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Posted by: fkalich Feb 13 2007, 03:23 AM

Hi Kris: (or anyone else who wants to chime in) This is my question. I think I know the answer. Hold the pick with two fingers, right? I saw that you do that, and Eric Johnson does that. Any tips on keeping a good grip on that? I have been using a 1.14 mm dunlop, standard shape. What do you recommend? I put a tab of thin adhesive backed sandpaper on one side, maybe I like that, not sure. I think maybe you grip it pretty low. You often say "do this now, bad habits are hard to break". I figure holding the pick with 3 fingers is one of them, so I should probably lose that habit immediately. Maybe it is just something I need to get used to. Correct?

oh, question #2, I see Kris generally keeps his three free fingers extended as he plays. I have the habit of curling them up in my palm. Another habit to break right away?

frank

Posted by: buckjones Feb 13 2007, 04:54 AM

what's goin on fkalich? i played holding the pick the complete wrong way for years until 2 years ago a friend from work showed me an awesome way to hold it and thats by keeping your thumb parallel to the strings with your pointer finger bent holding it underneath. as i'm sure you've figured out it takes a lot to get used to it and keeping a grip can be the most difficult thing about it. hope i explained it good enough.

keeping your fingers like kris does away from the palm and on the lower body of the guitar gives you much more control over what string you are playing. that way as you pick you can easily find the next string you want to go too.

at the same time make sure you are comfortable with this because everybody does things differently and practice it so you don't need sandpaper!!! haha

btw - it's nice to see another forum newb on here!!!

nate

Posted by: fkalich Feb 13 2007, 06:01 AM

Thanks Buck. That reinforces what as you said, just came naturally once I tried holding it with two fingers, and the fingers extended. I checked and I am keeping my thumb parallel like you said. I found that in just an hour I got pretty comfortable with it.

Very pleased with this site. This guy has a knack for teaching, fairly rare trait in my experience. Also clearly a good fisherman. The fish laugh at me. I see the bubbles, that comes from them laughing.

Posted by: buckjones Feb 13 2007, 06:06 AM

no prob... practice works man!!!

yeah this site really does help in so many ways...

be careful of those fish and their bubbles and what not you may never look away once you start staring

Posted by: MickeM Feb 13 2007, 08:26 AM

That's how I hold it to now too I get both the thumb and the upper joint of the finger parallell to the strings, after holding it incorrect for years and years. It was very difficult learning a new way but it worked out very well since I improved myself on everything, and a LOT.

I have to say how to hold the pick is the MOST important thing to do correct before one should expect to manage any of the exercices in a good way. If you're holding it wrong practice will just be a lot harder and the result just not as good as it could be.

Posted by: fkalich Feb 13 2007, 11:06 AM

Is this what you mean (found this picture on internet)?

http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y82/loggyz/pick.jpg

Assuming that is the correct way, I had no idea you hold it against the side of the index, but I can see right away, trying tremolo picking, it works well. And it really seems to situate ones hand nicely for muting with the right palm, and using the free fingers for picking and harmonics. It seems to makes sense to me, but I am glad to be corrected if I am off base here.

more: I saw another thread on holding the pick, but that dealt with a different facet...the angle. Is holding it pointing downward the consensus on the optimal way to hold it (for what we are tying to do here)? Seems to me like that naturally is more effective, at least for tremolo picking.

Posted by: Zee Deveel Feb 13 2007, 01:43 PM

I'd keep your fingers stretched out beeeecause:

You have the option of using your fingers to pluck in addition to using the pick.

You have the option of anchoring your pinky to give your more control.

Palm muting should be easier if your fingers aren't curled up underneath your thumb.

Posted by: MickeM Feb 13 2007, 02:47 PM

Almost, that picture shows a quite comfortable way to hold it. I would call it right.

First off, my old grip was like on the pic only I held the pick even more between the fingertips rather than with the side of my index finger. I had no control at all at that time.
So when I changed my grip a flattened out my hand a little bit further so I get real close to the strings giving me more control. AND, holding like in the picture at photobucket doesn't work 100% for me, I had to get the tip of my finger away... and I show less of the pick than that.
My thumb and finger are completely aligned and as you see I hold the pick a bit furthter in.
And, like Zee Deveel said, stretch your fingers if you like, try that too, it doesn't work for me then the photobucket pick is more suitable if you wanna do that.

Between the two ways I'm sure your picture is showing the more common way. If that's the correct way I adjusted a couple of things (bending the index finger a bit more and moving the pick a bit in) to suit me. I'm not sure everyone would be comfortable holding it like me though.

