TrueGuitar.com Right Hand Technique for the Guitar

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Right Hand Picking technique

Part 1

The Pick:

The device itself: There are a variety of shapes and sizes of picks available today. For the beginning guitarist, I would recommend a regular shaped pick of a medium thickness .60 to .70 mm
Some people find the resistance of the pick to the string disruptive and causes tension in the hand and forearm
We try to avoid this at the beginning stages of a guitarists development, by letting him use a pick with a little more "give"

Once you are used to controlling the tension in your body, start experimenting with different thicknesses, materials and shapes. You will find that thinner plectrums produce a more treble sound and thicker plectrums have a thicker, rounder sound. Take a listen and you will see what we are talking about here.

Also, experiment with resistances offered by the various plectrums.

Holding the Pick:

Most people hold the pick between the thumb and the index finger. This is a good starting point.
If you feel uncomfortable like this try some of the other methods.

Begin by putting the pick on the side of the index finger tip.
Let about 3- 4mm of pick stick out from your fingertip.

Then close your thumb on top of the pick and maintain that 3 - 4 mm clearance as discussed above.

Experiment with where along the length of your thumb you grip the pick. Some people find that if they hold the pick too close to the tip of the thumb, it causes tension in the forearm.

Try placing the pick towards the 1st joint of the thumb. Make sure however that you are able to change the picking angle.

Remember to hold the pick firmly enough so as to avoid it moving too much when it picks the string. This will ensure better accuracy. Do not hold it so firmly that your hand tenses. Experiment and see what works best.

Remember that in different situations you might use different amounts of pressure on the pick.

The other right hand fingers:

When you use the thumb and index finger method, you essentially only have 3 choices of what to do with the other fingers on the picking hand.
Lets start with the preferred method:

1. Leave the fingers comfortably open, there will just be a slight, flowing natural curve at the knuckles.
This will ensure that your forearm and wrist does not tense. It also allows for uninterrupted movement in the picking action.
(Check out Yngwie Malmsteen's right hand technique with regard to this. He demonstrates the above very well)

OR

2. Close the hand: Sort of like a loose fist. In the Thumb/index method, I have found that personally, this limits the rotation of the wrist used for picking but many other players have no problem with this.

OR

3. Hand open and fingers straight: I don't like this method personally as it seems to induce tension in the right forearm.

2nd picking approach:
Pick between 2nd finger and thumb. Position the pick as described above but use the tip and side of the 2nd finger. If you like tapping with the index finger, maybe this is a grip worth considering.
A closed finger approach also works better here.

As a variation to this technique, add the index finger into the grip to form a 3 fingered grip.
This is a very stable way of holding the pick, but not very widely used. When attempting the 3 fingered grip, you will find that you use the tips of the fingers more than the side of the tip (as we discussed above)
As an example, check out James Hetfield and Steve Morse's pick hand.

There you have it. The Plectrum in a nutshell.
I would suggest trying the first method first, but please do experiment with the rest.
Remember that if you are using a method not described above that is working for you, don't change unnecessarily.
Different people find different ways to achieve similar effect.

Some points to keep in mind, regardless of method: Whatever you do, do it relaxed. If you find that your grip causes tension in your arm, try changing it.
Remember that tone is important. If your grip produces a bad tone, it might be time for a change.

That's it for now. Check in next time for Episode II - Hand and Forearm placement.

P.S. Don't worry, I have not forgotten about the eternal question about angling the pick to the string, we will handle this when we discuss the picking motion.