Plectrum's edge

thomasross20

For...ever... I've angled the plectrum at 45 degrees and it's not really the first of my thumb that holds it... I sort of only hold the very edge of the plectrum, the edge that hits the string. So there's not do contact between thumb and plectrum. Is that weird?

Also, most players I see angle their thumb back up to the headstock, like the thumb is punting back up to their face... But mine points down toward the ground, sort of like how you might hold it to perform a pinchef harmonic or dig into the string. Again, weird?

These things developed naturally but I think are key in holding back my picking. Especially the first one....

Thoughts?

Hertz32

Can we have some photo's of what you mean, cos I'm not sure I quite understood it from what you wrote.

thomasross20

Hmm, hold on...

thomasross20

How I'm trying to hold it now (feels better with more contact to the thumb.. in fact I feel a little push from the "knuckle" of the thumb). To play fast lines I still think you have to angle it a bit, but that angle of the thumb feels strange to me and I think it would have to straighten out when playing faster lines?:

How I've been holding it for 15 years (!):

Also, for fingerstyle.... I tend to pluck the strings with the finger TIPS.... not the fleshy pads. Is that right? It doesn't feel right regarding the thumb, that's for sure... though I've seen Tommy Emmanuel sometimes play with the fleshy part, and other times with the tip. I'm sure the more contact the better... so the fleshy part would be best. That's what most people seem to do.

thomasross20

I can already feel the benefits but it feels alien to me so is going to take some getting used to.

underdog

Do you get a kind of scratchy sound the way you'd normally hold your pick ? Looks like you would, like a pick scrape then.

richardhomer

I curl my index finger back on its self and pick parallel to the strings. It sounds fatter and less 'scratchy'.

Holding the pick at an angle gives a very different tone but isn't 'wrong' - just 'different'.

PolarityMan

Your old way looks quite weird for me. Can you cope with fast picking like that?

thomasross20

Actually I can pick very fast like that but yes, or can be a little scratchy. It's just something that developed naturally. Although I can do fast runs I don't always "connect " and looking at those pics, I can't believe I've let that grip go on this long!

thomasross20

Richard, you mean you post with the very side/edge of your index finger? That's something that definitely feels alien to me

littlegreenman

Pic #1 is more orthodox, and how I usually do it, especially if you want clear note articulation at speed.

Pic #2 looks like how I'd do pinch harmonics, or bluesy rakes.

Both are valid, just different tones.

richardhomer

thomasross20;464011" said:

Richard, you mean you post with the very side/edge of your index finger? That's something that definitely feels alien to me

The tip of my index finger is curled round under my thumb, so the nail is facing the guitar. It has two benefits for me - firstly it gives really good control and secondly, it places the pick perfectly parallel to the strings. The remaining fingers are then we'll placed for hybrid picking and damping.

thomasross20

Wow, I literally can't do that as I feel my nail hurting if I place it on the edge of the index finger.

A picture is worth a thousand words. I've described this many times in the past but only now is it becoming clear

Nomad

I use both of those shapes, and everything in between. Red sharkfins are quite flexible, especially at the thinner point - turning it at an angle to the strings effectively makes it a bit stiffer. It also presents a more rounded profile to the string when angled and thus gives a softer attack. I think my pinch harmonic position is somewhere between the two. I only ever have a very small bit of the plectrum exposed to the strings.

viz

It sounds like you use your plectrum like Al di Meola does - bravo! http://i865.photobucket.com/albums/ab217/Vizzage/Mobile Uploads/image_zps163a510c.jpg

thomasross20

Me too - those are Dunlop jazz III picks so I've very little hitting the string

thomasross20

Lol, I wish I was as good as him!!

ThePrettyDamned

You hold it the same way as me. Paul Gilbert does that, too. You can control the tone from the pick - more angle for a softer, scrapier attack, less angle for a more direct hit.

Angled means the pick glides over the string. I've always held it like this, and it's easy to flip from a very loose, funky strum grip to a tighter grip for leads or single note riffs.

Basher

The angled technique that never ceases to amaze me is the one used by George Benson. It looks so uncomfortable but can yield devastatingly fast and articulate runs in the right hands (i.e. not mine).

Here's a demo of the style as most of the actual GB videos on YouTube are a bit fuzzy:

musteatbrain

As well as the above, the angle that you slant the pick in relation to the guitar body is more important for picking cleanly. If you want to understand the details of picking mechanics you might want to check out Troy Grady's very comprehensive Masters in Mechanics videos and save yourself years of wasted practice time.

thomasross20

Troy Grady.... did you buy his course or just watch the free videos? 

His thing seems to be this:

- angle the pick down (toward ground) if your last was an upstroke and you're moving to another string. 

- angle the pick up if your last was a downstroke and you're moving to another string. 

--> The reason: string clearance, so you're not catching on the string you just played when moving between strings. 

He does go into excrutiating detail, though.... Does he cover anything else, like holding the pick? He seems to hold it like in my first pic (the convential way). How much for the course and is it worth it? Be good to do the same thing for legato etc. 

Wow - the George Benson style is weird! 

I've seen Paul Gilbert hold it all ways. Yes, I can control it... but I don't always feel a full connection with the string and sometimes miss the hit. For those of you who hold it as per my first picture. How much force comes from the thumb when you hit a downstroke? Does any force come from the joint of your thumb at all? Mine is almost like a pincer grip!

Doesn't Van Halen hold it between index finger, thumb AND 3rd finger? 

Malmsteen seems to hold it the convential way, too - and I class him as one of the best (most natural) pickers out there.