strumming hand technique?

Ok, I wanted to hear from some others orgers on this. I taught myself to play with the side of the index finger and thumb. A guitarist I have been working with on technique suggested I try to relearn picking by holding it between my fingertips. He had me sample it that way and indicated that the sound was much better than the way I was doing it.

I find it difficult, and of course would have to retrain myself...but, just wondered others approaches.

How do you hold the pick when you play rhythm?
How do you hold the pick when you play lead?

It all depends... When you want a loud harsh sound out of your guitar, hold the pick tightly... When you want a softer more delicate sound, hold the pick loosely.

Being able to adjust the way you pick on the fly is a big part of playing and it adds a lot of versatility to your playing. The best advice for the way you hold your pick and the way you strum is just to practice and see what feels best for you. The more you play and the more you do it the easier it will be and the quicker you'll find out what works for you and what doesn't.

I know that's not a definite answer that you were probably looking for. I know there are tons of books and stuff out there that will tell you what they think is the "wrong way" and the "right way" to do things... People always use those terms about technique. I look at it from a functional perspective. As long as you get the sound you're looking for it doesn't matter how you're playing it. Obviously there are better ways to do that allow for faster changes between soloing and strumming but those lessons are best found on your own... That, and they're hard to explain without illustration.

personally i hold the pick like you do, at least i think.

if we call the nuckle closest to the hand the first nuckle/joint closest to the hand the first joint. and the joint that is closest to the fingertip the 3rd joint.

ok then so i have the first joint straight, eg parallel to the back of my hand, the second joint is at 90 degrees and the third joint is at 90 degrees. the pick lies agaist the side of the last digit, and my thumb is placed over it.

i prefer this way of picking, it allows me to do pintch harmonics easily as i dont have to change how i hold the pick. because there is a lot of surface area to hold the pick you can hold it quite loosly and have it not fall out your hand, as well as tightly. this allows a variety of tones. i feel it is more stable as the pick is almost in line with the wrist. i also feel it is good as it allows me to mute the strings above the ones i am playing (eg the low ones) with the plam of my hand as it is at the same level as the pick. lastly i find i can hybrid pick more easily this way (use the second and third finger like you would in finger picking) easier this way, and i find it is easier to switch to tapping with your second finger.

i used to hold the pick between fingertips and thumb, but i changed as i find the above method better for me. this does not mean it is better for you though.

i would advise you give his method a try see how it is and see if you think it is the best way for you. personally i would do it the way i described above, but you might be different to me.


hope this helps

I hold mine ... kinda in the middle of what the two ways of holding being discribed. I hold the pic not quite squared up with my pointer finger a little to the side but not on the side of my finger. I say go with what is comfortable to you now. But dont take any stock in what I say ... after all I almost shot my wife with the pic the other night getting down and dirty on my acoustic playing a GnR song...lol. I have the harndest time holding onto that little dude.

ok, I got very lost in that description! LOL

Basically, the pick is lying on the side of my ring finger in between the fingernail and the joint, with my thumb over the top. I find this comfortable, but the guy says my playing sounds very "choppy" and it rings much better when I do it his way. His way just feels so strange to me, my hand doesn't seem to flow as well. Also, when I play harmonics, I use the same technique I described above, anchoring my hand with my pinky.

of course, I am self taught, so I just went with what felt natural to me at the time...

like this:

another good pic of how I strum:

http://guitarpeople.com/faqs/strum.jpg

ok thats pretty much like i hold it. when you say choppy do you mean very percussive. lots of thwackin for lack of a better word.

if so this is not only fixed buy changing how you hold the pick. what you are doing (i think) is diging in to the strings too much. the reason this is not so bad woth the other method is becuse the pick is extended from the palm of the hand it is twised slightly when you hit the strings decreasing how much of the pick you are using. if you see what i mean.

so how do u dig the pick in less?? well you want to use less of the pick to play notes. you can do this by trying to 'skim' the strings more. but an easier way is to show less of the pick.

waht i mean is have less of the pointy bit of the pick showing.

another way is to loosen your grip on the pick as much as possible without it falling out of your hand.


i hope i was cleareer this time

Originally Posted by: Fret spiderok thats pretty much like i hold it. when you say choppy do you mean very percussive. lots of thwackin for lack of a better word.

