In 2019 I completed a Masters Of Music Performance (Contemporary Practice) from the Box Hill Institute, Melbourne, Victoria.

In the years previous to completeing the degree I was deeply moved by the Music from African American Gospel artists like; Kirk Franklin, The Winans, John P. Kee, Fred Hammond, Israel Houghton, Jonathan Butler, and many others.

I was first exposed to gospel music when i was asked to join a gospel band in Melbourne. We held residencies in various venues around Melbourne for about 10 years.

This exposure to gospel music was the catalyst for my to engage in a masters.

I was constantly trying to figure out how the gospel guitarists I heard were able to be so musically proficient in so many styles, yet still have a voice and vocabulary of their own.

I was given the opportunity to dig into the the gospel guitar style when I applied to study the Masters at Box Hill.

The degree required me to create a film and write a 10,000 word paper discussing my findings.

The study focused on the hypermobile thumb joint of African American Gospel Guitarists. I followed the stylistic properties back to Wes Montgomery through the adaptation of George Benson. I also found many examples of the picking style in genres outside of gospel music, which I believe adds legitimacy to the technique through a deep and diverse pedigree of musicians around the world.

Below is the film I made with a link to the paper.

I hope it brings you some enjoyment or affirmation surrounding the way you hold your guitar pick.

Download Paper – An Investigation Of The Backward Picking Technique For Electric Guitar – It’s Origins and Development