What pick angle do you use when strumming/flatpicking?

[Rosewood99]

Is the pick perpendicular to the strings, angled downward or upward? Or do you change it on the upstroke? How about flat picking?

[arie]

Originally Posted by paulzoom

Is the pick perpendicular to the strings, angled downward or upward? Or do you change it on the upstroke? How about flat picking?

for me it's always dead perpendicular to the strings. can't even imagine changing the angle for up/down strokes or why -sounds like too much work.

[DesertTwang]

I find that question difficult to answer without filming the strumming hand and playing it back slow motion. I have always thought I angle my pick slightly backward, because that's how it feels to me. But the wear on my picks tells me I angle it forward, ever so slightly. I sometimes tilt the pick backwards consciously to get more speed when flatpicking. I have heard from several instructors that there is no right or wrong way. Your pick angle depends on the anatomy of your hand. Personally, I don't sweat it too much.

[Silly Moustache]

If you look at the bevel on a good quality plectrum (Blue Chip etc), it will indicate the ideal angle at which the pick should hit the string. - very approximately at about 20-30 degrees from the horizontal. However, many of us will have developed differing approaches for different sounds and accents.

As I am primarily a flat-picker adapting the style to both bluegrass and singer-songwriting, blues, jazz/swing etc., I have unknowingly developed my own plectrum style - I was only made aware of it after being approached by a guitarist in the audience one night who said that he was fascinated by what my right hand was doing and could I explain .... I couldn't but it made me think.

Other things to bear in mind - as your technique and performance skills increase - your plectrums will become thicker. Also as you age (like me) you may also find that the point angle of a triangle pick is more suitable for you than a teardrop.

That's my 2 New pence,

[JohnnyDes]

First off, and hoping not to confuse the discussion, I think of a no-angle attack as being Parallel to the strings. Perpendicular, which I assume nobody is actually doing, would be, well, perpendicular - angling the pick 90 degrees into the strings.

I'm by no means an accomplished flatpicker, but I've certainly read a lot, and I angle slightly downward with the front edge of the pick. I add a right-hand bevel to all of my picks to work in this manner.

As I've moved to thicker picks, now prefering 1.5+ mm, I have found that I can strum with more abandon if I increase the attack angle slightly - this helps the pick ride over the strings more to create a smoother strum. For single note picking, my preferred angle seems to be less.

But, I'm still learning/evolving, so this could all change.

JD

[Misty44]

Originally Posted by Silly Moustache

If you look at the bevel on a good quality plectrum (Blue Chip etc), it will indicate the ideal angle at which the pick should hit the string. - very approximately at about 20-30 degrees from the horizontal. However, many of us will have developed differing approaches for different sounds and accents.

As I am primarily a flat-picker adapting the style to both bluegrass and singer-songwriting, blues, jazz/swing etc., I have unknowingly developed my own plectrum style - I was only made aware of it after being approached by a guitarist in the audience one night who said that he was fascinated by what my right hand was doing and could I explain .... I couldn't but it made me think.

Other things to bear in mind - as your technique and performance skills increase - your plectrums will become thicker. Also as you age (like me) you may also find that the point angle of a triangle pick is more suitable for you than a teardrop.

That's my 2 New pence,

I'll add another 2 pence to Silly's statements, my experiences too.

This video will show you right-hand mechanics for flatpicking. It seems elementary, but it's not really, and it may be useful to you:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BfLK4jZFdXI

It's all about control and technique to get the sound you want - it's amazing how many different ones there are inside the same box.

[HHP]

Angle down, around 25-30 degrees min. Parallel seems to generate a lot of noise and slows you down a bit, too.