[Splbooth]

I can finally play a few songs well, but I cant use a pick =(

I never use a pick, but for some songs they just dont sound right unless you use it... and everytime I try to use it I keep strumming wrong, or I hit a string i'm not meant to (frequently), and it just sounds terrible.

Has anyone got any practises for getting to grips with strumming with a pick? Merci!

[knight46]

http://www.guitarforbeginners.com/fo...-technique%5D/
This may be a good place to start.

[LeeB]

I know you do not want to hear this..but it's about practice...repitition and frequency. After a while you will wonder why you having difficulties as with everything about this instrument.
I would also buy several picks with different thicknesses to experiment with...

[Splbooth]

Well, I dont tend to drop the pick.. the pick just feels alien to me

Still, the practise cant hurt!

EDIT: The practise does hurt...

[starsailor]

Here's a link to some more info on picking Splbooth, have you tried different types of pick or are you just using a standard one?

Scroll down the page, some info on picking and strumming, hope it helps

Physicalguitar.com - Get Physical

[johnnydoxx]

I just started using a pick about 2 months ago. I found that the thin picks are easier to control at my stage of learning. But they break faster than thicker ones, so you need a pocketful of them.
But +1 to it's mainly about practice.

Starsailor - Great link

[spidermouse]

Basically the use of a pick will come with experience

When i first started playing guitar i didnt use a pick, and i didnt use a pick for 8-9 months after.

when i did use a pick i anchored my hand on the bridge,(like you are going to palm mute, but dont put ur hand on the strings) this made using the pick easier.

I originally used a heavy thickness pick then gradually experimented with other thicknesses, personally i like using medium picks, i only use thin picks for sweeping and fast alternate picking, they break easily so have a few on hand just in case

[Buchanan]

They sell these small grip tape(sand paper) type things you can stick on your pick so that you don't drop it as much. Also make sure you are holding it right; your thumb should be flat on the pick, perpendicular to the point, and your index finger should be bent over and placed on the back of the pick with the last joint in about the center of the pick.

LeeB is right on. Everything with the guitar takes practice. Changing the way you play is one of the hardest things I have come across so far. But with a little work you will be flat pickin soon!

[spidermouse]

Originally Posted by Buchanan

They sell these small grip tape(sand paper) type things you can stick on your pick so that you don't drop it as much. Also make sure you are holding it right;

everyone is going to drop their pick from time to time, theres no need for grip tape and sand paper on ur pick, dont be afraid to drop your pick, just relax your hand, dont have a deathgrip on it like dropping it will be your downfall, in time you will get better at holding it in a secure place.

also

theres no set way to hold a pick, just hold it in a way thats comfortable for you, in a way thats easiest for you, everyone is different, not everyone plays guitar the same way

[tomg123]

I also started with fingers and then pick, so i'm better with fingers. Got to remember your fingers have been part of you your whole life, so they are easier to control. A pick is like a new part, thats why you hear veteran players say it will come with time

BTW, i have a question of my own to veteran players or anyone. Does it matter that much that the tip of my pick is slightly pointed to the bridge and not the nut? seems to be how i want to play, cant' find an answer anywhere

[Buchanan]

Originally Posted by spidermouse

theres no set way to hold a pick, just hold it in a way thats comfortable for you, in a way thats easiest for you, everyone is different, not everyone plays guitar the same way

That's right, but there are WRONG ways to hold a pick. I just meant what I said seems to be a fairly easy way to hold it when youre learning to play with a pick. Sorry about the baD COMMUNICATION

[PhilUSAFRet]

As a fellow beginner, (been one for some time now) I struggled with a pick until I studied the online tutorials more closely. As many have told you, practice is the only fix and hitting only the desired strings without much practice will continue to be impossible. The pick user on one site explained that a mistake many make is to have too much pick sticking out between the thumb and forefinger. This was my problem. He said he liked to have his forefinger low enough on the pick so that it lightly brushed the strings when he strummed. This worked for me and my strumming improved dramatically in short order. Not sure my finger brushes the strings a great deal, but it does illustrate how low some pickers grip the pick.

