Holding the pick

[Stefan Jadefjord]

Now I am really banging my head against the wall!!!

For many years I have been holding the flatpick the way I feel is the most comfortable. Between my thumb and the tip of my indexfinger. This way of holding it feels comfortable and I can play pretty fast this way. However I´ve noticed most flatpickers hold the pick against the first nuckle of the indexfinger. The hand is held like a fist. I tried this and it actually pulled out a bigger, louder tone out of my guitar. It sounds very good but my speed and accuracy is all gone playing this way. It feels so awkward for me.

When I play the tunes I´ve been able to play in my sleep it sound sounds like I´m a beginner all over again. It feels like I have to re-learn everything I know to be able to play like this.

What should I do? Keep playing like I am used to or learn to the new way? How do you hold your pick?

This is how I hold it now, and what feels good:

And this is the "right way" that I find very difficult.

[Tom Pickering]

Just took a lesson from a biggy and asked the same question. Your position #1 is the way I hold my pick and position #2 his way - the index curled more inward. So I am trying to change also. P.S. Your photos seem to suggest you are gripping the "heck" out of the pick - a real no no according to the pros.

[Dan Fearing]

I too hold the pick much like you do with better success. And I have also tried the other way and have struggled. So I don't know what the secret is. But playing in general has been a struggle, as I started when when I was 52 am now 55. So I'm always looking for ways to improve. Sounds like you are a better player than I am. Seems if I hold the pick the "right way" it causes me to be more stiff, but maybe I have to give it more time

[Dave Engel]

Hey Stefan,

Since you have been playing for awhile and are beyond beginner and have built speed etc., etc., here's what YOU have to decide. Do you want to start all over so your doing it like the "other guy"? Will it be benificial? Will you get your speed up faster than the 168 bpm that you can do now in your sleep?

There is no "right or wrong way"! There is OK, better and best, but also subjective for a particular style. I guess rockers on electric guitars hold the pick the way you do and if they can blister out leads at 168-190 something bpm, why can't you on your acoustic? See where I'm going with this?

I faced a similar deal this past year with the "anchoring" pinky thing. Could not and did not adapt it, but rather float the heel of my right hand along the backside of the bridge over the pins. Gets me good clean 168 bpm...why change? Just cause some recording star or instructor says so. NOT! Anyway, just my .02.
Play hard, have fun!

Dave

[Stefan Jadefjord]

Thank you for your input. It is hard to change something that has become a habit. Bad or not. I might add that my tone is not bad now, holding the pick the way I am used to, but changing the grip a bit makes it better. I haven´t made up my mind if it´s worth it or not.

I agree with you Dave, on what you said about electric players. I started playing electric guitar when I was 12 so that´s why I hold the pick the way I do.

Tom Pickering: No, I don´t grip my pick very hard, even though it seems like it in the pics. I have a fairly loose grip.

Dan Fearing: Yes, I agree that the "new way" of holding makes my hand and arm stiff. I keep hitting the wrong string and the speed is gone.

[Monty Smith]

I hold my pick just like you hold yours.

[devellis]

I hold my pick the same way that you do. I used to hold it the "correct" way but I found that it put a lot of lateral force on the joint of my index finger (especially on mandolin) and was causing discomfort. We over-sixty guys need to adapt to what suits our bodies. I actually find the "wrong" way to have several advantages. For example, I can sort of rotate the pick around my finger a bit by shifting my thumb slightly forward. This makes for cleaner triplets and is faster and more precise than rotating my whole wrist to change the angle of pick attack. I don't consider myself anywhere near a good enough picker to suggest that anyone should follow my advice but the "wrong" grip seems to suit me. The one disadvantage is that the pick will tend to rotate a bit in my grip so that the point works its way back toward my wrist a little bit after a while. I think the larger contact patch of the orthodox grip probably reduces that. But all things considered, I find our "wrong" grip to be pretty serviceable in most situations.

[Ray Fairbanks]

Stefan - I also hold the pick the same way you do. I've been working (slowly!) for the last few months to try and get more comfortable with the "proper" grip - but is a slow and uncomfortable process; pick angle felt wrong at first, couldn't seem to "find" the string I was trying to hit, etc. There are certain areas where it really seems that it will much more beneficial (which is the only reason I keep working on it) - such as, the pick doesn't seem to slide around in my fingers as much, and changes in tone and volume. I can get much more volume with the "proper" grip with less effort, and what sounds to be a much wider range of tone - so now I am finding that I need to also work on managing the volume and tone. And I can't pick cleanly as fast, but already I can see that it is improving. But when playing with friends or recording, I still tend to revert to my favorite "wrong" grip.

[L.J. Mattingly]

If you look at the way a lot of pretty hot pickers hold their picks, you will see a lot of them have their own way of doing it. I think the best way is the way that is comfortable to you and allows you to have the control and tone that you want. I think many hold the pick far too tightly and should relax their grip a bit, but I think the best way is the way that works for you.

LJ

[Richard Lewis]

I hold the pick the proper way, at least according to what Doc says on one of his dvd's. I also play electric and have played speedy metal licks 220 bpm, in time and on key. The pick against the knuckle gives more skin to pick connection, thus more control. I also anchor the pinky which allows for more control string skipping, at least for me. Im by no means some speedy picker, I just was lucky to have learned good habits early. The way I've learned is through hours of daily practice, if it doesn't work I quit doing it. Good luck and new ways are oppurtunities not obstacles.

REL

[Christopher J. Davis]

I hold my pick the 2nd way I think...never really thought about it too much. Do what feels best to you, unless you don't like the sound it makes. My (great) teacher John McGann encourages me to do what sounds best, and if it feels uncomfortable, find a way to make it easier. It's probably natural that you feel as if you're back at square one after doing it one way for a long while. Just do it the other way casually everyday for a a while and you'll be back on top in no time.

[Dave Engel]

Hi Bryan and All,

What is a bad habbit? According to whom? If a guy holds his pick with 3 fingers and plays like Orin Star... who are we to tell him he has a bad habbit? I am very cautious using this term in my teaching, especialy with beginners. Show the proven text book methods, then watch and look for small obvious corrections. But if the pick gets held like a rock guitarist and bluegrass is flowing abundantly... let it ride! Know what I mean?

Dave

[Stefan Jadefjord]

I was watching some flatpicker-clips on YouTube the other day and I noticed that Dan Crary has a strange way of holding the pick. :-)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oAz2-wuW3z0