Short Description: This article teaches you the correct way to hold the pick.
The first step would be to get yourself quite a few picks as you'd lose them much sooner than you imagine. Everybody loses them, so don't be stingy, buy at least a dozen of them. They aren't costly though, you could get a good pick at less than a dollar. There are numerous shapes, sizes and gauges available in the market. Go for medium gauged ones - the ones that are neither too flimsy nor too hard.
Enough about buying picks. It's high time we get down to the actual business of holding a pick.
Open your "picking hand" with the palm facing you. Gently curl the fingers to form a loose fist and turn it in an anti-clockwise direction till the knuckle of your thumb faces you. Keep your hand relaxed all the while.
Ease the pick between your thumb and index finger with the back end nestling between the index finger and the fleshy part of the thumb. The pick shouldn't jut out too much else you wouldn't be comfortable while strumming. After you've adjusted the pick slowly open up the other three fingers.
The pick should be held firmly but don't press it too hard else strumming won't be easy. It doesn't matter if it slips off a few times in the beginning. Simply push it back to its proper place.
Sling your picking arm gently over the body of the guitar and rest the pick on the third string just above the sound hole. Plant your other three fingers on the face of the instrument. Then, without moving your wrist, let your arm fall freely using elbow as a pivot. Stop the moment you've picked the lowest string. Repeat this exercise starting from the topmost string till you can strike all the strings as your hand falls across them. See to it that you aren't missing any while moving down.
With the down stroke taken care of, turn your attention to the up stroke. Keep your wrist still and let the arm remain pivoted at elbow. Start from the lowest string and let your arm move upwards in a smooth single movement. The pick will brush the strings on its way up. It may miss one or two strings - it doesn't matter. The upstroke is always weaker than the down stroke.
You'll surely be surprised if I tell you Eddie Van Halen, Jimi Hendrix and Mark Knopfler had their unique styles of holding the pick. So, don't be too fussy about the "correct" way of holding it. Just see to it that you're comfortable while holding it and can pick the strings without too much effort.
The first step would be to get yourself quite a few picks as you'd lose them much sooner than you imagine. Everybody loses them, so don't be stingy, buy at least a dozen of them. They aren't costly though, you could get a good pick at less than a dollar. There are numerous shapes, sizes and gauges available in the market. Go for medium gauged ones - the ones that are neither too flimsy nor too hard.
Enough about buying picks. It's high time we get down to the actual business of holding a pick.
Open your "picking hand" with the palm facing you. Gently curl the fingers to form a loose fist and turn it in an anti-clockwise direction till the knuckle of your thumb faces you. Keep your hand relaxed all the while.
Ease the pick between your thumb and index finger with the back end nestling between the index finger and the fleshy part of the thumb. The pick shouldn't jut out too much else you wouldn't be comfortable while strumming. After you've adjusted the pick slowly open up the other three fingers.
The pick should be held firmly but don't press it too hard else strumming won't be easy. It doesn't matter if it slips off a few times in the beginning. Simply push it back to its proper place.
Sling your picking arm gently over the body of the guitar and rest the pick on the third string just above the sound hole. Plant your other three fingers on the face of the instrument. Then, without moving your wrist, let your arm fall freely using elbow as a pivot. Stop the moment you've picked the lowest string. Repeat this exercise starting from the topmost string till you can strike all the strings as your hand falls across them. See to it that you aren't missing any while moving down.
With the down stroke taken care of, turn your attention to the up stroke. Keep your wrist still and let the arm remain pivoted at elbow. Start from the lowest string and let your arm move upwards in a smooth single movement. The pick will brush the strings on its way up. It may miss one or two strings - it doesn't matter. The upstroke is always weaker than the down stroke.
You'll surely be surprised if I tell you Eddie Van Halen, Jimi Hendrix and Mark Knopfler had their unique styles of holding the pick. So, don't be too fussy about the "correct" way of holding it. Just see to it that you're comfortable while holding it and can pick the strings without too much effort.
About the Author:
Crazy Dave is the net's largest provider of top-notch free guitar licks featuring an all-inclusive breakdown of the most valuable online "how to" guitar course at learn and master guitar!
