Learn to Play Guitar Fast - How to use a guitar pick correctly

Your plectrum grip is going to be personal to you. I have a way of holding my guitar pick that I thought was quite unique until I found one of my colleagues also holds his plectrum that way.

Interestingly enough, Justin Sandercoe recommends against the two finger grip that we both use for picking guitar, but it works well for both of us as professional guitar players. I have a lot of respect for Justin, but there are worse guitar pick grips recommended than the two finger grip. If I want to hybrid pick I drop back to a one finger guitar pick grip and I use all three spare fingers anyway. The key principles are easy however.

A correct guitar pick grip saves money and time! A plectrum acts like a lever, and works like a crowbar if you are not careful. If you hold a plectrum too far back it is difficult to control. You need to hold your guitar pick really close to the tip, then you don't have to grip so tightly and your wrist won't lock up. Sorry Tom, but 2 cm back from the tip is much too far and you appear to be showing about half of that anyway. In my view, half a centimetre is about right for a good guitar pick grip. Get this right to master precision playing for lead guitar and you will also avoid dropping your guitar pick in a song or breaking guitar strings!

On line guitar lessons rarely go back to absolute basics, but your plectrum technique is so important. Now you have the guitar pick between your finger and thumb, rest the guitar pick on the top string (Bass E string) to start with. Your fingers and thumb should appear to be pointing towards the head of the guitar where the tuning pegs are. Your wrist should be flat and slightly dropped to make it more relaxed and easier to control. This also enables you to "palm mute" later. If you hold the guitar pick hand up it should like a bit like a snake or bird's head. Play some slow strokes just on Bass E by pushing the guitar pick gently with your thumb.

The hand position for fingerstyle or classical guitar is completely different! For your fingers to work efficiently they need to point towards the floor with your wrist being raised. (See photo) You cannot play plectrum guitar properly with a classical hand position, nor can you play fingerstyle guitar properly with a dropped wrist.

When you have the pick grip right, you can use the guitar pick almost like an extension of your thumb. For single note playing, use down strokes of the plectrum for slower notes, faster notes are best picked down and up alternately. On the upstroke just push the guitar pick up gently with your finger. Your elbow should absolutely NOT be moving when you pick single notes - if it is, you are in danger of developing Carpal Tunnel Syndrome as well as playing with a ham-fisted technique. If you can't play without using the elbow, review your grip on the plectrum.

For a mini-tutorial in thrash style tremolo picking, follow this link I have set up for you on Google Docs. You can print it or work off screen. A good example of where to use this style of playing is One by Metallica. (How to play One by Metallica here)

Thrash Style Tremolo Picking Exercise Here

Tenacious D had some cheeky hits with Tribute and Wonderboy amongst other things. One thing is not in dispute - their ability to wield the Pick of Destiny! Here is the TAB book for the album.


Tenacious D - The Pick of Destiny - Music Book

An attractive set of picks in a convenient tin should prevent you losing too many. In my case I lost my pick box for ten years, but it turned up in the end - complete with the pick of destiny too!


Musicnotes Pick Pack - 12 Guitar Picks plus Storage Tin - Music gifts and accessories

Here are some flat picking instruction books for Country music fans....


Pick Power! - Right-Hand Workouts for Speed, Volume and Control - DVD


Flat Pick Country Guitar - Music Book

Although your wrist will move slightly when you pick single notes, it is NOT your wrist that makes the note. This is where so many amateur guitar sites (and some pros) get it wrong. Thumb and fingers should guide the guitar pick in lead playing, wrist comes in for tremolo picking only. Where the "play from the wrist" instruction slips up is this: if you are turning your wrist to play with a guitar pick, then you are moving through a circle, moving further than you need to, and you will not be able to play guitar fast!

Here are some great pages where you can learn songs, chords, techniques or just enjoy the music.

20th Century Boy
Band In A Jam Project
Best Songs To Learn On Guitar
Born To Be Wild
Hallelujah
Harley Davidson Guitar Stuff
Hey Joe
Highway to Hell
House of the Rising Sun
Johnny B Goode
Improvise on guitar - first lesson
One
Perfect Day
Play Guitar REALLY Fast
Satisfaction
Smoke On The Water
Stairway to Heaven
Summer of 69

Here are some basic guitar chords for you to try. I have uploaded them to Flickr so you can copy them from photos.

E chord

D chord

A chord

For more chords in diagram form please click here.

Or guitar - how to play without breaking strings! Even the best guitar lessons I have seen do not tell you this. Do not "slice" strings. Notes and chords should be played with the flat of the pick. Slicing strings with the plectrum is the number one cause of string breakage. I can play really hard with a 2mm plectrum on .009 - .046 strings and yet I never break a string in performance because I keep the correct pick grip, a loose wrist and never slice with the pick edge. I only need to change electric guitar strings when they sound dull.

When you strum chords, keep the wrist loose and bouncy. The elbow will move when you are strumming, but it should be your fingers and wrist that are controlling the pick. A relaxed wrist avoids breaking strings!