Just try both ways, they will feel aqward for a week if you're used to hold in any other way. But if you feel you HAVE TO change to improve just take the step man...

Posted by: Andrew Cockburn Feb 13 2007, 04:03 PM

Damnation, I've been holding my pick wrong for 20 years

Well, I was starting to suspect that anyway and was trying different ways to help with my speedpicking ... sigh, another thing to go back to basics on ...

Posted by: MickeM Feb 13 2007, 04:13 PM

Join the club, I thought I held the record with my 15 years. Wether my way is right or wrong... all I can say is that after I changed my accuracy increased, I used to hit the wrong strings and played very sloppy and speed picking was out of the question, and I was able to apply wrist movement and really get up to speed. Now it's a matter of syncing the left and right hand and get the left one up to speed. My pick hand is not the problem any more.


EDIT: Checking the Vintage Modern video (see post "Marshall JVM") at 9:14-16 is a clear picture of how that guy is holding his pick. Not saying you have to start holding it with the left hand... ;-)

Posted by: Andrew Cockburn Feb 13 2007, 07:14 PM

Actually I was exaggerating - its closer to 17 years since I moved from classical guitar to electric. I didn't know anything about speed picking or shredding at the time, I play mostly legato, and its only now that I am trying to play faster that it has become an issue. Oh well, I'll have to sound like an 10 year old with his first guitar again until I get this new stuff down, I hope it will be worth it!

Posted by: fkalich Feb 13 2007, 08:52 PM

Great advice, thanks! I can see in the marshall video, the guy has the last digit of his index curled, and the less of the tip of the pick exposed.

I just worked through a lesson, and at the end found myself indeed naturally holding the pick as in the marshall amp video:

1) Thumb and index finger, other three fingers extended.
2) Using side of index finger, not the flat tip.
3) Index finger curled back at tip (rather than pointing down)
4) Less of tip of pick exposed (than I had been exposing).

I find that things work much better now, obviously. Again, thanks for all the help.

Posted by: Hemlok May 26 2007, 03:15 AM

Finally, i changed my pick holding style i just gained so much speed practicing scales instantly! WOOHOOO! THANKS GUYS!

Posted by: Smikey2006 May 26 2007, 05:18 AM

Im still mildly confused haha.. im trying to hold it this way.. but it feels soo wierd.. can anyone post summore pictures so i can get an idea?

Posted by: fkalich May 26 2007, 06:04 AM

I myself holding the pick both ways depending on what I am doing:

1) Last digit of index finger pointing down at 5 oclock, holding the pick sort of in between the side and the flat part of the index finger. I put a link to a picture, two posts above the great big photo of......

2) Last digit of index finger pointing back, holding the pick with the side of the index finger, with very little of the tip of the pick exposed (less than in #1). This is the picture in the great big photo above.

#2 really is well suited to fast speed picking to me, not much else. Not best suited for sweeps, harmonics, slow lyrical solo lines, chords. Really I think it is only suitable for speed picking. You can do pinch harmonics with some contortion. But the harmonics I primarily like, using my middle finger, well holding in as described in #1 above is suitable for that.

Feel free to disagree anyone, this is just based on my experience. Primarily I will hold it as described in #1, and shift to #2 temporarily when the need is there.

Posted by: Ryan May 26 2007, 11:45 AM

Honestly guys, theres no wrong way to hold your pick (to a certain limit), but its w/e feels comfortable to you, i mean seriously..look at jimi hendrix he used his teeth, and his tongue (i think), so you cant tell me teres a wrong way to play it..and also that blind guy who plays with his teeth to...

so just hold the pick how it comes natural to you, adn what feels most comfortable to you.


and o yea..i hold the pick like that 2 guys, but i have my index finger curled around a lil bit more.a.nd angled down more, and i think my thumb sticks out a bit more 2..and
about that havign a closed fist, thats not wrong, you MIGHT lose some control but you SHOULD be able to pick faster, ITS ALL PERSONAL PREFERENCE

Posted by: michael schenker May 31 2007, 07:44 PM

Is there a lesson that outlines and details the way to hold a pick, the angle it strikes strings, how far out tip sticks, pressure, type, alternate methogs, genre specific methods?

ms

Posted by: j78 Jun 1 2007, 11:11 AM

when I first joined this site, I was glad to find out that I had been holding the pick correctly from the very beginning. But then again, I found out that I had done just about everything else totally wrong:
* 100% downstrokes
* didn't use the pinky
* gripped the whole neck around with my hand
* etc...
* etc..
* etc.

heck, after finding these things out one by one, I felt lucky I didn't find out that I held the whole damn guitar up-side-down or something... XD

//J78

Posted by: Reaver Jan 11 2008, 10:07 PM

Hey I just joined up, and although I'm not new to playing guitar, I would also like to know if there is a video. Even if there isn't a set exact way to holding the pick and whatnot, I'd still like to see one of the many proper ways that people do it, preferably I'd like someone who speed picks or shreds to do the video, cause I'm kind of interested in that kind of fast picking.

