Frustrated with pick turning and slipping...aaaargh!

[michaelws]

rstaight, do you use the black mountain thumb pick the same way as a plectrum pick? Or do you fingerpick and use the thumb pick for mostly downstrokes?

[erhino41]

Using picks with grip on them helped me a ton in the beginning.

I started with brain picks by snarling dog, you can get them pretty cheap at guitar center. They are nylon with pointy nubs on the grip faces. The tone and attack is a little softer than the standard fender celluloid picks, but that also makes them forgiving as well while your learning. I don't use them now but they were extremely helpful.

My favorites were cool picks. They have texture applied after manufacturing. I still use these for some things. The black or white juratex picks are pretty good sounding, a little warmer than celluloid and a little more focused than the nylon.

Learning with these I was eventually able to use any pick I wanted.

[UncleJesse]

Switching from teardrops to triangles fixed this problem immediately.

[mroemer]

I like to use the rubber Fender Mojo Grip on my picks. They fit my favorite 351 picks and really work well.

https://www.amazon.com/Fender-Musica...82001393&psc=1

[Draft Guitar]

I believe that we're all there at some point, struggling with proper picking hand technique. Quite a while ago I decided to focus on my right hand (picking hand) technique almost exclusively. I will say, it is a deep rabbit hole, but one worth going down. In the end you will be a better player.

I use Blue Chips (TAD 40, TAD 50, and sometimes a TAD 40 3R). I do believe the larger picks help with proper picking hand technique, at least for me.

In the end, I realized that I need to be using different parts of the pick for different applications. Now I generally let the pick rotate to where it wants to be for strumming, then rotate my hand forward a little for a better attack when picking. I probably change the pick angle about 20 times during a single song, it just becomes natural over time.

[Goat Mick]

Originally Posted by UncleJesse

Switching from teardrops to triangles fixed this problem immediately.

This helped me tremendously as well, but it didn't fix the problem immediately. Drilling grip holes in my triangles helped a lot too.

[Robin, Wales]

Originally Posted by michaelws

I know this is something harder than it looks for beginners like me. I am putting a lot of time into strumming. Muting the strings and playing with chords.

How long did it take some of you to master finding the right amount of pressure in the thumb and index finger to where you could strum smoothly.

I have just finished my first 4 weeks of learning the guitar. Does this take months? My down strum is fine but my up strum is totally horrible.

It makes me feel pretty clutzy!

How long did it take to strum smoothly? More than 4 weeks! We are talking years to get really fluid and comfortable. That doesn't mean you are going to be "bad" for long, just that strumming is a skill that gradually continues to improve over time. It is a very fine motor skill.

Pick rotating: You can get help for that. Try Gorilla Snot or Pick Honey (both available from Amazon). Just a very little smeared between your thumb and first finger and your Fender Thin will stick solidly. You can also try a little violin rosin - just scrape the surface of a rosin bar with a key or similar and spread the dust between your thumb and first finger. You can also try washing your hands and the pick with soap and water before you play - sometimes that's all you need to make a pick grippy.

Improving that strum: Not every pick suits every player. We all have very slightly different grips and natural angles of strum. Over time, you will find the picks that suit you best. In the meanwhile, to help smooth out your strumming, simply turn your Fender Thin pick and play it off of one of the rounded corners rather than the point. You'd be surprised just how many guitarists actually hold standard teardrop picks like this all the time, rather than use the point. The pick will sound much mellower and it will glide across the strings easier,, particularly on the upstroke.

[Silly Moustache]

Originally Posted by michaelws

I know this is something harder than it looks for beginners like me. I am putting a lot of time into strumming. Muting the strings and playing with chords.

How long did it take some of you to master finding the right amount of pressure in the thumb and index finger to where you could strum smoothly.

I have just finished my first 4 weeks of learning the guitar. Does this take months? My down strum is fine but my up strum is totally horrible.

It makes me feel pretty clutzy!

;
Hi, Don't be downcast. I teach online and often need to give advice to folks about holding picks.

My advice to you is :

1. buy some large triangle picks - Dunlop Tortex or similar, and buy a selection of different thicknesses.

2. Whilst it sounds counter-intuitive but I've found that many who have trouble holding on to picks tend to squeeze them too hard. Try holding your picks "just enough"

3. Whilst we call the "picks" we are actually "drawing" the pick across the strings.

4. Upstrokes - point 3 may be your issue here. Actually, upstrokes aren't that important. treat them as secondary, and remember point 3.

Hope that helps, and if I can help more, let me know.

[rdeane]

You may want to try Monster Grips available on Amazon for $9.99. I used to have the same problem with my pick turning on me. These little grippy dots work great. I have one on each of my favorite picks.

[edward993]

Originally Posted by bufflehead

Grip is part of the learning curve, and I think it's better to focus on proper technique than to go with picks that are designed for easier gripping. ... You've gotten some good advice to concentrate on lightening up your grip. Yes, it's counter-intuitive, but it works.

Answer right here, OP, seriously.

BTW, what I do is score a few lines along the pick with sharp knife. Not too deep, but just enough to offer extra grip "purchase." Try it "vertically" on one pick, and "horizontally" on another pick, and see which works better for you. But yes, first, keep practicing good technique and it will soon become second nature!

Edward

[Shadowfox]

Honestly, I find that near impossible to do with thin picks. Try some .75 or thicker if you are using thin picks. Plus better tone to my ears.

[DBW]

I like V-Picks, particularly the Phil Keaggy and the TTK. They are easier to grip.
I also have a few triangle shaped Blue Chips. They are also easier to grip. Also, with a triangle shaped pick you don't have to worry when it spins.

[Martyn Eden]

In my view, there is no such thing as a grippy or slippery pick. Just slippery or grippy finger/thumb.
Google "warming up" by Brandon Acker on YouTube and do his five minute warm up every day for a while.
The problem is not your pick, it's your forefinger/thumb.
Having said that, I'm long since sold on the large triangles. Currently the inexpensive ultex .73 and 1mm. They work very well for me once I've warmed up.

[6L6]

I use a medium size COOL pic and just punch a hole in the middle. Never dropped a pic since I started doing this 50 years ago.

[Methos1979]

I had the same problem. Then I tried a Blue Chip. Nothing since. CT-55 is my jam.