daveinspain Posted September 7, 2008 Share Posted September 7, 2008 Ok... This may be the lamest question of all time. What is the correct way to hold a pick? How do you stop the pick from sliding out of your grip... Please no super glue responses... Problem is when I hold the pick so tight so it doesn't slide around my playing gets all stiff... Please no Velcro on the finger tips either... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ian Martin Posted September 7, 2008 Share Posted September 7, 2008 I've spent ALOT of time trying to formulate the best way to hold a pick. From my experience (and this is what has worked best for me), hold it between the bottom middle of my thumb and the side of my index finger. You should never have to manually squeeze or use force to keep it in place (at least, not enough that you are mentally aware of it), that can cause alot of muscle problems and slow you down. With this position, it seems to automatically kind of lock in place. When I am playing leads or anything that I need to play with alot of quick precision, I choke up on the pick so there is little other than the tip showing. I got used to this alot easier when I started doing pinch harmonics. You can basically pull 'em off with no effort that way. When I am strumming chords (or slamming power chords, which I often do in a up-down pendulum style) I let up on the pick a bit and give it much more tip. You don't want to relinquish it completely, but you want to give it some leeway to actually move when you strike the strings. On upstrokes I also rotate my hand to roll with it to make the strum a little more fluid. But the long answer to your question, sometimes it is not your technique...sometimes it is the pick itself. What picks are you using? I find the cheap *** nylon and plastic picks are like sweat magnets and slip like crazy. I use Dunlop Tortex .88s. It's a man-made material that doesn't slip very much, and it is coated in powder originally to cut down on that as well. But keep in mind, even the seasoned pros lose a pick now and then. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MikeRom Posted September 7, 2008 Share Posted September 7, 2008 Ok... This may be the lamest question of all time. What is the correct way to hold a pick? How do you stop the pick from sliding out of your grip... Please no super glue responses... Problem is when I hold the pick so tight so it doesn't slide around my playing gets all stiff... Please no Velcro on the finger tips either... That's your problem right there, don't hold the pick so tight. But there are picks that will help with gripping,using ridges or rough areas, gels, etc. I use Dunlop nylon picks which have raised lettering & rough patches. It's very unusual that I drop a pick and ususally not from playing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChanMan Posted September 7, 2008 Share Posted September 7, 2008 I hold it loosely... loose enough to almost be falling from my fingers (and keep picks handy).... it allows me to move quickly and play with more fluidity. I will choke up on it and pinch it when I need to dig in to the note. I also angle my pick forward to the string, playing more with the leading edge than the flat. I also play a lot of rhythm with my pick sideways, point towards my palm. I have found the Dunlop nylon picks to have pretty good grip, but have to give the overall nod to either the tortex or ultex picks. Hope this helps! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
saturn Posted September 7, 2008 Share Posted September 7, 2008 I hold it loosely... loose enough to almost be falling from my fingers (and keep picks handy).... it allows me to move quickly and play with more fluidity. I will choke up on it and pinch it when I need to dig in to the note. I also angle my pick forward to the string' date=' playing more with the leading edge than the flat. I also play a lot of rhythm with my pick sideways, point towards my palm.[/quote'] I'm pretty much just like Chan. I will lose a pick now and then, but that's the way it is. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DoubleSixx Posted September 7, 2008 Share Posted September 7, 2008 I had questions about picks awhile back. I'm sorry off the top of my head I don't remember who posted what I've been doing lately. I scratch up the flat sides of the pick with sand paper. Just enough to give it a texture so it won't slip. Makes a huge difference. Just a few swipes front and back but not the edges. Thanx again to the person who posted this awhile back in one of my threads. Good luck. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tim Plains Posted September 7, 2008 Share Posted September 7, 2008 I picked up a bad habit when I first started playing years and years ago. I used to use my thumb, index and middle fingers to hold the pick. When I decided I was going to to hold a pick properly, I had a really hard time adjusting. Like you, the pick kept sliding all over the place. What I did was cut the pics with a knife, just random cuts along both sides of the pic. This way, my thumb and index had a firm grip. Look at the picture on this page. http://guitar.about.com/library/weekly/aa071200g.htm Pretty much how I hold it. The only difference is the tip of my index finger rests closer to the tip of my thumb. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thundergod Posted September 7, 2008 Share Posted September 7, 2008 I hold it loosely... loose enough to almost be falling from my fingers (and keep picks handy).... it allows me to move quickly and play with more fluidity. I will choke up on it and pinch it when I need to dig in to the note. I also angle my pick forward to the string' date=' playing more with the leading edge than the flat. I also play a lot of rhythm with my pick sideways, point towards my palm. I have found the Dunlop nylon picks to have pretty good grip, but have to give the overall nod to either the tortex or ultex picks. Hope this helps! [/quote'] +1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