Posted by: dreadlocks Jan 11 2008, 10:56 PM

:S use the side of the index finger?
im useing the flat
is that a bad habit 2 ?

Posted by: Reaver Jan 11 2008, 11:19 PM

I'm going to post a video explaining exactly what I'm talking about. I think you're holding the pick the same way I am, which is one of the many correct and acceptable ways, but my question is more about wrist involvement in picking. I won't say too much more, once this video get's accepted to youtube I'll post it and you can see exactly what I'm talking about.


Ok EDIT: First off, there's probably a slightly better forum for this but I suppose I could say "practicing problems" Here's a link to a video I made a little bit ago showing exactly what I'm talking about

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tBO7wazi5HI

Thanks a bunch for the help!

Posted by: dreadlocks Jan 12 2008, 08:34 AM

I WATCHED YOUR VIDIO
your holding the pick same as i do
and about question #1 you dont need to use all arm
there is a better explantion in alternate picking lesson (101)
gl

Posted by: Reaver Jan 12 2008, 08:54 AM

Nice, I didn't see that video. It helped me with the wrist/hand question but I'm still wondering if people loosen their grip on the pick when picking faster, or just picking at all really.

Posted by: andrei.sz Jan 12 2008, 08:59 AM

hei guys !
i found a Paul Gilbert video about pick holding , a few days ago. it really helped me. here is the link :
http://youtube.com/watch?v=SvMcT_NiaWo

Posted by: dreadlocks Jan 12 2008, 09:24 AM

ill start holding my pick like he do
seems alot is playing this way

Posted by: Constie Jan 12 2008, 02:18 PM

THIS is a very good video, because it shows how to NOT hold the pick and how to hold it best
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dqPZjlpau4c

Posted by: dreadlocks Jan 12 2008, 03:08 PM

ty m8 i realy get it now


strange when i looked for pick holding vidio never found one :S

Posted by: Muris Jan 12 2008, 03:13 PM

Shwu shwu shwu sound

Paul is the man

Posted by: dreadlocks Jan 12 2008, 07:54 PM

one more question
im holding my pick same as in the vidio and im doing graet
but when im useing my JazzIII its realy hard to skip strings
cuz its a s mall pick
is it possibale to do it with pick like jazzIII or should i cahnge apick ?

Posted by: Soul_Decision Jan 17 2008, 04:55 AM

How does having a closed fist decrease you accuracy? I've never had a problem with that.

Posted by: seagull Jan 19 2008, 06:19 PM

I would think that it is because if you close your fist, your hand wont be relaxed, and you'll also use some unnecessary strength, which can impede your accuracy due to muscle tension.

Posted by: Lorry Jan 20 2008, 12:27 PM

Thats a really good example, I changed to that style yesterday and have already noticed improvements. It takes some getting used to but after a couple of runs up and down a scale it was second nature

Posted by: Pavel Jan 20 2008, 12:59 PM

Man, sorry to tell this but, it has nothing to do with the pick size I am using Jazz III and don't have any problems with anything - it's a great pick really! MAB is the guy who is using Jazz III his whole life and he got some insane string skipping chops

Usually it's not gear that keeps us away from some skills - it's ourselves who don't work on it enough
I would suggest you staying with Jazz as it is really great pick for both riffing and soloing

Posted by: Muris Jan 20 2008, 01:17 PM

But MAB doesn't play Jazz,why Jazz picks anyhow??
Joking

Posted by: Pavel Jan 20 2008, 06:51 PM

That's a pretty good question actually

Posted by: at lights end Jan 21 2008, 05:43 PM

eddie van halen holds the pick between his middle finger and thumb...never stopped him though.

Posted by: 311junkie Jan 21 2008, 11:51 PM

After watching the Paul Gilbert video, I realize that I've been picking flat and not at an angle like he recommends. The method he showed also helped me get a better sound out of my pinch harmonics!

Thanks for the post!