The only right way to hold a pick?
Вставка
- Опубліковано 6 лют 2025
- FREE COURSES: www.guitarmast...
FOLLOW US ON INSTAGRAM FOR DAILY LICKS:
/ guitarmasterynet
SIGN UP FOR FREE DAILY LUXURY JAM TRACKS:
www.guitarmaste...
SUBSCRIBE TO OUR UA-cam CHANNEL 2 DAILY VIDEOS:
/ wizardofshred
NB: Claus reads every comment and answers your questions in future videos
How do you hold your pick and is it the best way?
![How to Hold a Guitar Pick the RIGHT Way [Guitar Playing Masterclass PART 1]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/v9RIjw8psHo/mqdefault.jpg)
I love learning guitar from Arnold Schwarzenegger Jr.
U got keen eyes
Elon musk
Hahaha it's 2020.
Seems a deepfake
He reminds me of Brad Pitt 🤷🏾♀️
This was so validating because I COULD not for the life of me keep my index finger curled up it naturally wanted to straighten out into this grip lol. Just feels right.
Exactly the same here. I play metal and the curled index finger is what every rock/metal tutor (especially Internet ones) seems to recommend but it is just hellishly uncomfortable for me.
Thanks for this video! I've been playing for 40 years and this is the way I've always held a pick. I've tried the other pick holding position that is somehow the "right" way and it felt so uncomfortable and unnatural that I couldn't adapt. Thanks for making me feel like I'm not a freak! LOL.
That’s how I’ve always held the pick. I still do and some say it’s the wrong way, but it’s always worked wonders for me
It's not wrong if it works for you!! Some others are not you. Rock on!!
yep i was told i am holding the pick wrong as well but i can do so much more with it this way
same here
only one way ? whether you are strumming or not ??
@@kennethkimbroug8087 yeah
I forgot how good this tutorial was for me. If you are new to guitar, listen to this man
I discovered this myself 50 years ago when started playing mandolin, which requires fast picking & accuracy, then applied to my guitar playing also.. I recommend for beginners to maybe use the second finger for a little guidance until more control is developed..
The grip he shows is ideal for speed and pinch harmonics. Hit the string at a 30-45 degree angle and you’re golden. If these are your goals it’s worth adopting this technique.
whats the best grip for strumming...or can i use the same one in the video also for strumming
How you explained the differences in how you held the pick is almost exactly what ive gone through with picking ive been playing on and off and not very consistently for a couple of years but the pendulum idea really blew my mind it makes so much sense because ive been trying to be more precise and effective with my picking but i noticed i had to much tension is my right hand and it felt so awkward to try and stay consistent
Hello Claus, this is really great. I agree with you 100%. Cheers!
I have always held my pick the way you are saying works best for you. I have seen so many other people hold it with thier index finger tucked inward like you first demonstrated, and one guy says you can use your thumb for muting strings but, you obviously can't really do that very well holding the pick with 2 fingers like your final demonstration. I was messing around with how I hold the pick and noticed that when I tucked my index finger I can't play as fast and I don't have the same amount of control. So I guess I will stick with what I've been doing. I didn't realize Paul Gilbert held the pick that way too. BTW, I use the Big Stubbys too. Lol
He explained exactly how I hold the pick, and now I am trying this the way he is showing, it is a very awkward feeling. But I will stick at it like he says. Thank You
A lot of great guitar players, including Kirk Hammet, Eddie Van Halen, Marty Friedman, and Willie Adler have very weird ways that they hold a pick. You don't need to abide by some stupid rules. This video is a suggestion
I found for me it is really awkward and clumsy. I just turned the pick 90 degrees, so its perpendicular to my palm and the strings. Instead of twisting my hand all the way.
How did it work out jez
@@behindthen0thing525
Yes, never looked back. This is how I hold my pick now. I forgot about this thread I watched, how cool
@@jeremykemp3782 lol that's great
That is the way I like to hold a pick but I was corrected by so many people or "teacher" . You explained it very good. THANKS!
Holy shit thank you so much. This feels so much better than anything else I’ve tried
In my experience, I've gone in precisely the opposite direction. I started out holding the pick in line with my forefinger and secured by my thumb but I was never able to get good control over tremolo picking or a few other techniques. I observed players I admired holding the pick the way you showed in the beginning of the video, so I tried holding it that way. Almost immediately, my tremolo picking improved.
