Have you ever wondered why right handers pick with the right hand, since the left hand seems to be the one most learners concentrate on and have the most trouble with? Why not put the difficult stuff into the hand with the most "dexterity", i.e. the dominant hand, i.e. for most of us, the right.

It's the picking hand that makes the sound. Timing, expression, rhythm, feeling is primarily functions of precisely when the note is hit, the shape & volume of the note and how it is struck. Is a note exactly on time (steady & strong), or a little early (lively), or late (laid back)? Is the attack, i.e. the first part of the note, strong or soft? Does the note sustain or break off? What is the shape of the note? Is it loud or soft compared to its neighbors? Is it edgy or smooth? Is it consistent with what's happening or out of place?

Imagine that you had no control at all of the subtleties of the right hand. Imagine that every note was exactly on time and had the same shape, volume and duration. Boring. Now imagine that you only had a few pitches to work with, like on a drum or a kalimba. Imagine that you struck each note skillfully and with feeling. You'd have a groove.

Imagine that you are playing a song with a group and things are going along smoothly. Along comes this babe, dancing out front trying to distract you (you wish). You hit the next note early and loud. A real clunker. A brick. Very obvious. The babe knows she shook your tree. The band chuckles. Now instead, imagine you miss an E and get a D# instead. But you stay with the groove, stay on time and the D# gets along with its neighbors in terms of volume and sustain. You get right back to key the very next note and the groove lives on. Probably no one even noticed. Maybe they were distracted too. Maybe they think you were being creative. The wrong note is the left hand's problem. The wrong feel or tempo is the right hand.

Melody, harmony, composition, lyrics, instrumentation... the list is unending if you start trying to define the components of music. But the roots are rhythm & voice. It's the right hand that gives rhythm & voice to your sound. Say hi to it. Refresh your acquaintance. Help it along.

Try this exercise on your guitar or bass. Keep your fret hand off the fretboard. Use only open strings with a 4/4 metronome background. Try getting a groove going with just one string at first. Then use 2, 3, ... Try slow simple patterns at first, then increase speed & complexity. But ALWAYS listen to the timing and shape of the notes. You can do this finger style or with a pick. It doesn't matter. Whatever style of playing you want to work on. See how long it takes to get something musical to happen, and see how long it takes before you lose the groove (or get bored). Try muting the strings with a rubber band or a rag and do the same with even less tonality. My guess is that you'll be surprised at first at how many weaknesses you notice when you truly focus your attention on you're picking alone. I would also guess that if you stay with this line of practice regularly you would notice great improvement in your musicality when you get back to your normal routines and songs.

If you run out of practice time, like we all sometimes do, you can do the above exercises on a little rig called the Twanger PraxAx. It's made to reproduce the feel of the strings at the picking hand position. It's small enough to carry in a pocket. It comes with a belt so you can wear it. This lets you use it with the right hand while the left hand remains free. Use it while commuting, during downtimes at school or work, while on the phone or computer. Fun & relaxing after you get used to the strangeness of only using one hand. Helps relieve road rage, shopping stress & fear of flying. Check it out at http://www.twanger.com