Allen Hinds developed his legato approach not through deliberate design
but through necessity � his unconventional pick hold made alternate
picking difficult, and legato became his compensating technique. Despite
various teachers attempting to correct his picking approach over the
years, he accepted that his unconventional method worked for him,
reflecting a broader truth about guitar playing: there is no right or
wrong way if it works and sounds good. What began as compensation
gradually became a signature style that listeners recognize after only
a couple of notes. The primary influence on his legato development was
Allan Holdsworth, whose fluid style and long flowing lines with wide
intervals sounded like no other guitar player. Holdsworth's complex
harmonic vocabulary was achieved largely through legato technique, and
recognizing this, Hinds focused on developing the same approach and
applying it to his own musical ideas.

The legato sound Hinds settled on combines two complementary elements:
a light picking hand attack � almost brushing the strings � and a strong
fretting hand that drives the notes forward through hammer-ons and
pull-offs. These two elements work together to produce a smooth flowing
legato sound where the picking hand provides initial articulation and
the fretting hand sustains the momentum of the phrase. The technique
involves picking one note in a sequence and executing the rest using
hammer-ons when ascending and pull-offs when descending. The fundamental
challenge is getting the notes to sound even throughout � which requires
deliberate fretting hand strength development rather than relying on
the picking hand to compensate.

The philosophical case for legato over alternate picking centers on
dynamic range and breathing. A flowing legato run has far more dynamic
range than a steadily alternate-picked run � the phrase breathes rather
than hammers forward with mechanical evenness. Choosing to pick only
selected notes within a legato passage makes those specific notes pop
out, bringing light and shade to the playing and achieving a more
saxophone-like effect. The saxophone analogy is important � saxophone
players cannot articulate every note with equal attack, and this
limitation produces a naturally varied, breathing phrase quality that
legato guitar can approximate. The result is phrasing that feels more
like a continuous vocal or wind instrument line than a sequence of
individually plucked string attacks.

A key component of Hinds' signature sound is a vibrato technique learned
from Scott Henderson � squeezing notes and moving them backward and
forward horizontally on the fretboard, pushing and pulling them from
fret to fret in a motion similar to violin vibrato technique. Unlike
conventional guitar vibrato which bends the string upward perpendicular
to the frets, this horizontal squeeze technique moves the pitch in both
directions with a subtler, more continuous oscillation. Combined with
the flowing legato approach, this vibrato gives Hinds' playing an
immediately identifiable character � listeners report being able to
identify his playing after only a couple of notes. The combination of
smooth legato lines and horizontal squeeze vibrato produces a sound
that sits between guitar and string instrument in character.

The foundation exercise for developing legato technique adapts the
standard one-finger-per-fret chromatic pattern used at Berklee for
alternate picking practice, repurposing it for fretting hand strength
development. The pattern ascends from A on the sixth string at the 5th
fret up to C on the first string at the 8th fret, using one finger per
fret across all six strings. Only the first note on each string is
lightly picked � all subsequent notes on that string are executed as
hammer-ons, with the fretting hand driving the sound forward without
picking hand assistance. The exercise should be practiced slowly enough
that each note sounds as fully and evenly as possible, developing the
fretting hand strength and control needed for smooth legato lines.
The chromatic pattern serves no harmonic purpose but provides a neutral
framework for focusing entirely on technique � evenness of tone, clarity
of hammer-ons, and consistency of finger pressure across all four frets
and six strings.

Allen Hinds' legato approach combines a light brushing pick attack with
a strong fretting hand to produce smooth flowing lines influenced by
Allan Holdsworth's fluid harmonic vocabulary. Legato allows phrases to
breathe and creates greater dynamic range than alternate picking �
selecting which notes to pick makes those notes pop out, achieving a
saxophone-like light and shade effect. The technique is complemented by
a horizontal squeeze vibrato learned from Scott Henderson that moves
notes backward and forward along the fretboard in a violin-like
oscillation. Together these elements produce an immediately identifiable
signature sound built from technical compensation that became artistic
strength � a reminder that personal limitations can become personal
voice when embraced rather than corrected.