Monday, October 13, 2008

Guitar Lessons - How to Hold a Guitar Pick

No matter you have been learning guitar for a few months or you are just a guitar beginner, the below tips will be helpful to you. You will know the correct method to hold a pick. You may think that is something fundamental but doing this thing correctly will enhance your guitar music quickly.
Picks were originally made of animal bone or tortoise shell. They are now mainly made of plastic. There are different sizes and shapes. I recommend guitar beginners to choose to use medium size picks. They are easier to play with. Of course, it is not the rule of thumb. You should experiment different sizes and shapes of picks to find out the most suitable picks for yourself.
You may have more than 10 picks at home for playing guitar. It is common for many guitarists because picks are easy to lose and fray. And they are cheap as well.
Let me tell you the right way to hold a pick now. In the following tips, I assume that you are a right handed guitar player. You use your right hand to hold the pick.
First take out your right hand and extend the palm facing your left hand side. Slightly grip the fist and place the thumb alongside the right side of the first knuckle of your index finger. Then put the pick into the gap between your thumb and index finger. Do not insert too much or less. Just leave the tip which is enough for you to strum the strings. Also you need not hold the pick too firmly or too loosely.
Then try to slowly strum the string up and down. Your aim is to produce clear and sharp sound. The pick may easily slip off your fingers at the beginning. Do not be frustrated. You can acquire it with more practice.
For the rest of your fingers, there are two ways you can position them. You can either keep griping them or let them open. I am used to extend the fingers. There are several reasons. When you have advanced skills for playing guitar, you may need to strum the pick and use the other fingers to pluck the strings at the same time. Also, you can use the fingers to do tapping, play with the tremolo arm and change the volume of your electric guitar.
I would like to highlight other three ways to hold the picks. You may find those methods more comfortable but I personally do not recommend them.
Some people use the thumb and the middle finger to hold the pick. This method lets to hold the pick steadily but it is hard for you to strum strings fast in future. Some people may place the thumb on the second knuckle of the index finger. But the flexibility of picking will be decreased. The last is that some guitar learners may even use thumb, index finger and middle finger together to hold the pick. As you use one more finger for the pick, you will only have two remaining fingers to pluck the strings. It may hinder you from playing difficult guitar music.
I hope my tips for holding a pick will be helpful to you. Try to study this little thing. If you can do it in a correct way, you will find playing guitar easier.
Still learning guitar through traditional guitar lessons? The new trend is to learn guitar online. Learning guitar online provides more flexibility of time and a cheaper price for you. Go to Guitar Lessons Guide to know more about Online Guitar Learning Courses.

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