if so this is not only fixed buy changing how you hold the pick. what you are doing (i think) is diging in to the strings too much. the reason this is not so bad woth the other method is becuse the pick is extended from the palm of the hand it is twised slightly when you hit the strings decreasing how much of the pick you are using. if you see what i mean.

so how do u dig the pick in less?? well you want to use less of the pick to play notes. you can do this by trying to 'skim' the strings more. but an easier way is to show less of the pick.

waht i mean is have less of the pointy bit of the pick showing.

another way is to loosen your grip on the pick as much as possible without it falling out of your hand.


i hope i was cleareer this time

definately! thanks for clarifying! yea, i think maybe i am hitting the strings at the wrong angle or something in this position, and probably need to "skim" em a bit more. the other way, i actually miss more strings than i would this way.

try to only have about 3mm of pick showing, at least thats what i do

Ok, I know this thread is about how to hold the pick, but let me just throw out there that in addition to picks, you might use your nails. While perhaps more challenging to coordinate at first, they sound great...classical players either grow them out or even use women's glue-on nails. I've tried growing mine out on my picking hand, but couldn't stand it (get dirty and takes maintenance). But (being a girl) if you already have them anyway...

Everybody probably holds a pick slightly differently.
I use the side of the pick instead of the pointy part cause it's easier to hold on to and ya get more bite out of the softer picks.
When I'm using an acoustic though, I switch to a larger, lighter pick so you can hear the 'clicking' sound and play heavier without drowning everything else out.

I keep a big wooden bowl (that I made on a lathe in Junior High :) on my mixer filled with all kindsa different types of picks. everything from small hard ones, to huge leather ones. That way you can play around until you find the right sound.

(It's also a great bowl for holding peanuts when you're drinking beer but that's another story).

I seem to adjust the pick unconsciously to accentuate the phrasings.
Now that I'm focusing on the pick, it seems to move frequently with certain techniques applied. Picking properly is an artform that requires great accuracy in control and timing, if you want to sound right on and nail it.
How you hold the pick doesn't matter as long as it's comfortable and allows you to play accurately. In time it will become an extension of your hand. One thing that can hinder progress is old worn rounded off picks, toss em or make picture frames with them.

Just think if poor Dick Cheney would have hunted with "Accuracy", another fellow American could have sat down and enjoyed his dinner. OUCH!!!!!! Bet that hurt..................

I have to sand down Jim Dunlop picks. I guess it's cause they come off an assembly line or something but they've always got little pieces of plastic stuck to the edges. And the raised lettering gets caught on the strings and they end up flying across the room.

A buddy of mine sands his as well. I really like the Dunlop 1.5 Green Gators because they are a porous matted finish that absorb moisture well, especially when playing gigs with lower ceilings where the lighting feels more like the heat lamps at the local burger joint.

Originally Posted by: txladykatdefinately! thanks for clarifying! yea, i think maybe i am hitting the strings at the wrong angle or something in this position, and probably need to "skim" em a bit more. the other way, i actually miss more strings than i would this way.

My picks tend to wear in a way that creates a bevel on the edges. I hit the strings in a way that brings the edge of the pick closest to my wrist into contact with the string first. And then I stroke the strings as I follow through with my strum. This involves rolling the wrist as I stroke the strings. This is very different from those who tend to 'chop' at the strings.

A guitar was created for the purpose of making sound. You must learn to identify ways in which to bring out that sound to anyone who chooses to listen to you.

I have noticed that playing guitar is a lot like cooking rice: anyone can cook rice well enough that it can be eaten: very few know how to cook rice well enough that it can be enjoyed!

Mr LORD, sir, a question... does the pick wear you mentioned bother you? I mean does it interfere with your playing style?

Originally Posted by: iceandhotwaxMr LORD, sir, a question... does the pick wear you mentioned bother you? I mean does it interfere with your playing style?

No problem. I don't keep picks for very long, anyway. I just observed that the lower edge closer to my wrist, and the upper edge away from my wrist are worn from use. I don't hit the string with the flat face of the pick.

i just looked at mine , they wear in reverse of what you said .. maybe we could swap pics ... save big $.. lol