Holding my pick?

[eronson]

I've found myself of late holding my pick with both my index and middle finger. I have always been told you use only my index . Anyway i really like how much harder I can pluck the string and I already use a heavy pick. The question is is this a bad habit?

[Dave B]

Practioner here!

Depends upon your style and the demands placed upon your picking hand. Do you need to hybrid pick either lines, arpeggios, or piano-style chords? If you can easily switch back and forth between the three finger approach and two finger approach to cover the above, you shouldn't have any problems.

Steve Morse, Trevor Rabin, Eddie VH, and Michael Schenker all have done it quite successfully from a rock standpoint. Personally, since I use a very heavy pick, it makes it for difficult for fast strumming patterns. I have to rotate my forearm so the pick tip doesn't catch on the strings on the way down or back up, and that is harder for me to do with the three finger approach as opposed to the traditional method.

[JonR]

I use a 3-way grip, and always have. The main grip is between thumb and middle, with the index kind of supporting the edge of the pick. Pressure of middle and index varies depending on what I'm doing. I find I can control the angle pretty well like this, for various kinds of picking - but that's not because I've deliberately worked on it, it's just a natural way of holding that I've adapted to.

I don't use very heavy picks (1.00 at most), but never have to rotate my forearm. If there's a danger of the pick catching, I rotate the pick so the point cuts across the string rather than meeting it flat. The angle of the pick (90 degrees to the guitar) never changes from down to upstrokes - except of course as it bends or flaps as it crosses the strings.
I know some people use one of the more rounded points of the pick to enable faster playing, less risk of catching.

The disadvantage with this grip (IMO) is it's not so good at very fast lead playing. The generally recommended grip (between thumb and side of curled index) is better for that. I'm not very good at it, but I can tell that it would be pretty fast if I practised more with it.
But I like my 3-way grip because of its versatility (I'm not too bothered about very fast lead playing). I find it easier to strum with - I often mix rhythm and lead playing - and easier to vary the dynamics quickly and widely, and easier to vary the pick angle if I need to. And easier to palm the pick for when I want to move to fingerstyle. (I don't use hybrid picking.)

[eronson]

thanks appreciate it.

[Don A]

I use a 3-way grip, and always have. The main grip is between thumb and middle, with the index kind of supporting the edge of the pick. Pressure of middle and index varies depending on what I'm doing. I find I can control the angle pretty well like this, for various kinds of picking - but that's not because I've deliberately worked on it, it's just a natural way of holding that I've adapted to.


Same here except that I use a heavy Fender 358 (tine teardrop shaped jazz or mandolin) pick. I occasionally even use just my middle finger and thumb! This developed on it's own (as did a lot of bad habits!) over the past 30 years of playing (though seldom practicing!).

[PosterBoy]

I use this grip as well but I'm trying to get into the habit of using the curled index finger grip, but I've a couple decades of habit to get rid of first.

[hot lava mike]

I use both grips- I hold it with a three way grip for heavy rhythm work- then just index and thumb for most lead stuff or rhythm passages where I need to be more articulate. I don't think it's a "bad habit" to hold it one way or the other. It's all about you and the sound you want to create.

[eronson]

chills

[jpastras]

I'm a-posting 'cuz this issue is near-and-dear to my heart:

When I started playing, I gravitated to a thumb-and-middle approach. I anchor the outside portion of the heel of my palm on the pickguard above the bridge pickup of a strat. Looking back, I now see that the middle finger allowed me extra extension to really control the high "b" and "e" with such a planted hand position. I played this way for twenty years, and was able to execute almost anything I wanted. It also seemed to be advantageous for playing fast funk rhythm patterns.

Playing with my super-loud rock band in which nobody cares about what I'm trying to do, but they'd still like me to take long, blues rawkin' solos, I found that, after a little fatigue set in, the physical force necessary to produce dynamics over a blaring rhythm section caused me to lose control of the pick.

I got clever, and decided to switch to the "P-I", curled index, standard grip to get more force and control. Over time, the change DESTROYED my shoulder! Isn't that strange? What's more,depending on the day, I either play great, or play terribly, and it all has to do with picking. Somtimes, changing pick sizes acan avert a bad day.

The problem: I didn't tear everything down and build back up from scratch. I couldn't! I had gigs to do, etc.

So, there's two points I want to make so that you can play your best:

If it ain't broke, don't fix it. I introduced a ton of variables by trading a natural (to me), effective a approach for the totally speculative possibility of improvement. I took the intuition out of my playing and replaced it with a lot of accounting for all of these new variables. If what you really want to do is communicate, develop a natural, relaxed technique that facilitates that.

If you see a real weakness with what you're doing, make sure you COMPLETELY re-think your picking approach. Without realizing it, you aleady "know" a lot about picking, and, as part of the adaptive nature of human beings, you will attempt to apply some of that "knowledge" (muscle memory, tension, picking angle, hand anchoring) to a new pick grip. When I did this, I literally wrecked my rotator cuff. Weirdly, there was no body tension at all with my old way of picking!!!!

I'm all for trying to be your best. This advice is given in earnest, hoping that you'll move in that direction without causing yourself problems.

[eronson]

thanks jpastras

[funkycam]

Isn't that how steve morse picks?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KQy5VRm09dY&feature=related

[GSVBagpuss]

Cool thread for me being a "middler" too. I do it because I learnt the violin first and we use the middle finger of the RH a lot when bowing.

I also find really fast leads harder, but using my index finger feels unbalanced to me. Might give a little more practise before completely leaving it alone

[guitarguy9597]

I started (25+ years ago, self-taught) with a three-way grip. It just felt better and I thought I had more control. I was using medium-light picks at the time. Over the years I somehow switched to thumb & index. It just happened. There was nothing concious on my part. I also started using heavier and heavier picks. I really feel like I have more control than ever (I would hope so after this long regardless of picking style.). There are so many variables involved. Whatever works best is what works best, but remember traditional techniques are that for a reason. They tend to work best for most players. I'd give the traditional approach an honest try.

Something I have tried with a few of my students is this. With an empty hand, do the "hang loose" motion (thumb and pinky extended, wrist loosely rotating back an forth). Then hold a pick between thumb and index and make the same motion. That's pretty close to the strumming motion you're looking for. It's all in the wrist. The elbow doesn't need to pump up and down. Who wants to work that hard? Hope this helps somebody.