Picking Problems!

[Vasrely Derian]

I’ve been having picking problems for the last couple of weeks.
My pick always gets stuck on strings whenever I play.
Its getting pretty annoying, I tried everything I could search up. I tilted my pick a certain angle, I made it show only a little bit of the tip.
I loosen my fingers, I lose control. I tighten it, it gets stuck.
I really don’t know what to do. I’ve been using the same model of picks (And yes, I do switch from time to time when it wears out)
A few months ago, my picking was alright. But now, its just getting stuck all over the place.
Does anybody have a solution, thank you!

 

[Dominik Gräber]

I have some days where I just can’t play shit that I normally would play perfectly. Maybe it is just such a phase. Try to not concentrate on picking too much and just try to focus on melody and playing. Or maybe if you are bored or watching TV take your guitar and play something you know really slow, note for note, so you get that feel back. I don’t think it’s a matter of the pick..

 

[Josh Wright]

I experience this from time to time. I cant really explain it.

 

[Andrew Chung]

Maybe you’re subconsciously moving your wrist ever so slightly such that the pick gets closer to the strings and makes it get stuck?

 

[Noah Berends]

Try choking up on the pick. Hold it closer to the tip and expose less of the pick overall. This may help you. I play *very* choked up on the pick with a Jazz III and I find it gives very nice precise control and not much slip. Also, instead of changing the tension of your fingers, try loosening or tightening your wrist. Generally, tight and rigid with any muscle when playing I’ve found makes things harder. Hope this helps

 

[Jak Angelescu]

Are you practicing any new challenging techniques or could your strings possibly be getting old? I know this may seem irrelevant but I personally feel that when strings get built up with gunk for me it makes them Slightly thicker and heavier and not as smooth to play on. They kind of feel chunky if that makes sense. I have the same issue and when I change my strings it helped a little bit. Could these be a possibility?

 

[Syn Gates]

You may have tried this, and I’m sure people get sick of me recommending this, but try slowing down your playing to a point where this doesn’t happen and maybe spend an entire week playing EVERYTHING only as fast as you can play it cleanly. It’s not a loss of a week, spend equal time working on your style and inflection. Things like vibrato, bends, slides, double stops, CHORDS, CHORDS, CHORDS, groove/strumming, fingerpicking, etc. Just focus on recalibration and investment into your own unique style and what you want to accomplish as a guitar player. Now that i’m writing this, it feels like you could take a couple weeks to a month on all this and barely scratch the surface. Most guitar players don’t do this, yet it is the MOST beneficial time you can invest in your playing. It will seem like a small blip of time when you’re done and you will be an entirely different player, for the much much better. I promise I do this A LOT!
Good luck Vasrely!

 

[Syn Gates]

You may have tried this, and I’m sure people get sick of me recommending this, but try slowing down your playing to a point where this doesn’t happen and maybe spend an entire week playing EVERYTHING only as fast as you can play it cleanly. It’s not a loss of a week, spend equal time working on your style and inflection. Things like vibrato, bends, slides, double stops, CHORDS, CHORDS, CHORDS, groove/strumming, fingerpicking, etc. Just focus on recalibration and investment into your own unique style and what you want to accomplish as a guitar player. Now that i’m writing this, it feels like you could take a couple weeks to a month on all this and barely scratch the surface. Most guitar players don’t do this, yet it is the MOST beneficial time you can invest in your playing. It will seem like a small blip of time when you’re done and you will be an entirely different player, for the much much better. I promise I do this A LOT!
Good luck Vasrely!

 

[Dan Shipway]

Syn nailed it with this, you can see how important slowing down by watching Jaks HTTK videos or the recent scream video. If your objective is speed then try economy picking as that is less pick intensive than alternate (I have a thread if you want to learn that).BUT definitely take time to form melodic passages, dont worry about runs or speedy stuff because that isn’t the only thing that can make an amazing solo, my the main people i like to listen to formelody is vai, petrucci and Syn and they all find a way to make satisfying music that isn’t necessarily fast but well thought out and felt.
In summary, dont focus on speed until you have gotten a good understanding of praising and articulation etc that is the most important. People always said BB King said more in one note than others could in 200 and that speaks volumes

 

[Vasrely Derian]

@syn I’ll take this advice. I’ve been juggling theory, technique (Finger Picking, Alternate, Bends and Vibratos) and school for the past weeks. Maybe for now, I’ll take building speed out of my practice and focus on things I’m not struggling with, then improve. Thanks!