thefireball20th July 2014Glad to know I'm holding my pick "right".
Kristofer Dahl20th July 2014Excellent and super informative lesson, I doubt we'll see any "how should I hold my pick" questions after this one! (I'll miss them though
)
Hajduk21st July 2014Great lessons Ben
Mith29th July 2014Where to I get my own Ben Higgins cardboard pick?
Ben Higgins29th July 2014Where to I get my own Ben Higgins cardboard pick?
For only £3000 I will send you a Ben Higgins Signature Handmade Cardboard Pick ! Is that a bargain or what ?
Nozakx13th August 2015Cheers; good to know I wasnt holding my pic right
- sereno716th September 2015
Ben thank you very much for that basic lesson.
I was considering myself an "intermediate" but ii find out i use guitar pick in the wrong position that you shown us !
Now it is really better, pick is more steady and i also notice that sound in more clean (i think because i was touching next chord with index finger).
I feel a little uncomfortable playing in that new position do you think it takes much time to learn and use easily? (i started playing 8 month ago)
thanks! - Ben Higgins7th September 2015I feel a little uncomfortable playing in that new position do you think it takes much time to learn and use easily? (i started playing 8 month ago)
thanks!
It won't take you long.. thankfully you're early in your guitar development so changes like this should be easier to take place - Kristofer Dahl7th September 2015
Sereno -
Picking is something very personal - if it feels wrong to you I don't suggest you necessarily change anything.
However - if it feels "different" it might be worth experimenting a little bit on a daily basis for ~ a week. If you start noticing benefits in terms of playing better, then you could consider a change. Let me know if it makes sense?
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- Lesson
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Welcome to the 2nd lesson in this unique beginner's course. In this lesson, you will become acquainted with the guitar pick, also known as a plectrum. This humble piece of plastic (sometimes other materials such as metal or tortoise shell) is perhaps the second most important piece of equipment after the guitar itself.
Of course, there are players that use just their fingers and thumb but the reason you're starting this course is because you eventually want to shred, right? And for that, you're going to want to master the use of the pick. So, watch the videos and you will learn about the following:
VIDEO 1 - Pick size / thickness and how it affects guitar playing & tone
VIDEO 2 - How to hold the pick
VIDEO 3 - Problems you encounter from a faulty pick grip
VIDEO 4 - Downstrokes & Upstrokes applied to all strings
VIDEO 5 - Downstrokes & Upstrokes applied to single strings
This might not seem like a lot to take in but believe me, it is enough to try to get your head around at the very beginning. Getting things right at this stage will make things SO much easier for you to progress. Don't worry about becoming Yngwie Malmsteen overnight. Instead, enjoy these early stages of development as you get to laugh at the pick falling out of your hands, strings plonking tunelessly and the new awkward movements you're teaching yourself. This is all part of the journey and you don't want to rush through it! We all had to go through it too! So relax, sit back and let me introduce you to the guitar pick.
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