This was just a few weeks ago, so the new hold is still not perfectly natural to me, but it's becoming more comfortable and my right-hand technique has improved, including pinch harmonics.
It's the same for me. Glad to read this
I'm been playing for a little over 5 months now and I'm still experimenting. I actually recently just made the same transition as in the video to the way I hold my pick. I feel like it gets more control/precision compared to holding the pick on the side of the index. I do feel like I loose some economy of motion for certain things though, but it might just be that I need to practice it more.
Simplicity, is genius. Biggest improvement in my playing, thank you.
I have played guitar and banjo for 40+ years and I took up playing Irish tenor banjo 2 years ago and pick hold and movement has been my main problem. Your technique will help me and it gave me a whole new way to look at it. Thanks!
the way you ended it actually made me laugh and subscribe lol thanks brotha.
Thank you so much! I've been struggling with different grips, pick angles and wrist motions and it feels so hopeless sometimes. I'm a beginner with a pick, though, so I'll just get back to experimenting and trust that I'll work it out in time.
funny, i went to try this and realized.. ive always held the pick like this haha. although i never actually paid attention how i hold a pick till now
Well, at least I've found one thing I don't need to change 😋
Thanks for the tip - hope it works for Bluegrass flatpicking as well.
Good lesson. Thanks for this.
great example of how can a youtuber make an almost 10 minutes of length video out of 10 seconds. Great!
Freedom now maybe you should make a video of your own, til shut it troll
shut aaap!!
Ikr
@@AhmadAmr98 'xx
Ondnbww akiwjq
I have been a 3 finger guy my whole life and just started experimenting the last few weeks with different 2 finger styles.Thanks to your video Claus, I now have another!! I never felt any constraint with 3 finger, and for me seems easier to switch more comfortably between lead/ rhythm playing then 2 finger. With 2 finger I seem to have to do more adjustments when switching my style of play. So far, however, I am finding 2 finger seems to provide me with a bit more accuracy in my lead playing. Will continue the experiment to see if the lead playing dividends will lead to a permanent switch.
That's how James Hettfield does it. I suppose your downpicking is stable XD?
Haven't been playing very long, but this hold felt like the most natural out of all the other holds.
Thanks so much my boss for this lovely lesson
Great teacher ☮️🔥
This video was very afirming for me, been playing for about a decade holding the pick like this and have been thinking in the last few months that maybe I should change because i see so many other people doing it differently.
Literally going through this process myself. I played bass for many years and have been playing guitar for about a year holding it via the 2 finger method (middle of 3 techniques mentioned here) as it gave me most stability and accuracy on bass. Started feeling like I was doing something wrong as so many others were holding at the 90 angle as in the first technique. I have been trying this for a couple of days and really struggling but after watching this video i am wondering if I should just give it up and go back to how I have always played with a switch to single finger maybe.
That's the way I've learnt to hold it too.. Right now I clicked this video overwhelmed with depression that I've learnt to hold the pick the wrong way through all these years and you show me it's the best way to do so.... Thank you.......
I am in the exact same place as you! I have always been insecure and felt that I was holding it the wrong way and this guy holds it exactly like me!
I nickname this style "bird-beaking" the pick. I have no quarrel with it as I agree that it's all about your goals, man. I've only seen one other guitar instructor recommend it: Tom Hess. However, I can't seem to get away from "conventional" pick holding (where you hold the pick with the thumb against the side of your index finger). To make a long story very short: bird-beaking wrecks the hybrid/swybrid picking that I'm attempting to get better at (and I've made some decent progress already). Sure, I could set everything aside for six months to really give it a fair shake, but time is the fire by which we burn.
This is one of the two methods I use to hold the pick. Another is a variation that Kiko Loureiro uses where he grips it by the extreme right end of the pick. Sometimes that's the best method when you need to mute a lot.
The way you showed to pick before the two finger grip is how gypsy jazz players hold it albeit with a bent wrist.. Do ya think its cos they're generally playing on acoustics, I ended up playing the gypsy way but without the bent wrist so you can still palm mute on an electric, Its a fascinating topic, thanks for the demo.
Great information. I'm going to try it myself. Ohhh and stubbys are all I use they are great
That's how I've held my pick since day one. It just feels natural to me. I've been told 1000 times that I'm wrong but it works for me so I've never changed. Nice to finally have some validation :-D
Same dude. Natural asf.
