Guitar Pick

[corym1117]

I've been playing for about seven years and I'm 16 now. Since I can remember I have held the pick with three fingers like I believe James Hetfield does. I've been having trouble doing some stuff with my right hand and I looked into how I'm supposed to hold a pick but what I've tried doesn't feel right. Can someone walk me through holding a pick and a picking motion, any help is appreciated.

I feel like I'm starting all over again.:confused:

[Jmilliondead]

it's an interesting one really because most people will have their own certain ways to hold it, it's purely what's best and most comfortable for you. i always have had mine between my thumb and index finger, very easy for any pinch harmonics

[VHTStark]

I hold the pick between my thumb and index as well. What techniques are you having trouble executing with the way you currently hold the pick?

[Dan Desy]

I hold it between my thumb and index most of the time. Sometimes, maybe on purpose but mostly by accident, I hold it between my thumb and middle finger. But what do I know, I'm a bad picker...

[Valtiel]

Ive always held it between my thumb and fore finger, feels the most natural to me. Also keeps your middle finger free for hybrid picking.

[StaceyChase1]

Between THUMB AND INDEX:dude:

[Peter]

Between thumb and index, sure, but which way does the pointy end of the pick go? Perpendicular to the thumb? And how do you line up the last joint of your index finger and thumb? I thought my thumb and forefinger were basically parallel but, upon checking, it's more like a 45 degree angle.
Whatever it is must be wrong.

[Jo]

I hold mine between the index and thumb too, but I hold mine as if my index finger were the pic. I also have a very little bit of the pick showing, just the tip. But then, I also use very light picks and need to hold it near the tip for more stability.

There really isn't a right and a wrong way just a better way for the particular technique you're trying to develop.

There was a pretty interesting thread over on the Gear Page (by Jack Zucker I think) about pick holding.

[corym1117]

I think i mostly developed my style (using three fingers) because of learning to palm mute metallica songs. I'm having terrible difficulty trying to sweep pick like this and just being able to pick cleanly at fast speed. I feel my picking hand is whats holding me back so I'm experimenting with different techniques. If someone wouldnt mind posting some picks of how you hold the pick it would be appriciated.

[Dancing Frog]

I think i mostly developed my style (using three fingers) because of learning to palm mute metallica songs. I'm having terrible difficulty trying to sweep pick like this and just being able to pick cleanly at fast speed. I feel my picking hand is whats holding me back so I'm experimenting with different techniques. If someone wouldnt mind posting some picks of how you hold the pick it would be appriciated.You want pictures...I'll give you pictures.

When I started playing guitar in the '70's, most books at the time said that this was the proper way to hold a plectrum.

http://i116.photobucket.com/albums/o13/theboarsrock/DSC_0006.jpg
After I while, that grip sort of evolved into this. My index finger protrudes beyond my thumb to make grabbing pinch harmonics easier while the other fingers are free for hybrid picking. Usually the pinky winds up resting on the guitar somewhere.
http://i116.photobucket.com/albums/o13/theboarsrock/DSC_0005.jpg
Of course, you could always try the Rik Emmett.;)
http://i116.photobucket.com/albums/o13/theboarsrock/DSC_0008.jpg
No comments about shadow animals, palm reading, or sign language....

[Jon Silberman]

I feel like I'm starting all over again.:confused:It truly can feel that way when you change your style. Myself, in '01, I switched from a strictly picking style to a fingers and pick (chicken pickin') style and it was rough indeed at the outset. What I did was make the change and just stick with it, not ever returning to the "safety" of my prior style ever, not even for a moment's relaxation during practicing. After a month or so, I realized that I was no longer even thinking about the change - I'd completely internalized it.