All Things Picking 1

While on a few message boards and instructional sites this week, I was surprised by how little info I could find on improving picking hand technique.  Of course, practice is the biggest way to make improvements, but there are a few things I’ll throw out there that I’ve learned along the way.

Holding Your Pick:
Picks are like snowflakes… you’d be hard pressed to find two people who hold them the same.  Most players I know hold it between their index finger and thumb.  Some musicians hold it with three fingers.  I’ve heard stories that Eddie Van Halen holds his pick between his thumb and middle finger, (so his first finger is available for tapping.)  Also, I’ve heard that the Edge holds his pick sideways, using one of the rounded edges instead of the point.

With all that said, it’s important to hold your pick in a way that won’t slow your progress while learning.  When I began playing, I held my pick with my thumb, index, and middle finger.  (At the time, I thought it gave me a better grip, since I dropped picks alot.)  Unfortunately, this technique stifled my improvement as a player.  As I talked to more experienced guitarists, many of them noticed how stiff my strumming wrist was, which I quickly discovered was because of using my three finger technique…  holding it that way tensed up the muscles and tendons of three fingers in my wrist, and kept me from strumming loosely.  Soon after, I took the time to break that habit and started holding my pick with two fingers.  After that, I saw a considerable jump in my development.

If holding a pick a certain way works for you, then go for it!  But while you do, pay careful attention to whether it affects your playing.  Do you feel like your wrist or hand muscles are very stiff?  Do you find yourself missing notes alot when trying to pick them individually?  Or do you notice that your strumming seems rough and choppy?  If the answer is yes to any of these things, ask a more experienced player to look at your grip.  (The pic below shows me holding my pick.)  Generally the side of my thumb runs the width of the pick and the middle of my index finger is centered on the point.  I usually have less than a quarter of the length of the pick exposed when playing.  (That changes on the fly though depending on what I’m doing.  If I’m playing lead lines, or single to two note patters, I usually have less exposed.  If I’m strumming openly, like on an acoustic I’ll expose more of my pick.) 

(A look at me holding a pick)

Avoid “Digging In” When Strumming
Building off my last comment, I learned that lesson the hard way.  One of my biggest problems early on was to leave too much of my pick exposed, which meant I’d beat my strings instead of lightly touching them.  Besides problems with broken strings, I also struggled with tiredness in my hand, (from the added resistance,) out of tune chords, strings buzzing because I’d hit them too hard, and a generally sloppy tone.  That digging in was also the reason so many picks would fly out of my hand.

One exercise I do now to work on my contact amount is to grab a pick and practice my picking hand motion without a guitar.  (I don’t recommend doing this in a public place, you might get some funny looks.)  A good technique I use is to brush on the outside of my leg like it was the strings on my guitar.  I’ll pay careful attention to how my motion is… is it strong and choppy, or smooth and fluid?  Do I feel constant pressure as my hand moves up and down, or does it bounce around alot?  When I first make contact does the pick really hit hard, or is it smooth and light?  Ideally, you want your initial contact to be fairly light, and your motion throughout to be smooth and fluid, both when your strumming aggressively and also when you’re gently picking. 

When I first started doing this, I noticed that my strumming hand flopped all over the place.  It made perfect sense then why I struggled with missing notes on arpeggios and lead lines..  My initial contact tended to “dig in”, so then my pick would get stuck a bit as I traveled across the strings.  Noticing this, I worked on making my initial contact a little lighter, and carrying my motion throughout the strum.  It really cleaned up my sound and how smooth my chords blended together.

(The next article will discuss controlling the movement of your hand, and your angle of attack.)