viceversa.Who ever said that music is not complicated ...look at this whole terminology...a little more and music will resemble to the computer industry.
I think the key is, and Im still at the beginning of developing it, to feel I,M as a continuous motion, which you cant control or change. Its like your fingers move by itself without your order.
I think this is a great thing to have in mind when you play. A continuous motion that you can't change. The LH falls in line.
But don't forget the _Sound_. IT's not about the RH or the LH, it's about the sound, and that's what you should concentrate on, not mere mechanics. The mechanics follow the sound, not the other way around.
The first step would be to concentrate on making on right hand know where to go, without the need of you being conscious. Practising on the single string first, then start incorporating string crossing exercises like those in Pumping Nylon. Focus on the awkward crossings.
Only after you can decently do that, you start focussing on left hand agility and speed. And I agree that after some time, you should focus on producing the sound with the tone that you want, instead of just the hands. You'll feel the music rather than doing it as a mechanical motion.
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.It seems like whenever I concentrate on odacip, my picado has 
and I thought I should share it.
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