Need help with basic pick use

[Karina G]

Hey friends!
I’ve never been able to properly use a pick, I get frustrated and go back to finger picking.
I struggle most with volume control/consistency. I can’t play a basic scale without a mashup of unintentionally loud and quiet notes.
Any practice tips to get this under control?
(I play on acoustic atm, does thickness of the pick matter?)
Thanks!

 

[Ed Seith]

Practice the scales a little slower, with a focus on smooth, even pick movements. Try not to bounce up and down on each note – imagine the fluidity of your smooth strumming motion, with or without a pick, only smaller. Hold the pick only a little harder than you need to in order to keep it from falling in the soundhole, where it will join your missing socks before their final migration to the TARDIS.
I find that for acoustic playing, I like a generally “medium” pick (.73mm or so), but I can still do good strummage with my usual very heavy picks. Thin picks are anathema to consistent playing – I only use those for the thwak thwak rhythmic sound in a recording, like a baseball card in the spokes of a kid’s bike.

 

[Sayonil Mitra]

Thickness does matter. It effects what tone will come out, how much power you are hitting the strings with, you are more into fast picking or not etc. The differences are very prominent for electric guitars. For acoustic, it is less. The only thing you would like to consider is, which thickness suits you. Go to a guitar shop and try different picks (maybe from 0.48mm to 1.20mm,for example). Play a couple times. You will know which thickness suits you. Usually I have seen guitarists using 0.71mm (just to give you a reference point) but that is purely subjective. Many people do not use that thickness at all. So try out to see which one fits your taste and comfort level.

 

[Jackson Harsin]

The lesson on the site is pretty fantastic for basics of how to hold a pick, i.e. by letting it rest on the side of the pointer finger and secured by the thumb. If you are having trouble with accenting notes by accident the most I can tell you to do is practice slow with a metronome, but it’s really just a ‘feel it out’ kind of situation, and if you are getting frustrated and going back to finger picking you’ll never get a good feel for it and the cycle will continue. I know it’s hard not to get frustrated sometimes, but try to compare it to how you learned finger picking, it’s a struggle to keep the notes loud enough when starting but it gets easier. It’s the same kind of principle.

 

[Calvin Phillips]

I dont hold the pick like syn does, or brian. I tried, I couldn’t do it. If you are trying to do it someone elses way you’ll probably feel uncomfortable. And I agree thickness is key, I’ve gotten thicker over the years. I mean, flimsy works for strumming but if you really want people to hear your notes, you want a thicker pick for sure.. that way, you dont have to play as aggressive to get that aggressive sound. Just try different things out, something will feel comfortable.

 

[Karina G]

Thanks everyone for the great advice! I guess just slow practice and experimenting is key.
I’m naturally impatient, but also goal driven. I will get there, one way or another!

 

[Calvin Phillips]

im impatient too I mean, I went almost 10 years without theory. Once you realize what a little patience will do, its hard to not continue pushing. I say keep at it!

 

[Jen Hapke]

I had problems getting used to the pick, too. My problem was that I just never picked the stings in the same way in a song. So sometimes I started with an upstroke and went down in kind of sweep picking (I didn’t knew anything about sweeping or economy or even alternate picking back then) and the next time I started the song with a downstroke and tried alterpicking.
It was such a mess but the school helped me to get used to all this and actually learn picking techniques. Now the pick feels quite natural to me.
The lessons here are awesome and lesson 38 was great as starting point and of cause the pick holding explained in lesson 73 (I think).
I think the problem with loud and quiet notes will get much better when you get some routine into your picking.

 

[Karina G]

Thanks everyone, its getting much less frustrating! Little bit of practice goes a long way.

 

[idssdi]

It all really comes down to practice. Try to go slow with a metronome and don’t rush it. As is said earlier the thickness of a pick makes a difference tone wise and volume wise.
Also if you don’t feel comfortable playing with a pick there is nothing wrong with playing fingerstyle. Mark knopfler does it too and he is amazing! And there are some othe people who do some mad fingerstyle stuff without a pick