How to Hold a Guitar Pick

Those wanting to learn to play the guitar should remember that there are some minor things to pay attention to as a beginner. If you are taking guitar lessons, you might have come across tips regarding holding a guitar pick properly. Some novices might think that the way you hold the pick or plectrum does not at all matter to the sound quality. Learning how to place a guitar pick in the proper manner is very essential in order to become comfortable in strumming hand techniques and also create a clear tone.

Choosing the Right Pick

There is a wide range of plastic picks available out there in musical instrument shops. However, playing the guitar with any pick will not do. You need to choose right picks for particular playing styles and also the types of guitars. Picks vary in sizes and thickness, which have an impact on the tone and playing convenience of the guitarist. Just like guitar strings, plectrums are also sorted out in classes such as extra light, light, medium, heavy, and extra heavy. If you are playing acoustic or classical guitars, it is better that you use extra light or light plectrums. These picks are suitable on steel or nylon strings.

You can even use light or medium picks for guitars with steel strings. For electric guitars and hard strumming, you should use thicker picks such as medium or heavy. These produce a punchy and solid tone from the strumming. Musicians from the death metal music genre generally use the thickest plectrums, due to a need for a heavier and fuller sound. These plectrums are also used by bass guitar players, as the strings to be played are a lot thicker.

Strumming

While strumming, beginners should make sure that the pointed end of the pick is used to strum and not the other two sides. Basically, the plectrum is to be held with just two fingers, the thumb and pointing finger. The position of the pick does not have to be slanting, but in level of the strings. This will help the musician to create a clearer sound. Remember that a proper grip of the plectrum will also enable you to control the strumming rhythm.

Speed

Even for playing the lead, the pick is to be held securely with the thumb and index finger. A loose grip may cause the plectrum to accidentally stick in the individual strings. For playing faster solos, it is recommended to cover much of the plectrum surface with the thumb. This will lead to better control during playing up-down patterns on individual strings. However, to produce different sounds, you may need to alter the grip, pick position, and level in a different manner.

Note that holding the pick also depends on personal preferences of players and sounds they want to create. For example, in order to create 'pinch harmonics'; you usually need to change the angle of the pick, cover much of the pick surface with the thumb, and let the string touch the thumb right after it is stroked with the pick.