Hi this is a question for people who can play guitar well
Do you lean the rest of your fingers against the guitar to stabilize your hand when playing with a guitar pick?
Im used to do it but i think it restrains the rapidness of my movement.
question for guitar players
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- Rad Grandad
- 38041 posts since 6 Sep, 2003 from Downeast Maine
we had this talk a while ago...it depends on the situation for...but it seems (I never paid attention in the past until that thread) my other fingers are like holding a teacup proper 
of course while picking I will use my other fingers to brush the strings for one sound, I also use the edge of my thumb to get harmonics while a note is still playing...but mostly my pinky is set and ready to be used on my guitar's volume knob and switches...
of course while picking I will use my other fingers to brush the strings for one sound, I also use the edge of my thumb to get harmonics while a note is still playing...but mostly my pinky is set and ready to be used on my guitar's volume knob and switches...The highest form of knowledge is empathy, for it requires us to suspend our egos and live in another's world. It requires profound, purpose‐larger‐than‐the‐self kind of understanding.
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- KVRAF
- 7217 posts since 21 Aug, 2004 from Trondheim, Norway
I would say "all of the above", depending on what I'm doing at the time. Strumming often starts all the way up from my shoulder, while some picking I just move the outer bits of my fingers. Some times I rest my hand against the wood, some times I rest a pinky against a string.
I also read many years ago that Berklee stopped changing their students' picking habits because changing them caused a lot of rsi...
I also read many years ago that Berklee stopped changing their students' picking habits because changing them caused a lot of rsi...
Rakkervoksen
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- KVRAF
- 6519 posts since 13 Mar, 2002 from UK
Now with improved MIDI jitter!
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- Rad Grandad
- 38041 posts since 6 Sep, 2003 from Downeast Maine
mum fixing lunch for yah...nuffink wrote:
The highest form of knowledge is empathy, for it requires us to suspend our egos and live in another's world. It requires profound, purpose‐larger‐than‐the‐self kind of understanding.
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- KVRAF
- 9220 posts since 23 Jul, 2002 from Pequot Lakes, MN
Not usually. I DO rest my palm against either the tailpiece on my electric 12 or back towards the fine tuners on my guitars with a Floyd Rose to stabilize my hand, though- the other fingers are curled under and ready to grab a knob ...
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A spectral heretic...
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- KVRist
- 401 posts since 24 Nov, 2003 from Waiheke, Auckland, New Zealand
I can't stress this enough,,,
WHAT EVER MAKES YOU COMFORTABLE!!!!
There is no right or wrong way to do this,, it can be argued that there is an optimum way of holding a pick and even that that there is a "Correct Technique" but at the end of the day it is all about your own efficiency.
I've been playing for well over twenty years and i've sat with countless guitar players and teachers and all of them have had different right hand technique. RSI is a very serious issue with musicians and as such the only rule in regards to playing technique is WHAT EVER MAKES YOU COMFORTABLE.
Thats not to say that if you are aware that you have a shitty playing technique that you should just live with that,, but learn to change it slowly and don't force your self to adopt a technique that feels uncomfortable to you,, if you feel that having your hand resting on the face of the guitar is hindering your playing,, set aside 15 minutes of practice time each day and play through one or two scales concentrating on having your hand float,, but if you start to feel any pain or restriction in your forearm stop immediately,,
WHAT EVER MAKES YOU COMFORTABLE!!!!
There is no right or wrong way to do this,, it can be argued that there is an optimum way of holding a pick and even that that there is a "Correct Technique" but at the end of the day it is all about your own efficiency.
I've been playing for well over twenty years and i've sat with countless guitar players and teachers and all of them have had different right hand technique. RSI is a very serious issue with musicians and as such the only rule in regards to playing technique is WHAT EVER MAKES YOU COMFORTABLE.
