Holding a pick

[petelanger]

I don’t know how long you have been playing but from your question it would seem not very long. You will get used to it! One instructor suggested to always carry a pick in your pocket in order to get comfortable with it. I can’t say I heeded his advice, but it definitely feels more natural in my hand after about 18 months of playing than it used to in the beginning.

There are a good many variations in picks and you might try some different kinds to see if something speaks to you.

[Skyman911]

I’m probably not the best one to give advice on this subject as I don’t like playing with a pick, however I do need to learn and try to use one everyday. I’ve been pretty diligent for the past year. One thing I’ve done that has helped me, is having less pick exposed. I only have about 1/16 to maybe 1/4 inch if the tip exposed. I keep trying to go less. This has helped with my accuracy, speed, and not having the pick getting caught in the strings as much on the upstroke. It also seems to keep the pick from rotating as much in my fingers. @petelanger also gave great advice. Try different pick, pick shapes, pick materials, and pick thickness. I’ve gone to a much thicker pick than when I first started.

[Loraine]

@mhotovycomcast-net It is a love hate relationship, especially at the beginning. It took me a long time to get comfortable with it. I still don’t hold it the right way. Sometimes I’ll choke up on it like skyman said, but I find that can cause my hand interferes with the strings, and it doesn’t allow freedom for the wrist to move to strum. Play around with different styles of picks, sizes, thickness, etc. It is hard not too, but if you can loosen your grip on the pick, it allows for better control and movement. I like Pete’s idea of carrying one in your pocket and fingering it. Watch other players to see how they hold and play. I used to watch YouTube videos of people I admired and wanted to play like. I watched their hand and wrist and the tension, etc.

[jumpinjeff]

I love the pick, picks of different size, shape, material, and thickness. My best advice is balance. Think of the pick as being balanced on your finger. It will have equal feel on the down stroke then a counter balance, and a positional correction on the up stroke. If that was not to your liking then another correction on the following downstroke but always getting back with as little effort as can possibly be exerted to that place of balance. Try to let the pick do the work, your fingers get it to the right place and then the weight of the pick is what provides the enegy for the strike. When I do this correctly my whole arm and wrist and hand works in unison as if there were no joints, more like a big noodle and it all flows. Think of the freedom you had as a kid when you learned how to balance on a two wheeler: balancing the pick was the same.

[CamiB]

I must honestly say that I hate using a pick. I even got one of the textured ones to help me to stop dropping it into the sound hole…still feels alien to me, but I promised myself I will work at getting used to it. I’d also appreciate any tips on making it feel natural to use when playing my guitar.