Hi,
I've been playing guitar for a few months now and I can play the 15 basic chords and a few barre chords reasonable well. I never really paid attention to my right hand technique but only focused on forming the chord with my left hand and strum away.
I now want to concentrate on my technique for picking individual strings and the first problem i came across is how to hold the pick.
when strumming i hold the pick like this:
But when picking strings i like to hold more towards my fingertips, like this: 
I don't like the first method for picking strings because it lacks control. And i don't like the second method for strumming because it lacks grip so the pick tends to slide....
Now, if i have to change form picking strings to strumming i try to move the pick in my fingers to my favourite position, but i i costs quite a lot of speed...
Help would be very much appreciated, should i go with the first method, the second or just practice shifting the pick around with my fingers?
You've just managed to identify the reason I gave up using plectrums (or is that plectra?)...it's hard enough working out strum patterns/rhythms and picking patterns without messing about changing pick positions....
But, whatever feels best for you, stick to it....perhaps if you incorporate changing pick positions into your practise routine, in time you'll develop some sort of smooth transtion at speed....
Vic
"Sometimes the beauty of music can help us all find strength to deal with all the curves life can throw us." (D. Hodge.)
One thing that made a big difference for me was making sure that the pick was as close to perpendicular to the strings as possible. This sounds like a small thing, but it makes a huge difference. I have a tendancy to angle the pick slightly up when I play, making faster picking and strum-to-picking transitions difficult. After many hours of frustration, I made a conscious effort to hold the point of the pick completely perpendicular to the strings and it made a world of difference.
Also, make sure you stay loose. Tensing up will make any aspect of playing much harder.
"Contrary to popular belief, Clapton is NOT God. The prospect that he is God probably had a large hand in driving him to drugs and booze. Thanks everyone."
-Guitar World :lol:
Weird, Pleph and Vic, I never even thought about that issue. For me, I just hold the pick near the tips of the fingers all of the time, so it never really becomes an problem. I never use just one finger to hold the pick, as you pictured, I always use two and that seems to give me a good combination of speed and control.
Hmm.
Do something you love and you'll never work a day in your life...
Thanks for the replies!
I decided that i'll just have to get used to strumming while holding the plectrum near my fingertips (method 2), that way i don't have to think about changing the plectrum's position etc.
I hold the pick more like your method 1 for both picking and strumming.
-- John
"Hip woman walking on a moving floor, tripping on the escalator.
There's a man in the line and she's blowin' his mind, thinking that he's already made her."
'Coming into Los Angeles' - Arlo Guthrie