[kaneashiru1]

I started with a pick... I suppose the biggest problem is getting the pick caught in some strings.. TO avoid that you tilt the pick so you slice into the strings instead of broadsiding it with the pick if you're strumming fast.. So I suggest experimenting with ways to hold the pick and find the most comfortable way, I sometimes even use the read corner portion of the pick to make weak sounding notes.... I Hope this helps..

[solidwalnut]

Originally Posted by Splbooth

I can finally play a few songs well, but I cant use a pick =(

I never use a pick, but for some songs they just dont sound right unless you use it... and everytime I try to use it I keep strumming wrong, or I hit a string i'm not meant to (frequently), and it just sounds terrible.

Has anyone got any practises for getting to grips with strumming with a pick? Merci!

Splbooth--

I'm in the process of creating a lesson on exactly this. Here's an excerpt from this future lesson:

***************

The secret to holding a pick (at least the way I've learned) is two-fold:

Choke Up and Down on the Pick

My starting position is to hold the pick about a quarter of an inch from the tip (this is 'choke up'. 'Choke down' refers to exposing more of the tip).

Many times I'll 'choke up' and only see an eighth of an inch of the tip. For light stumming, this guarantees very little pick noise. For heavier strumming, I'll 'choke down' so more of the pick is exposed and rotate it slightly. Read on to see what I mean.

Rotate the Pick Around the X Axis

Or twist the wrist slightly. This has an effect on pick noise, too. The more parallel the pick is to the string, the more surface area of the pick that is on the string, the more pick noise. If you rotate the pick backward slightly (or toward you) and in varying degrees you begin to eliminate pick noise all together. Not only that, you actually get more of a 'snap' on the string(s). The edge of the pick by the tip needs to be used more than the flat part, in my humble opinion.

But also the more surface area of the pick to drag on the strings, and the more likely you are to drop the pick (see the lesson Pick Control Challenge for tips on how to hold on to the pick for the long haul. Just to give you an idea, I've probably dropped my pick 5 times in the last 10 years! And I can be a very hard and fast strummer)...

**************

These are just a few words from the rough draft, but I wanted to share with you what I have so far. Here's the bottom line for a beginner:

As Phil said in his post, he found from other tutorials that the biggest mistake beginners make is exposing too much of the tip of the pick. 'Choke up' on it and only expose 1/8 or 1/4 inch. Also, my style over the years has developed where I actually choke up so radically on the pick that I brush the strings with the fleshy part of my thumb or with the fingernail of the index finger of my picking hand. This is what adds flavor to your playing.

But don't worry so much about flavor at this point. It's the act of 'choking up' on the pick and only exposing a small portion that will help with making the pick not seem so foreign AND will help with you keeping the pick in your fingers AND will drastically reduce pick noise.

I have a couple of others that talk about side issues, such as The Pick Control Challenge that knight brought up.

There's also a good pic of holding the pick in the lesson Switching from Flatpick to Fingerstyle. Take a look at the pic on the left and read the first paragraph of this post.

I hope this is helpful. I'll get that lesson out soon with some decent pics of what I'm talking about. Please fire away with any questions you might have.

As far as hitting the right or wrong strings, that's another subject that you can tackle after 'getting a grip' on picking!

All the best,

Steve

[solidwalnut]

Originally Posted by tomg123

...BTW, i have a question of my own to veteran players or anyone. Does it matter that much that the tip of my pick is slightly pointed to the bridge and not the nut? seems to be how i want to play, cant' find an answer anywhere

Naw, I don't think it's going to matter, Tom. If anything, mine is usually perpendicular to the strings if not slightly pointing toward the nut, but just find what works for your hand. IMHO, It's probably more important to get the pick rotated slightly so you're actually playing more with the edge of the pick as opposed to the entire flat surface of the tip.

Steve