Holding A Guitar Pick., is there a wrong way? |
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Feb 15 2009, 10:36 PM
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Is there such a thing as holding a guitar pick the wrong way? whenever i play my picking hand gets really sore. I am not sure if thats the reason its sore. Anyone know?
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Feb 15 2009, 10:38 PM
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You need to find a way that is most comfortable to you......
Try out some differnent positions and see if you find a way that fits you -------------------- My Gear
Ibanez RG Jackson js30 warrior jackson rr24 Line 6 Spider III amp Line 6 pod xt live Washburn acoustic Youtube Account My bands Myspace  |
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Feb 15 2009, 11:01 PM
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QUOTE (Becks @ Feb 15 2009, 10:36 PM)  Is there such a thing as holding a guitar pick the wrong way? whenever i play my picking hand gets really sore. I am not sure if thats the reason its sore. Anyone know? Yes there is such a thing as a wrong way. That would be the way that inflicts on your playing in a bad way. I held my pick in the wrong way for 15 years. I was sick and tired of being a sloppy player so I decided to restart from the beginning. It all started with changing my grip around the pick and I must confess that small change had a huge impact. My speed increased a lot.. A LOT! And my accuracy is flawless today, before I used to miss strings and double tap them.THat was two months of scales and tecnhique and breaking a bad habit. First week felt hopeless then it went better and better, today I couldn't go back to the old way. So as far as I'm concerned, holding your pick right or wrong can be the difference between failure and success. I keep a rather flat hand, close to the strings for better control and I keep the edge of the pick stick out just a little between my thumb and my index finger, print side of the thumb and the side of the index which I curl so it's parallell with my thumb. Quite the opposite to my presious grip which was like a big toppy hand which led to sloppyness. So find your way! This post has been edited by MickeM: Feb 16 2009, 12:04 AM -------------------- My bands homepage
All time favourites: B. Streisand - Woman in Love, M. Hopkin - Those were the days, L. Richie - Hello |
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Feb 15 2009, 11:03 PM
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There's really no "right" or "wrong" way to hold a pick.
If you check this link you'll find some useful advice in vid 3 about holding the pick: https://www.guitarmasterclass.net/solo-guit...teps-lets-play/ If your hands feel sore then that means you're holding the pick too firmly. Or maybe your hand is in a bad position. You should place the bottom edge of your palm somewhere near the bridge (over the stings) and try to lay your fore arm gently onto the guitar body. Your picking hand should be as relaxed as possible. If you feel it gets tensed up then relax again. It sounds weird but you should concentrate on relaxing your hand! |
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Feb 15 2009, 11:26 PM
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Thank you guys for replying. I will fool around with different ways.
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Feb 16 2009, 01:59 AM
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Like everybody said there is no right or wrong. Possibly you are putting too much strain on your picking hand in general. Can you record your picking hand with a webcam and post here? That would help us greatly in seeing where the problem is. There is no need for good audio, just picture.
-------------------- - Ivan's Video Chat Lesson Notes HERE
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Feb 16 2009, 04:19 AM
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QUOTE (Becks @ Feb 16 2009, 03:42 AM) I cant put a video on. But would a picture due the trick? Picture is fine as well, here you can see the way I hold it if that help. 
-------------------- Youtube
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Feb 16 2009, 09:17 AM
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The wrong ways there are are the ones that feel uncomfortable for you, and the only right way is the one that feels does indeed feel comfortable for you.
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Feb 16 2009, 10:17 AM
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Just stick to something that feels comfortable to use and don't feel stressed...That should hopeful be the right way..Wrong way would feel uncomfortable and will unable you to develop your picking (speed , accuracy , control).
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Feb 16 2009, 02:30 PM
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Pictures with different angles like Muris showed in that topic would be great mate.
-------------------- - Ivan's Video Chat Lesson Notes HERE
- Check out my GMC Profile and Lessons - (Please subscribe to my) YouTube Official Channel - Let's be connected through ! Facebook! :) |
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Feb 16 2009, 03:33 PM
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I don't know, is the most comfortable way always what's best? As I said in my earlier post, I suffer from the way I hold the pick now, cause I can not develop very much in terms of cleaner speedier picking at the moment.
