Learn Acoustic Guitar - How To Avoid Dropping The Guitar Pick

Playing with a pick is the easiest way to get a reasonable sound out of your guitar, especially if you use steel strings.

Although strumming is possible using just your fingers there is no point in making life difficult for yourself.

Below are 3 simple tips and tricks you can try out to help you hold the pick more easily

You Do Not Want To Hold The Guitar Pick Using Only Your Fingertips

A big mistake beginners make is gripping the pick between their fingertips Doing this makes you feel as if you have more control, especially when you start playing. They do this because it feels as if you have more control at first. Instead when you grip your pick try to keep it between between the rim of your index finger and the outside edge of your thumb. If you grip your guitar pick between the tip of your finger and your thumb you will probably drop it because you have very little grip.

Use Just 2 Fingers To Hold The Pick

A lot of new guitarists will make the mistake of holding their guitar pick with 3 fingers because it feels easier initially. Sometimes even the best guitarists do this you are only making things harder for yourself. For more advanced techniques like tapping and pinch harmonics it’s useful to have an additional finger available. Holding your plectrum between just two fingers gives you greater flexibility to play. If you grip the pick too firmly (e.g. with 3 fingers) the sound may sound uneven because of the angle you hit the string at.

Try To Find A Guitar Pick That You Like To Play With

Try to start playing using a pick of medium thickness A thin pick will feel flimsy in your hands as you strum and may make it difficult for you to play your guitar. Hard picks tend to strike the strings a little too hard for a beginner. One of the picks I most liked when I started playing was the Dunlop 0.6mm nylon. It’s easy to get a grip on, feels good to hold and it’s not to hard, but it produces an excellent sound.

Do Not Clench Your Fist

Clenching your fist as you hold the pick will result in a loss of control because all of the movement must come from the elbow and not the wrist.

- Once you have used these tips to master holding the pick you may want to discover more tricks. Check out teach yourself to play guitar

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