Playing with a pick on an acoustic guitar. Correct technique for playing a guitar pick. What is a mediator

Abstract: All beginning guitarists face the problem of playing a guitar with a pick. The article will tell you how to play with a pick correctly: how to hold the pick and the technique of playing with a pick on the guitar

If you are reading this article, then you must have already mastered playing the guitar without a pick a little. Playing a guitar with a pick not much different than without it. By the way, it is often not comfortable to play with a pick, so I don’t advise you to pay much attention to playing with a pick (although, of course, it all depends on your professional growth).

And so, first of all, let's learn how to hold a pick correctly in your hand. In fact, you can hold it in different ways (as convenient), but the most common one is to hold the pick with the fingers of your right hand, hold it confidently and without straining. When playing the guitar, the position of the hands is no different from simply playing with your hands.

Using a pick is no different from a simple game. Down, up, down up. At first, of course, you will not be comfortable, but after some practice, you will get used to it.

But it’s not much different and it will take much longer to get used to playing the guitar with a pick.

Playing a light melody using a pick

The theory of the game was described above, and now let's get down to practice. For example, we will take, which is played on one string. This will be a famous tune among guitarists called Grasshopper.

You can hook the strings from below or from above, but it is better, of course, to combine them. Here's a small piece

Good day, dear reader! If you follow the guitar lessons on our website, you probably noticed that the lessons go in stages from simple to complex. We have already mastered the correct guitarist, as well as various acoustic guitars. Now we will gradually move on to playing the electric guitar. We will study various playing techniques. But first you need to figure out how to hold a pick and how to play with a pick. By the way, some time ago there was a detailed article on our website about different types of mediators. If you haven’t read it yet, I advise you to definitely read it.

Classical school guitarists use their nails to play fast passages on an acoustic guitar, but when playing an electric guitar, it is customary to use them (when playing an acoustic guitar, a pick is also quite often used). The mediator allows you to develop a very decent speed of playing solo parts, and with the help of it you can transfer your playing dynamics to rhythm parts.

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How to hold a pick correctly

The images clearly show how to hold the pick correctly. It is clamped quite tightly between the index finger and thumb. The mediator is placed on the edge of the pad of the index finger and pressed with the pad of the thumb. How you hold the rest of your fingers (extend or slightly clench into a fist) is not fundamentally important. You yourself determine what is more convenient.

Option when fingers are extended

Option when fingers are clenched

A guitar pick is most often made in a teardrop shape. So the acute angle should protrude a short distance. This allows your fingers to be closer to the strings of the guitar when playing and to clearly control the amplitude of movement of the pick.

If the pick protrudes over a fairly large distance (for example, if you took it close to the rounded edges), then you will not be able to control the amplitude of its movement; it will simply not be very comfortable for you to play, and the clarity of the game will decrease. Finally, if you hold the pick while playing aggressively, it may simply jump out of your hand at the most inopportune moment. Naturally, no one wants this, so hold your pick correctly!
There is no standard for how much a mediator should perform. You yourself must feel this position.

Positioning the right hand

Greetings, dear lovers, of such a wonderful instrument as the guitar. I continue a series of articles for beginner guitarists. In today's lesson I will tell you about mediators: how to choose the right one, how to hold it correctly, and also how to use it (the mediator) correctly, i.e. play. When you make sounds with a pick, the sound of the strings is cleaner, louder, and the risk of damaging your fingers when playing is minimized.

As with any other activity related to the guitar, to learn how to use (play) a pick well, you need practice. Moreover, you won’t be able to master this technique in one day; you will have to spend several weeks training.

So let's get started.

How to choose the right mediator

The first thing you should pay attention to is the material from which the mediator is made; it can be made from the following materials:

• Metal;
• Lexan - a glassy sound is heard when playing;
• Nylon;
• Polycarbonate;
• Tortex - the game has a soft and warm sound;
• Derlin – suitable for high-speed play;
• Celluloid – suitable for playing solo parts.

For playing acoustic guitar, the most suitable pick is made of nylon, which is soft and flexible. Also, each mediator has a special sound.

• Thin– Suitable for playing acoustic guitar. The game has a soft sound;
• Fat- Suitable for playing electric guitar. Allows you to control the force of impact and sound.

How to hold a pick correctly

The pick must be held in your right hand (if you are right-handed) between your thumb and index finger. We place the pick on the first phalanx of the index finger, then press it on top with the thumb and its pad. Keep in mind that the pick should protrude about twenty percent from under the fingers, and not half, as many guitarists do. Below you can watch a video tutorial on this topic.

Learning to play with a pick

• The edge of your hand should be parallel to the body of the guitar;
• The stand should support your hand when playing;
• With short, not sweeping movements, we begin to play the necessary rhythmic patterns. To better understand the playing technique, you can watch the video lesson on this topic.

