Holding a pick, am I doing it wrong?

groovie

neilg said:

It sounds like you might be holding the pick the same way that Paul Gilbert does, from watching his lesson videos I've actually switched to it myself with no issues.

You can see it right at the start of this video.

It's funny if you look at his intense rock dvd and he's using a more "conventional" approach with the thumb and index finger. Using 2 fingers feels good tho.

Roland

WBT2079 said:

What I want to know is how do you stop the pick moving through your grip. I have always played finger style / strumming as I just don’t seem to be able to master a pick. Doesn’t matter how hard I grip it, it always move through my fingers as I am playing and gets dropped.

This was always a problem for me until I started drilling holes in them.

The wooden holder allows me to drill ten at a time without endangering my fingers.

neilg

groovie said:

neilg said:

It sounds like you might be holding the pick the same way that Paul Gilbert does, from watching his lesson videos I've actually switched to it myself with no issues.

You can see it right at the start of this video.

It's funny if you look at his intense rock dvd and he's using a more "conventional" approach with the thumb and index finger. Using 2 fingers feels good tho.

Coincidentally I recently found my copy of the Get Out of My Yard dvd where he talks about using the pick on the side of his index finger, he still does this for the really fast playing but for everything he uses thumb and two fingers.

Yasawas

I was a three-finger pick holder for 20 years before I ever knew it was “wrong”! After about five years of conventional usage now I can’t go back but appreciate it’s incredibly frustrating to have to learn. I just wanted to say how delighted I was to see so many other non-conventional types there are as when I came out, on a more US-centric forum, I was treated as the unclean. 

Blaendulais

Roland said:

WBT2079 said:

What I want to know is how do you stop the pick moving through your grip. I have always played finger style / strumming as I just don’t seem to be able to master a pick. Doesn’t matter how hard I grip it, it always move through my fingers as I am playing and gets dropped.

This was always a problem for me until I started drilling holes in them.

The wooden holder allows me to drill ten at a time without endangering my fingers.

Does that give a lot more traction @Roland ;

Roland

It stops the pick rotating mid song, especially at a sweaty gig. If you can’t drill one of your picks then PM your address and I’ll send you one of mine to try.

Blaendulais

Roland said:

It stops the pick rotating mid song, especially at a sweaty gig. If you can’t drill one of your picks then PM your address and I’ll send you one of mine to try.

Thanks I will try and hopefully uninjured get back to you

Yorkie

Once again, I come here to show gratitude. I’ve been fingerpicking for 25 years and was never interested in learning how to use a pick because it didn’t suit my style. But now my kids like AC/DC and I frequently find myself playing for them; guess what, “dad, you’re not hitting the strings hard enough”. So I started using picks, but 1) they go missing and 2) could never work out how to hold them. You’ve just solved 2), so thanks everyone  

Also glad to see I am not alone. 

Jon

Shrews

@Blaendulais ;

That's an excellent idea.  I too have a problem with the pick moving about and have tried blue tac, which does the trick but occasionally gets on the strings and Gorilla Snot which is also great but difficult to get off your fingers.

You should market these and get them out there. People will buy, as many of us have the same problem.

There are some with built-in grips but they don't do much good IMO.  Blue tac does, Gorilla Snot does, and now maybe holes too.

DLM

Òther ways of adding grip:

Score plectra with craft knife/boxcutter

Melt depressions/holes in with soldering iron (stinky)