Beginner problem – Seeing Guitar – choosing and using pick

[Loraine]

Welcome to the TAC community Ana! Simple matters to correct.

Proper choice of a pick is whatever works best for you. Typically with flatpicking, a more firm pick is used, and with strumming (especially a beginner), a less firm pick is desired. Play around with different picks and choose whichever has the better feel and allows you to play the most efficiently and easiest way.

As for correct posture, holding the guitar, etc., everyone looks at their guitar when beginning, and there is nothing wrong with it. As you become more accomplished, you won’t need to look as often, because you’ll have built up muscle memory in your hands, and they’ll automatically go where they are meant to. Even experienced players peek at their hands occasionally. Ideally, you’ll want to try and have the best posture and positioning of your guitar to avoid fatigue and injury of any kind over time. And good posture leads to cleaner playing. But for now, just do what you need to do to play the guitar.

Hope you have lots of fun with it!

[SoCal_Ian]

Hi @Ana L and welcome to the wonderful world of guitar! Great advice from @Loraine and I’d like to suggest that you try a “variety pack” of picks. You can either assemble them yourself by going to a local shop and choosing a bunch of individual picks to try or you can actually purchase a mixed set of picks like this one from Dunlop: https://www.guitarcenter.com/Dunlop/Acoustic-Variety-12-Pack-Picks-1500000140265.gc

Just to be clear it’s not so much the maker of the picks as it is the material, size and thickness that will change the sound of your guitar and feel better to play (2 separate things so try to find the pick(s) that does both for you). Take your time. Pick hunting is the cheapest, easiest and arguably the most fun way to change up your playing.

Good luck!

[Ana L]

Thank you for your advice. I’ll start it again

[jumpinjeff]

@[email protected] said: “I’m unable to see the strings and play both strings with the pick. At the end I’m unable to keep my posture, see the frets and play the first exercise.”

That is a tough one Ana. I had a teacher suggest playing while looking in a mirror but my brain was overly confused by the whole right left reverse so it was not helpful. I guess you could try to play with your computer camera on…maybe that would help you see your fingers without craning your neck around (which is what I did until I didn’t need to anymore. Loraine said it well, we do what we need to do to learn. Take it as slow as you need, to find success in the doing. It will get better fast but consistency, daily playing, setting reasonable goals, these practices will accelerate your progress hopefully making your playing more fun. Focusing on a single chord played in time can be its own small win, or playing a bass note in time cleanly and consistently is another small win. While the goal is to get to speed and play like Tony demonstrates many of us had to start with smaller pieces of a demonstrated lesson. The key is finding the success, making a sound you like and doing it again. If you do that you are winning, your progress will come. Socal Ian covered the pick subject perfectly. Welcome to TAC!

[Ana L]

Thank you again for your advice, I’ll try using my computer camera, it sounds a good idea. Thanks again

[Rando]

Welcome, Ana.

If you’re talking about the Blues Shuffle at the beginning of 30 Days to Play when you mentioned hitting “both strings with the pick”, I still have trouble doing it consistently.

I still look at the strings daily. Sometimes I get brave and look away, and quickly get reminded why I usually look. 🙂

Now, I’m only on day 32, and I have no business giving anyone advice. So, I won’t. But the progress I’ve noticed so far has been very gratifying. The daily playing really seems to make a big difference. I still get frustrated and think I’ll never get something, but the next day, things get easier or make more sense.

You’ll get there. Just have patience. Good luck and don’t give up.