Pick angle

Hootsmon

cheers Bingy baby 

Barney

i pick straight across the strings so don't angle the pic...for me it gives a better tone than slicing but also when you look at the pick motion when slicing it takes more movement across the strings than plucking flat across the strings..and i always thought minimum movement is better for technique .....saying that there are plenty of players that do slice across the strings and it sounds great so i suppose what's comfortable

Clarky

every few years or so I generally have a bit of a 'back to basics' look at my technique to see if I can make some improvements..

given that I'm not gigging / touring right now and all my main studio work is centred around creating movie trailers [so it's all hybrid orchestral]… 

I've decided that I'm going to experiment with a different pick grip

I'm not unhappy with my current technique.. quite the opposite..

but I have a nice window of time to try a few things out and see if it brings something new or different

Roland

and are you going to blog what you find?

Clarky

I can if anyone finds it interesting or helpful...

Clarky

starting point: my pick grip at the start

to make things easier to talk about, let's consider the headstock facing edge of the pick to be called the 'leading edge'

the pick is quite vertical with a slight downwards slant, leading edge up

the tip of the thumb is planted in the centre of the pick, 1st finger close to the leading edge, side of the 2nd finger against the trailing edge [to prevent the pick from rotating].

the picking movement is mostly from the wrist: side to side with a very slight rotation so I can clear the string when making a transition to the next string

the new grip is more traditional:

pad of the thumb in the centre of the pick, side of the 1st finger against the lower side of the pick

this means the leading edge is now down facing and there's a little more of a downward slant

my normal rules apply as in:

show only the tip of the pick to the string to prevent snagging

the tip is angled slightly backwards toward the bridge because it feels smoother when picking at speed

the new grip feels quite alien right now..

and so I'm playing crap when piling on the speed

frankus

Are people saying they only have one way of picking a string? Seems as daft.

Clarky

frankus said:

Are people saying they only have one way of picking a string? Seems as daft.

I think it's more like one way of holding the pick

kin

my pick could be one way up for one note and then the opposite for the next it moves around so much.

Not so much concerned by the angle,trying to keep it from flicking off to the other side of the room is more of a problem.

ElectroDan

I very rarely drop my pick. As long as I've got a couple of spares in the arse pocket of my trousers I'm fine.

Clarky, the new way you are trying sounds exactly how I pick. I had a go of your way too, it felt a little weird at first but I could see how it could work.

Clarky

it's feeling a little less alien now..

I'm finding alt and non-alt picking are starting to work quite well

the tone is nice too

Roland

The tonal changes from lifting and dipping the leading edge can be quite useful for emphasising particular notes

Clarky

tone wise, it's similar but not quite the same as what I've been doing..

I'm not sure though if that's just because my old technique just comes easier to me

the new technique sounds a little 'lumpier' and less smooth

I reckon though that this could be because I'm presenting a little too much pick to the string..

fine tuning the technique and getting more used to it is needed I think..

I'll persevere with it for a while longer to see what happens

Clarky

haa.. I've just noticed that unknowingly / unintentionally, after playing for a while my thumb starts to drift backwards..

the outcome is that the tip of the thumb ends up in the middle of the pick and I end up with my old grip… lmao

I don't seem to notice how or when I end up moving there.. 

PolarityMan

I change how I hold the pick a lot, it gets pulled in for fast palm muting and pinch harmonics and present a lot of pick but with very loose touch when strumming.

Lead the picking tends to be a lot slower than when I'm rhythm playing coz of all the legato so cant really think off the top of my head what I do there.

roberty

I changed from playing with the pick perpendicular to the strings to picking with a 45 degree angle a couple of months back.  I have seen improvement in accuracy and speed.  With the pick at an angle the string jumps off the tip of the pick, so you can use less motion.  I find there is a different sound when the pick is flat against the strings, the attack is rounder and softer, so it is useful to have both techniques.

Clarky

I've finally discovered the sweet spot with this new grip..

leading edge down, but only slightly

thumb pad planted in the middle of the pick so that my thumb nail lines up with the edge of the pick

side of the 1st finger on the underside of the pick, but it's nowhere near as curled around as I was originally trying out

the side of the middle finger touches the trailing edge of the pick to prevent it from rotating and to add a little more control..

I think I've just developed a little more speed and precision with greater clarity and control..

and for funking, I curl the 1st finger a little more to present the side [rather than the tip] of the pick to the stings [which prevents snagging]…

this is getting pretty fkn interesting I must say..

I've just spent the last hour ripping my Strat's neck to splinters..

oh what joyous fun that was.. lol..

Clarky

hmmm..... going back to my former technique now feels a little odd...

what is happening to me... ??? lmao

mgaw

i reckon the acoustic flatpickers of ye old bluegrass scene could enlighten many of us....

  

and Tommy Emmanuel just because he is ridiculous on the guitar

    

Clarky

my new grip is now feeling completely normal.. better than before..

there's no going back now..