Strumming and Pick Angles

I would say what ever is comfottable to you. if you are getting the sounds you want then stick with what you do.

you could have trouble if your pick is angled too acutely into the strings.
the nature of my hand when sitting or standing makes my pick at a slight angle from perpendicular to the string.
in otherwords. it points ever so slightly down and towards from me.
but that is when I have my hand(back of palm) anchored for fast flatpicking.

when strumming or when my hand is free from the guitar it is fairly right angled or perpendicular to the strings; changing direction only slightly in the opposite direction of my strum (up/down).

I have good control of my pick even though I never vise grip it.
the pick is held with the same amont of pressure one would use to pick a plectum off a table surface.

this is hard to describe. it is such a nuance thing.

Simplest way I can describe would be to ensure the tip of the pick is pointed slightly away from the direction of travel. So if you are picking upwards the pick should be pointing more downwards than level. Or lean the pick in the direction of travel similar to the forward and backslashes on a keyboard. Look down at the keys and notice on your slashes that they are just a hair off being straight up. Use sort of that angle when picking strings and your pick sound shouldn't be as noticable.

Same would be true for down picking. Position the pick just ever so slightly pointing up towards you. Trying to describe this without too much overstating.

The pick should be able to glide across the string without too much tip plucking the string for smoother motion and softer sound.

I hope this helps or makes some sense.

It does help and make sense. Thank you. But it's not quite what I'm asking. I'll try using pictures.

Ok take the guitar below, it's at an angle typical of sitting down, or darn close to it. So the strumming would be straight up and down, and the pick would be close to level with the floor right?

Now if I were to tilt it and play with the guitar at this angle, should my pick and strumming be at the same angle?

I get it, now.

In a nut shell, Yes. You should maintain a strum as perpendicular to the strings as possible, meaning crossing the strings.

My personal feeling on this is that if you were to continue to strum say straight up and down from the floor (???) and your guitar is angled as you play it, you may get more pick to string contact than what you might desire to have. This could make a small scratching sound as your pick scratches along the string more than an actual pluck.

Good grief I hope that makes sense. :D

I see what you're saying. That could be part of my problem. I like to have my guitar sit low so I have to have it at a high angle. Mind you as I play it slips a little lower.

I'll have to practice my picking technique, and hope I don't lose the pick in the soundhole............again. You've been a huge help. Thank you very much.

I get it now too. onewingangel, having your guitar slung low will make it a bit harer to hold your pick as well as fret the notes.
low slung makes our wrist angle more than standard guitar jholding (whatever that means).

if you bend over a bit and angle your guitar as you say things may level out.

I notice when Jimi Page plays low slung he bends way over when doing those insanely fast note runs.

however you want to hold your guitar is fine. just adjust your playing so it feels comfortable. that way you want develop anything that could cause your wrist harm and you will be able to play the guitar as good as you want.

picks into the sound hole.
we all experience that. I do the upside down shake method to get mine out. then it lands on the patterned carpet and dissappears.
once, when I was changing strings my pet bird climbed into the sound hole. she must have thought it was a birdhouse.
she got really upset when I did the shake the pick manuver....just kidding.
I turned the guitar on its side and she eventually climbed out.

one more thing. if you want to sling your guitar low...play with the neck angled up higher. that way you will be able to see and play the fret board better.

Every thing like guitar position and pick angle is personal .. what works for me may not work for you

Its all about comfort

play as fast as you can, as well as as hard as you can. play the most technically difficult things you know. focus on the playing, as opposed to the pick angle. if there's a problem with how you hold the pick, it will become immediately apparent.

Well, I can't figure out what the clicking sound in the recordings is for the life of me. Turns out, I've been playing with the pick angled up the entire time. As for the angle of the guitar, that's not it either. I do have it at an angle when I start playing but it normally slips near horizontal once I get into playing. *guitar sits higher since I got a new strap*

So it's becoming apparent that my problem is not becoming apparent. All I can think of is that I normally hold it between the side of my index finger and my thumb. Anyone have ideas?

OWA, two things:

The clicking sound may be the pick flexing and snapping back into position. Most new players begin with thin picks and this is one of their (the pick's) characteristics. With experience and control, most (but not all) players move to thicker gauge picks which are less likely to click while strumming.

Your question seems to be referring to the angle of your strum across the strings. There are other angles to consider. Another is the angle of the pick as it brushes over a single string. People do various things, but many of us almost never let the pick strike the string broadside, which casues the string to contact as much of the pick as possible. It is often more useful to bend ones wrist slightly to allow one edge of the pick to meet the string. The exact angle depends upon the desired tone and speed, and almost how violently one wishes to strum. Among those of us who pick this way, it seems most common for the edge of the pick toward the headstock to be the contact edge -- though some play like George Benson and actually bend the wrist up so far that the back edge of the pick makes the contact. Try rotating your pick to different angles and note the difference in how easily it moves over the strings and how the volume and tone change while doing this.

the pick sound you hear is quite normal. mine sometimes seems too loud, but I generally have a strong pick attack.

if you listen to some hard rock cds you can hear that sound. Jimi Page definately has it. it is not necessarily a bad thing. it is part of the nature of the beast.

on acoustic I often ultilize that sound. I will sometimes pi=urposely hold the pick very lihghty so when strumming I get that clicky brushing sound.
think long finger nails on piano keys.

as for guitar playing angle: I was jamming this weekend. when in the rythm mode my guitar was horizontal, but when I went into lead mode my neck rose upwards near my face.

my advice: stay loose and let your instrument move around to the mood positions as they arise; let your pick pressure vary as it adds character to the sound.

le