Thats not to say that if you are aware that you have a shitty playing technique that you should just live with that,, but learn to change it slowly and don't force your self to adopt a technique that feels uncomfortable to you,, if you feel that having your hand resting on the face of the guitar is hindering your playing,, set aside 15 minutes of practice time each day and play through one or two scales concentrating on having your hand float,, but if you start to feel any pain or restriction in your forearm stop immediately,,
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- KVRAF
- 7317 posts since 7 Mar, 2003
My friend charlie has such a weird picking style. He holds his pick between his thumb and middle finger.
Works for him though.
Works for him though.
My Youtube Channel - Wires Dream Disasters
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- Rad Grandad
- 38041 posts since 6 Sep, 2003 from Downeast Maine
doesn't EVH do that sometimes too? My half brother was the same way, and he held the pick up higher exposing more of the pick...me I grip it so close to the point of string contact you can't really see it....just a little piece sticking out between my thumb and fore finger...Andrew Vernon wrote:My friend charlie has such a weird picking style. He holds his pick between his thumb and middle finger.
Works for him though.
The highest form of knowledge is empathy, for it requires us to suspend our egos and live in another's world. It requires profound, purpose‐larger‐than‐the‐self kind of understanding.
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- KVRer
- Topic Starter
- 29 posts since 12 Oct, 2005
thanx a lot for replies
so it seems that ive been learning the worst way i could
im playing guitar for about seven years and for the last few years i feel like my guitar play is not improving maybe even getting worse
as i feel disappointed im trying to find out what im doing wrong and sometimes i find myself repeating one thing with my aching hands for over an hour
so it seems that ive been learning the worst way i could
im playing guitar for about seven years and for the last few years i feel like my guitar play is not improving maybe even getting worse
as i feel disappointed im trying to find out what im doing wrong and sometimes i find myself repeating one thing with my aching hands for over an hour
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- Rad Grandad
- 38041 posts since 6 Sep, 2003 from Downeast Maine
you need to play through that pain, it does help....myself repeating one thing with my aching hands for over an hour
The highest form of knowledge is empathy, for it requires us to suspend our egos and live in another's world. It requires profound, purpose‐larger‐than‐the‐self kind of understanding.
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- KVRian
- 588 posts since 14 Feb, 2003 from Rural splendour (Up North, England)
I really need to "unlearn" my right hand technique (ooer missus!) and start again, but I'm not sure how best to do this. I stopped playing for a while and since starting up again I just can't find the "right" way to hold a pick without either clutching it too hard or frequently dropping it.
Does anyone know of any good books/websites/exercises which focus on the picking hand? All the books I've seen so far focus on the fretting hand and I'm happy enough for now with my bends, hammer ons, pull offs, trills etc. (maybe I should just turn it up a notch and forget the right hand completely!).
Regards,
Derek.
Does anyone know of any good books/websites/exercises which focus on the picking hand? All the books I've seen so far focus on the fretting hand and I'm happy enough for now with my bends, hammer ons, pull offs, trills etc. (maybe I should just turn it up a notch and forget the right hand completely!).
Regards,
Derek.
Less than 1000 posts and writer's block has set in 
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- KVRAF
- 7317 posts since 7 Mar, 2003
I find myself having to regrip the pick quite a lot, I heard a good tip to help with this though is to use light sandpaper on the pick so you can grip it better. Haven't tried it yet though.
My finger picking skills are just f**king abysmal.
My finger picking skills are just f**king abysmal.
My Youtube Channel - Wires Dream Disasters
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- KVRAF
- 2565 posts since 30 Mar, 2004 from Phoenix AZ USA
Good luck kicking the habit.dudaak wrote:thanx a lot for replies
so it seems that ive been learning the worst way i could
im playing guitar for about seven years and for the last few years i feel like my guitar play is not improving maybe even getting worse
as i feel disappointed im trying to find out what im doing wrong and sometimes i find myself repeating one thing with my aching hands for over an hour
I tried with mixed results.
Taping my fingers together for about two weeks seemed to help but I still lay my pinky on the pick guard from time to time.
I know not everybody agrees here but having your right hand moving completely free has to be an advantage, it just makes sense and will come into play at some point when you start serious speeding.