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Learn How to Hold the Pick Like a Professional

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Written by Crazy Dave

Tuesday, 18 March 2008

Short Description: By the time you reach the end of this article you will be able to hold a pick comfortably and strum your way to joy.

by CrazyDave

Short Description: By the time you reach the end of this article you will be able to hold a pick comfortably and strum your way to joy.

You may lose picks sooner than you had ever thought of. So see to it that you always have a pick when you need one. They come pretty cheap. You can get a standard pick at less than a dollar. So, don't be tightfisted while spending on picks. Buy the ones which have medium thickness and are neither too soft nor too hard.

With the problem of choosing a proper pick over, let's get down to the issue of how to hold it properly.

Relax your picking arm and let the palm face you. Gradually fold your fingers into a lose fist and rotate your wrist till the knuckle of your thumb is in line with your face.

Ease the pick between your thumb and index finger with the back end nestling between the index finger and the fleshy part of the thumb. The pick shouldn't jut out too much else you wouldn't be comfortable while strumming. After you've adjusted the pick slowly open up the other three fingers.

Hold the pick firmly but don't clasp it hard else strumming becomes muted. It might slip off a few times in the beginning but soon you'll be used to it. Just push it back if it slips.

Loop your picking arm over the body of the guitar so that the pick touches the third string just above the sound hole. Let the other three fingers rest on the face of the guitar. Keeping your wrist still and using your elbow as a pivot let your arm fall freely while the pick strikes each string as it passes over. Stop the moment the lowest string is crossed. Repeat the exercise several times till you're sure you aren't missing a single string as your arm swivels downwards in a uniform motion.

With the down stroke taken care of, turn your attention to the up stroke. Keep your wrist still and let the arm remain pivoted at elbow. Start from the lowest string and let your arm move upwards in a smooth single movement. The pick will brush the strings on its way up. It may miss one or two strings - it doesn't matter. The upstroke is always weaker than the down stroke.

You'll surely be surprised if I tell you Eddie Van Halen, Jimi Hendrix and Mark Knopfler had their unique styles of holding the pick. So, don't be too fussy about the "correct" way of holding it. Just see to it that you're comfortable while holding it and can pick the strings without too much effort.

About the Author:

Crazy Dave is the net's largest provider of top-notch free guitar licks featuring an in-depth breakdown of the most valuable online instructional guitar course at learn and master guitar!