And it's a pain to change the way you hold the pick after a couple of years. If i would have held the pick differently from day one, I might not have this problem now? I still think he should check out different approaches and choose what feels comfortable, but also, what will not give him problems in the future... But, by all means, I am far from an expert in the matter...  A few links I googled for, haven't looked them through though: http://guitar.about.com/library/weekly/aa071200g.htm https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mE2S3u-Wz1g http://www.cyberfret.com/first-fret/using-a-pick/page2.php http://ezinearticles.com/?How-to-Hold-a-Gu...g&id=735365 http://www.dolphinstreet.com/guitar_video_...s/lesson-46.php http://www.guitartutoronline.com/index.htm...4_hold_pick.htm http://guitarteacher.wordpress.com/2008/03...to-hold-a-pick/ This post has been edited by ztevie: Feb 16 2009, 03:34 PM -------------------- Gear: * Vigier Shawn Lane Master, Bridge Bareknuckle Nailbomb, Middle DiMarzio FS-1, Neck Bareknuckle Cold Sweat * Padalka Custom Space-6, Bareknuckle Juggernaut set * Ztevie's Blue, Custom Handbuilt by Rek Guitars, Seymour Duncan Full Shred humbucker set * Yamaha LLX6 Acoustic * Fractal Audio Axe FX II XL+ |
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Feb 16 2009, 03:41 PM
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QUOTE (Caelumamittendum @ Feb 16 2009, 09:17 AM) The wrong ways there are are the ones that feel uncomfortable for you, and the only right way is the one that feels does indeed feel comfortable for you. + and enables you to play at your peak. Just adding that since it could be comfortable but not effective. Was comfortable for me but techniquewise rather useless. I bet there are hundereds of ways to hold you pick, one of these hundereds will suit someone better while it can be the worst possible for someone else. The trick here, Becks, is to find what suits you better. And that could take weeks since a new technique will only start to pay off after a week of hard practice so it's difficult to rule something out after day one. QUOTE (ztevie @ Feb 16 2009, 03:33 PM) And it's a pain to change the way you hold the pick after a couple of years. I did it after 15 years of playing. Took me a week to break the old habit, then 6-7 more weeks before I had eveything in place and it had become my new habit. But one week of hard struggeling is what it takes. QUOTE If i would have held the pick differently from day one, I might not have this problem now? But if you had done that you wouldn't have known if you could improve yourself by changing the way you hold the pick. Right now you say you suffer and that's a clear signal. The opposite, of being comfortable but not gripping it the way that would enable your teachnique to flourish would be more difficult to see through and bring yourself into changing. -------------------- My bands homepage
All time favourites: B. Streisand - Woman in Love, M. Hopkin - Those were the days, L. Richie - Hello |
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Feb 16 2009, 03:43 PM
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QUOTE (ztevie @ Feb 16 2009, 03:33 PM) I don't know, is the most comfortable way always what's best? As I said in my earlier post, I suffer from the way I hold the pick now, cause I can not develop very much in terms of cleaner speedier picking at the moment. And it's a pain to change the way you hold the pick after a couple of years. If i would have held the pick differently from day one, I might not have this problem now? I still think he should check out different approaches and choose what feels comfortable, but also, what will not give him problems in the future... But, by all means, I am far from an expert in the matter... A few links I googled for, haven't looked them through though: http://guitar.about.com/library/weekly/aa071200g.htm https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mE2S3u-Wz1g http://www.cyberfret.com/first-fret/using-a-pick/page2.php http://ezinearticles.com/?How-to-Hold-a-Gu...g&id=735365 http://www.dolphinstreet.com/guitar_video_...s/lesson-46.php http://www.guitartutoronline.com/index.htm...4_hold_pick.htm http://guitarteacher.wordpress.com/2008/03...to-hold-a-pick/ I'm not an expert either but I guess everyone should try different styles of holding the pick. IMO there are certain positions for the pick for certain people that can prevent the person from playing faster or more relaxed or more precise. That's why it's useful to experiment even if you feel comfortable with a specific position of the pick. The way you hold a pick also varies when using different techniques. For sweeping you hold the pick a bit looser and let it angle a bit depending on the direction (up, down). Strumming is another different case. You can hold the pick differently if you apply lots of dynamics and you dig lower and pick with some pinch harmonics. And other than that: the position of you palm, your lower arm and all this stuff matters. What I'm saying here is that it's not only the pick position that's important when heading for speed and precision. But there aren't any models to copy either so what you can do is to pay constant attention to your picking hand (during different techniques) and see how you can sort it out. |
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Feb 16 2009, 04:06 PM
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I used to think there was a wrong way, but then I saw Marty Friedman, and Shawn Lane, so as said before the wrong way is simply the one it feels uncomfortable to you.
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