How To Hold A Guitar Pick
Introduction - Holding A Plectrum
In order to play the guitar properly, it's important to know how to hold your guitar pick the right way. In order to do so we must become aware of how to hold the pick, how to avoid mistakes, and ways to practice our technique. While it may seem like a trivial question, the following article will prove useful to not only beginners, but to seasoned players in need of a refresher.
How to Hold a Guitar Pick:
1. Hold the pick between your thumb and index finger.
2. Place your thumb on the back of the pick, and your index finger on the front.
3. Your other fingers should be curled underneath your hand.
4. Grip the pick lightly, so you can still move it around easily.
Mistakes To Avoid:
Many players have adopted bad habits that they are unaware of. These are a few mistakes to avoid when holding your plectrum.
One common mistake people make when holding a guitar pick is not holding it firmly enough. This can cause the pick to slip out of your hand and make it difficult to control the pick.
Another mistake is holding the pick too tightly. This can cause the pick to bend or break, making it difficult to use.
Guitar Picking Techniques
Once you know how to hold your pick properly, you can begin using it creatively to create unique sounds for your music. Many special techniques have evolved from the modern guitar world, here are some of them:
hybrid/ chicken pickin: Hybrid picking is using your guitar pick and extra fingers in conjunction.
Sweep picking: Sweep picking is a way to easily play arpeggios and lines on consecutive strings in a sweeping motion.
Alternate picking: Alternate picking requires alternating between up and down strokes to increase speed.
While mastering these skills may take some more time, learning them will make you a better player and improve the range of quality music you can produce and play.
Ways to improve your guitar picking technique
1. Use a metronome to improve your timing and accuracy when picking notes.
2. Practice your picking patterns slowly at first to get the hang of them before increasing the speed.
3. Experiment with different picking techniques and find the ones that work best for you.
4. Pay attention to your picking hand position and make sure that your fingers are close to the strings to reduce noise.
5. Use a guitar pick that is comfortable for you and that gives you the desired sound.
Conclusion
Just holding the pick is not enough to play the guitar well, we must also avoid developing bad habits, and study the ways in which the greats practiced to improve their playing. Learning to use a pick comfortably has a learning curve, but with time and practice, it soon becomes second nature. Now that you know how to hold a guitar pick, you're ready to start playing!