I am a complete beginner and you are absolutely right this is the natural way of holding the pick. I have been trying all other ways and failed miserably.
It's all on what's comfortable to u , Steve Morse used the thumb , pointer and middle finger too pick... Eddie Van Halen used that way too but he used the thumb and middle finger sometimes but he also used the thumb and pointer sometimes... he changed it mid playing depending what's he's playing
Thank you!! I was already using that grip but started practicing that other common grip because I’d seen so many guitarists (I’m actually a bassist switching over) using it but it was so unnatural and limiting I thought there’s gotta be a better way. Thanks for the confidence!!
Me tooo! 😭I had a guitar teacher who told me to stop using that grip and learn the other, more common, grip. Now I'm just confused hahahaha
For me that's correct holding the pick especially when you strumming a guitar before I'm a band guitarist and I holding the pick like that for solo and rhythm I salute u sir!
Claus, I found this video tonight and I tried this approach. It worked! I have toyed with two way pick slanting for a while but no speed came. I picked up my guitar tonight and tried it your way, adjust the depth of the pick hitting the string and within minutes I was flying through a scale. But what I soon found was soreness in my forearm from not using the muscle this way. I will work on it some more and keep you posted.
I only found you channel yesterday and have subbed , you explain so well i love your laid back but direct style no BS just a great tuition. Thanks your the best on youtube that I have seen.
Can you now explain your picking angles and rotation--pickslanting vs edge picking--or which edge of your pick is making contact with the strings? I've recently reworked my pick hold to this grip you've showed, but I'm reflecting George Benson, Sheryl Bailey, and sort of Santana, using the trailing edge picking technique. I love the newfound accuracy, speed, control, tone and the fact I can use a M - H pick, but I'm having extreme difficult strumming up.
I'm going to try your style, leading edge picking (?). Thanks Claus!
he has several videos on picking technique, some are a bit old and some are really old. Just search his channel for picking videos
Not to mention Jimi, and so,so many funk players. One of EricBlackmon's picking videos on youtube cleared this up for me ('underhand' funk, jazz position) where the upstrum uses more of a light, perpendicular brush. The angle will naturally find itself when I curve the picking hand's forefinger more, rather than the straight Sheryl Bailey/Benson finger 'post' and keep a very shallow depth. I think "Hendrix" or Nile Rodgers rather than "Benson" for strumming.
I followed other videos (not good) when i got my guitar 6 months ago and as soon as I had professional lessons this is the way I was taught and whilst it feels funny to start it works and loosens the wrist whilst giving control over depth.
Very good advice...thanks for posting!
thank you that was very helpful finally found how to hold it
Funny. I'm mostly self-taught and recently one of my friends mentioned that I held the pick in a weird way. So naturally I was worried that I had helt it wrong all these years. Bear in mind that I've never really focused on learning to play the guitar, I just play a bit every now and then. So I started youtubing for pick holding techniques and it really seemed like I held it wrong. Most seem to favour holding it at a 90 degree angle with respect to either the thumb or the index finger. So I tried it and I just couldn't make sense of it. Strumming went fine but any type of finesse or especially pinch harmonics was just impossible. Then I saw this video and it turns out this is exactly how I've been holding my pick since I started playing electric. I think it works fine! Especially when playing on a flying V because the strings are so angled, with a 90 degree pick angle you would have to twist your whole arm to get it to work. But with this technique I just twist my wrist a bit and it works. Same also if I want to use different angles between the pick and string, you have so much control with this grip.
This way is so much more stable, comfortable and freeing.. but I was always told it was “wrong” so I forced myself into the other positions you mentioned.. pick always sliding around, just awkward. Thank you so much for validating that this technique isn’t “wrong”.
Some fucking idiot told me that the only right way to do it was the first one, watching this makes me happy because I'm used to the third
Holding the pick properly will force you to retrain your whole attack and will really help you to relax while playing fast. This is a great video!
Thanks for your video, Claus - the first of yours I've seen. I *think* I pretty much hold my pick in the same way you wound up doing; I say "I think" because of the dark pick and dim lighting. :) What I've wound up doing is making a "plus" with the last segment of my first finger and the last segment of my thumb and the pick goes in between, pointed the way the end of the index finger is pointing. This has the pick touching the first finger partway around to the side.
