Originally Posted by: jessica325can someone explain to me how picking is done. i can only play two songs which involve the lowest e string the white strips - 7 nation army and the intro of deep purple- smoke on the water
ive searched up other songs but on some u have to use all 6 strings and i only have 4 fingers that are able to play and a thumb to hold up the guitar lol and then there is songs that have the a string on the second fret and the e string on the 6 fret and my fingers cant reach that far lol can someone help me :( :o :confused:

Looks like picking isn't your only problem. I'm going to answer your questions about fretting first.

I'm going to assume you're right-handed, so correct me if I'm wrong.

Your left hand is your fretting hand (the hand you use to press down on the strings). Even songs requiring all six strings will not require you to use any more than four fingers (some will say you can also use your thumb, but that is horrendous technique, so please don't listen to them). I'll explain how to play them (theoretically at least, I don't know the exact songs you're talking about). Some chords require you to play more than 4 notes, but as you only have four available fingers, the guitar has been designed to accomodate you. Many chords require you to do something called "barring," which allows you to play multiple notes with only one finger. To teach you barring, I'll give you an example: lay your first finger across the fifth fret of every string. Now press down with your entire finger and strum the strings, making sure all six notes ring out properly. That's how you play multiple notes with one finger.

Are those songs playing the A string on the 2nd fret and E string on the 6th fret at the same time? If not, you could play the 7th fret on the E string instead of the 2nd fret on the A; it's the same note. If the two ARE played at the same time, then you need to start stretching your fingers to reach that far, although I'm not sure why you'd have to play those notes at the same time, it's terribly dissonant...