Exercises to develop playing technique

As I said above, in order to learn how to play well with a pick, you need to practice.

To make your practice as productive as possible, I offer you a small exercise:

• Take a pick and hold it down. You can see how to do this correctly above;
• Start playing the first string with simple up and down movements, then the second, then the combination, etc. Gradually increase the tempo of your playing - this will allow you to learn how to quickly produce sounds with your pick.

That’s all for today, now playing with such a device as a mediator should not cause you any difficulties.

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I always recommend that those who are just starting to play the guitar first learn how to use a pick, and then learn the fingerstyle technique, but of course it’s up to you. Let's make sure you're holding the pick correctly.

How to hold a pick correctly?

Place the pick on the lower phalanx of your index finger so that the small tip of the pick sticks out a little, and then press it with your thumb (see the picture below). Also be sure that the pick sticks out a little from under the thumb and the hand should be relaxed. - These are the most important aspects of the “correct” position and grip.

Which mediator should you choose?

	Jim Dunlop Nylon thickness: .38mm or .46mm This is a very thin pick that is great for strumming. Be that as it may, any very thin pick is excellent for “strumming”. I think these picks are perfect for guitarists who are just starting to play.
	Jim Dunlop "Tortex" thickness: .60mm This pick is slightly thicker than the previous one. Such picks are very good for carving out individual notes, for example when playing solo. To be honest, I would not recommend such picks for absolute beginners, as they require a lot of control of movements and a confident “attack”.
	Jim Dunlop Jazz III thickness: 1.38mm This is a very thick pick, which is absolutely not suitable for an acoustic guitar, since the sound coming out from under it is very harsh. But for an electric guitar, this is a good choice. Thick picks require good control when playing individual notes. Most pro guitarists use them for their powerful electric guitar tone!

Most common questions

My pick gets twisted and keeps slipping. Why is this happening?

— This is a very common problem for those guitarists who are just starting their journey. If you hold the pick too tightly, your hand will become tense and get tired quickly; if you hold the pick too loosely, it will either fall out or become twisted. The solution is simple - practice! Don't worry about this at the very beginning. It will take your hand some time to find that sweet spot between a strong and weak grip.

At what angle should the pick strike the strings?

— When you play with a thin pick, the angle of inclination is not so important. If you feel the pick getting stuck in the strings, you need to angle the pick so that it doesn't catch on them. Take a pick and place it parallel to the strings. Next, tilt it down about 15 degrees. Try to find a position so that the pick slides along the strings rather than catching on them. If you hold the pick parallel to the strings, it will most likely catch on them. You need to constantly hold the pick at a slight angle and play so softly that it cuts through the strings like a knife through butter.

Is holding a pick with 3 fingers (thumb, index and middle) bad?

- Yes! This is not worth doing. Try to hold the pick with two fingers. Using different fingers will likely put your wrist at an odd angle, which can cause problems as you develop your technique later.

What can I say, a lot of pro guitarists do not hold their picks in a standard way and yet their technique is fine. In my opinion, it is better to start with the “correct” grip, as this will give you the necessary base until the moment you decide that this grip is not suitable for you. Eddie Van Halen holds a pick between his middle and thumb. Brian May uses a coin instead of a pick, and Jeff Beck has completely abandoned the pick and plays his solos with his fingers. Holding the pick the way I suggested or following your instincts is entirely personal.

Often, beginners who like to play the guitar immediately choose a thick pick and hold it with 3 fingers. The best solution is to take a thinner pick and hold it with two fingers.

It’s a logical question when you start learning about a guitar pick and what a pick is - how to hold a pick and how to play with a pick? Really - how to play with a pick? Of course, we are talking about mediators of this type:

Claw (nail) mediators do not pose this issue because they are simply put on the fingers and are something like false nails. The plate picks (above) can already create several questions, which we will now examine.

How to hold a pick?

How to hold a pick? The mediators are held between the index and thumb of the hand - the same hand that is used to play strumming and plucking on the guitar. Your fingers should cover at least half the area of ​​the pick plate.

Some picks have a special notch, a depression that shows the correct position of the fingers when gripping the pick. Don't squeeze the pick too hard and don't hold it too loosely, otherwise it might slip out when playing quickly.

Usually a pick is played in two ways:

1) They always hit the string from above;

2) After a top-down strike, they can also perform a bottom-up movement. This greatly increases the speed of playing the guitar, and is very useful when playing, for example, an electric guitar solo.

In fact, the question " how to hold a pick" disappears on its own when you start practicing playing with a pick. Everything comes with experience, so sooner or later you will discover the most comfortable grip for you - and playing with it will no longer be a problem for you.