Thank you. I’m a senior, a long long time a failure at learning to play. I’ve been a thumb strummer. I’m attempting to use a pick. I use to sometimes but even then I held it wrong. F...k, it’s hard to change. Your words show me what to do. Now I just need practise suggestions.
I think scales and riffs will work. Thanks again. How to and why work for me.
Happy to help Tim!
Another great explanation, Mr.
guitarmastery. I hold my pick almost the same, but not exactly. I'll try your suggestion. I find your lessons most sensible. So, now I'll change my picking technique to what you've demonstrated for a while and see whether I can improve.
Good video, it works for me, actually I can easily control the picks this way
I came to this video thinking i been doing it wrong all this years, because most people hold it the way you showed first, turns out I’ve been holding the exact same way that you are recommending in this video.
Thanks, will try this
Y’all know how slash hold the pick right. Index and thumb hold it then the rest of the fingers lay on the strings. I’m trying to get used to that way cuz I think it looks cool lol
This style having flexibility is suitable for electric guitar and other one is suitable for Acoustic guitar for strumming Chords.
thanks...from on old beginner...i appreciate it
I have been holding it like Carlos Santana, worked ok for him.
Hi. You are obviously a gifted player. In this video you mention you developed your pick grip in part because you saw Paul Gilbert hold the pick as you suggest. I just looked at 8 Paul Gilbert videos, many featured close-ups of his alternate picking, and a couple even had him demonstrating "how to hold the pick". In no videos I viewed did Paul appear to hold the pick the way you recommend, rather Paul seems to hold the pick between his thumb, and THE SIDE of his index finger, NOT on the frontal pad of his index finger as you recommend in this video. If you have a link showing him holding as you recommend I'd like a look.
Awesome, great instruction! Explained very well. Did some research and this really makes the most sense.
This solidifies my current practice regiment. I'm in the midst of switching how I hold the pick ( from the pointer+ middle finger and thumb version to this one) it's so frustrating, because I've been playing guitar for over 10 years and that style worked great for acoustic rhythm guitar, but now I'm really digging in to becoming a better lead player and this is making such a massive difference. Good stuff
Thankyou so much. I have been learning guitar for just under 2 years and always stuggled with a plec.. Until now! I was getting used to the muffled sounds coming from using my thumb but now the notes ring clear as a bell.
I'm having the exact same predicament right now. I've noticed fir single string playing and especially pinch harmonics, Paul's way works, but for 20yrs I've used 2 fingers. The only fault I've found with one finger, is rhythm playing, I have way more control of my texture and Dynamics with 2 fingers while strumming
I’ve always played guitar like this and everyone would say o held my pick wrong/weird. Well at least I’m not alone
🙌
Do you have a coarse on what it's like to take it in the back door?
Though it was a very bold effort from your end to say that your way was the best for learners like us but as a Guitar Teacher you have explained everything clearly.
Malmsteem plays like that
Unlike
Petrucci.
But I as a learner thank you for this video.
I always hold the pick like that way but my 1st finger also hit the strings. How can I correct it?
Thank you… I’ve been playing 12 years and still wasn’t comfortable with other ways of holding the pick. This way you use here is what has always felt most natural and comfortable to me… now if I had you speed! 🤷🏾😂.
As always................ food for thought. Thanks Claus.
been playing casually for around 10 years, holding the pic with thumb, index and middle finger....It feels so uncomfortable with only thumb and index, i feels like the pick is sliding out of position and im going to drop it.... that being said after only 1 min of playing with it, string accuracy is so much better.... this old habbit will be hard to kill tho.
i hold the pick the second way u showed, the 3 fingers ^
it rly works perfectly for me
i guess it's different from one person to another
Sombreboy it seems to work for Hetfield.
I learned the way he does it but it feels weak even though I’ve been picking that way for over a year
Claus Levin basically started me on this pick grip. I call it the "Levin" grip, he says it's the Paul Gilbert grip. lol
I found that I kept coming back to this for OVERALL technique. The other grip is fast, but it loses so much finesse and accuracy. Claus is so right on this. I've gone back and forth on both, even tried some weird combo of the 2 which hurt my index fingernail after a while. But this is the right way.
I rest my arm on outside forearm bone and my movement is strictly up and down, holding pick with middle finger support my index finger and my little finger is curved, I was unconscious about that, im started to think about this when I was asked to teach one of my friends how to pick hard and cross strings without losing timing and tone.
