Day 1 - Use The Pick Correctly For Crying Out Loud

 

Well here we go - day 1 of 365. It's easy to be motivated on day 1, however I'm looking forward to reviewing my skills and creating new (good) habits. 

 

The first bad habit I decided to tackle is holding the pick. I've used a pick for about a year and I've never held it properly. I grasp it like a pencil. I did try the "real" way but it felt uncomfortable and I justified my bad habit by assuming that everyone is different and perhaps this is my own personal style. Yeah right.

 

Personal style aside, my strumming sucks and I suspect it is related to the pick issue. I can strum some 16th note rhythms but the sound always seems a bit off with me. I question the angle of the pick against the strings, using more or less wrist versus arm swing, etc. In other words, I can play songs and they sound decent (sometimes) but I know there is a problem somewhere. This is where it would be helpful to have a real live teacher!

 

Soooo, today after work I searched YouTube for "how to hold a guitar pick."  I watched a few videos but THIS one was a revelation!
 

 

Mark McKenzie specifically mentioned he used to hold the pick like a pen. (Actually he has a cute Australian accent and it sounds like he is saying "pin."  But I digress.)

 

He showed how the wrist has to be bent at a crazy and awkward angle to strum. Wow. That's my issue exactly!  I had my wrist bent all weird and fingers curled almost in a fist around the pick. Sometimes my fingers would actually graze the strings. 

 

Then he demonstrated the proper way to hold the pick:

1. Hold the pick at a right angle to the thumb. Not too much of the tip showing.  (I hold it with waaaay too much pick hanging out.)
2. The side of the index finger holds the pick in place. Slight curvature of the index finger. 
3. Hand in A-OK position with fingers relaxed and fanned out. 

Oh yeah - the A-OK description was HUGE.  No more fingers grazing the strings - at least once I master this new technique. And here was the pièce de résistance:
 

The thumb and wrist and arm should all be in a straight line. 

 

 

The heavens opened and I swear I heard the Hallelujah chorus!  (Click the link for the real thing from Handel's Messiah.)  This was a revelation for a slow learner like me. (Lord this is probably the first lesson in a beginner class but this is the price I pay by being self taught.)

 

Now I know, not only how to hold the pick, but how to align my wrist and arm to strum. It all makes sense.
 

So I practiced. Immediately I noticed the sound was "right."  Apparently this is the answer to my strumming dilemma.
 

But, and this is a big concern indeed, it feels awkward and totally unnatural!  Every few strums my fingers want to curl back into a fist.  Also the pick slid around quite a bit. The new way will take getting used to. 

I resolve to work on this and will not go back to my old style even if it sets me  back a bit. I think learning the proper way will pay off big time. And it already pays off with the improvement in sound.
 

I spent about 45 minutes strumming and then maybe 10 minutes playing around with Bringing on the Heartache riffs.  I had less trouble picking individual notes than strumming with my new picking technique.
 

So really only one skill was practiced today, but this is a biggie.  Now I know how to hold the pick correctly.  And I'll practice until it feels natural.  Hopefully before day 365! 

Until tomorrow...