daveinspain Posted September 7, 2008 Author Share Posted September 7, 2008 Ok, some great tips... Thanks guys. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tim Plains Posted September 7, 2008 Share Posted September 7, 2008 I hold it loosely... loose enough to almost be falling from my fingers (and keep picks handy).... it allows me to move quickly and play with more fluidity. I will choke up on it and pinch it when I need to dig in to the note. ...don't know why, but "Float like a butterfly, sting like a bee" came to mind when I read this. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
surfpup Posted September 7, 2008 Share Posted September 7, 2008 You've been playing a while haven't you , Dave? I ask because I can't remember the last time I dropped a pick. However, I do remember dropping them a lot when I first started out. Here's my grip... And here's my pick... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tim Plains Posted September 7, 2008 Share Posted September 7, 2008 You've been playing a while haven't you ' date=' Dave? I ask because I can't remember the last time I dropped a pick.[/quote']The last time I dropped a pick was in Sydney, Australia. The year was 1973... Back then, I was in a not so known 5 piece band called ACDC. While on stage, one of the other members, Malcolm...I believe, bumped into me and I dropped my pick. Well, that moment caused a bit of turmoil and I ended up leaving the band over it. I vowed never to speak with Malcolm again... I think they found another guitarist to replace me, Malcolm's brother. ...wonder what ever happened to that band? I'm sure they never made it anywhere... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
daveinspain Posted September 7, 2008 Author Share Posted September 7, 2008 You've been playing a while haven't you ' date=' Dave? I ask because I can't remember the last time I dropped a pick. However, I do remember dropping them a lot when I first started out. [/quote'] Hey Surf... Actually no I haven't been playing all that long... I have been in music all my life but I just picked up playing guitar about a year ago... So I'm at the bottom of the learning curve but doing well... I always wanted to play guitar but I never had the patients to dedicate the time to do it when I was young. Well now, in my mature years, I have the patients and the same desire so here I am.... :-) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MI_Canuck Posted September 7, 2008 Share Posted September 7, 2008 Dave - sweet - keep at it! That's what I keep telling myself - I'm enjoying the hell out if even if it's a slow process (been learning guitar for a little over a year now with absolutely zero music background prior - I'm in my early 30s) - I've found the Dunlop Gator (I use .58mm - they are a pinkish red) pics to have some nice grip. Some of the above pics with ridges look like they would help too. cheers Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RichCI Posted September 7, 2008 Share Posted September 7, 2008 I know this is kind of a **** answer, but I don't think there really is a "right" way to hold a pick, just whatever feels and sounds good to you. I burn through picks pretty fast to I keep a supply of them ready to instantly grab for when I wear one out or just drop one. I buy Fender Mediums in bulk so I'm not concerned with finding the ones that disappear. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nikko18 Posted September 7, 2008 Share Posted September 7, 2008 i travis pick alot so i use these herco picks that actually have a little part that goes over your thumb and holds it on. it works really good, and just sticks there while i use my fingers Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thundergod Posted September 7, 2008 Share Posted September 7, 2008 I think its a prety valid question Dave... really. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
daveinspain Posted September 7, 2008 Author Share Posted September 7, 2008 Here's my grip... And here's my pick... Great Surf!! Thanks for taking the time to do the pics... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
surfpup Posted September 7, 2008 Share Posted September 7, 2008 No problem, Dave. You will drop them less over time as you develop a grip that works for you. At least with a Les Paul you can't drop them in the hole like you can in an acoustic. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thundergod Posted September 7, 2008 Share Posted September 7, 2008 I just noticed (duh) that I use my thumb and my middle finger (THE FINGER) to hold the pick... dont aply much presure. I use the index finger for tapping, harmonics and such while playing with the pick held as metioned before... Ill have a pic tomorrow. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ren Posted September 8, 2008 Share Posted September 8, 2008 I use to use the smooth type of pick as made by Gibson et al and was always dropping them. Then I recently changed to Herco's (as used by a Mr. Page) and these have a serated pattern on the sides. Really grippy and now never dropped. Come in several thicknesses and can thoroughly recommend. Just Google Herco picks for a supplier in your area. cheers. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bradmeister Posted September 8, 2008 Share Posted September 8, 2008 Maybe it's the size of your pick? I use dunlop tortex jazz picks (hard purple ones). I rarely drop a pick. I do have a hard time with a "normal" sized pick now, though.... -Brad Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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