Pendulum aka tremolo picking never worked for me, I'm losing stamina fast with that technique,it's good for one string but for string crossing, just don't work for me.
I’m trying to break out of that two finger way atm after 10 years of playing. Sweeping and hybrid picking have become easier
It depends what the player wants to be able to do on the guitar, the way Claus is showing is a very effective way which enables you to incorporate multiple techniques into 1 giving you freedom and endless possibilities.
Sometimes I hold the pick like this video but It sweeps of my fingers when I play fast not always but many times
I use that third grip, but!.. the pick is reversed, the fat end on a slight angle hits strings. Weird but works for me!
If you are having trouble holding a pick or are uncomfortable wearing metal thumb and finger picks.(Dobro or Lap Steel) Get some Bohning Tex-Tite Bowstring Wax from Bass Pro Shop. Just a little on your finger will last a couple of playing times. And for the Finger Picks just rub some on the area where they sit. Much more comfortable and no slippage . Around $10 the stick should last you a long time Red with a Black cap.
I would like to thank this video to you. I hold the pick the same way. :)
I started with 351 shaped medium picks, but it was not comfy. So I moved up to heavy, but it was like stiff, so I changed they way I hold the pick, and in the meantime I tried other picks as well, and I found tri stubby the best for my style, because of the grip it has. I can play nice and soft, real quiet, or I can dig deep in and play loud with it, remaining still flexible.
Nice tips!
3:30 Everytime i do this method my fingers is always touching the strings while it doesn't happen with the 2 finger method.
Like that's the only issue i'm finding with using 1 finger just because it hurts to play chords with it always touching the strings.
Really good!!!
Thanks
Thanks, I had my nails as my pick for over 1 year and half, Its not pretty bad when i hit notes pretty fast But the thing is my nail is starting to worn out and i had to cut it. Now i don’t have to worry having my nails worn out and gets pointy when not cutting it thanks!!
Actually, it is a useful skill to change the way you hold the pick WHILE you are playing. For soloing, I hold the pick as you demonstrated, but for strumming the "traditional" holding is better. Also, electric guitar and acoustic guitar are rather different. For me the most important point is that the pick is stable, still I can hit the strings in any angle + change grip while I'm playing.
I was wondering about this because when I'm playing fast strumming parts, I find that this method of holding the pick lacks stability, but in every other context I prefer this pick grip.
What is your opinion of Anton Oparin’s picking technique?
His technique looks solid. He is basically doing what I advocate: Pendulum picking motion and a right hand anchored where the low e-string meets the bridge.
I hold my pick the same way though I angle the pick up a bit
Black pick against black background and dark shirt, you’re surely a phuking genius.
Аsshоlе
For thinner strings I can see how this way of a pick hold is beneficial. But for the thicker strings, and playing fast rhythm stuff (like Slayer, Lamb of God, etc) I feel like I have to have more an aggressive hold to play more aggressive riffs.
awesome vid... your a great teacher Claus !!
I have lost the tip of my forefinger at the first knuckle. Any suggestions?
You see a lot of players holding the pick in their fist. I don't get it as you can't articulate the pick at all, nor can you use hybrid picking. I found I could hybrid pick, double and triple stops and trills on non-adjacent strings - all impossible with the fist-clench pick hold. You mentioned the pendulum effect - see EVH with his pinky out when trilling.
Gosh. Thank you. I think your method works for me. Seems to be a little more accurate.
Yeah I've been playing guitar a long time and never thought about it before but have been working on different picking styles because in a guitar book I seen ur supposed to hold the pick with ur pointer finger closed and the thumb over it with ur hand closed but yeah it doesn't work for everything and it's quite uncomfortable to me but yeah when playing thrash shit like slayer I can't play I like that lol I need my hand open
White pick would have been useful for demonstration. I kept loosing the pick against his shirt, which was also dark blue. I can't see that well.
Great video again.. Thank you so much. I've been looking for the best solution, I think this could help me from now on.. Respect
Great video, Claus. Thank you
👌Feels more natural and comfortable for me . Why do teachers not recognise when pupil prefers another way rather than the orthodox !
I hold it with 3 fingers. Works excellent for me, but I realize that speedy lead picking is difficult, so I'm trying to learn to hold a pick the traditionally correct way. After 16-17 years of holding it wrong, it's exceptionally difficult.