Pick or No Pick!!??

[John]

I’ve messed around trying to learn guitar for years but am finally getting serious and love this program.

But I’ve never played with a pick and can’t get used to one. Any suggestions? Can I just stay with what’s comfortable or am I giving up too easily?

Discussion

[Shulamit]

Hi John,

Firstly, good for you that you’re continuing to learn and not give up.

I, for years, played exclusively with my fingers until I discovered the Black Mountain thumb picks. (https://blackmountainpicks.com)

They are rather expensive, however they fit perfectly on the thumb and give me the possibility of strumming and finger-picking without having to do hybrid picking which I find is a pain.

After I got used to the Black Mountain thumb picks, I actually found that I could also play with a regular flat pick, especially after I put on them Monster Grips silicon grips (https://www.monstergrips.com) which keep the pick from slipping and falling off your hand. There are times that I prefer a flat pick to a thumb pick, particular if I’m playing solos over a backing track for example.

Besides that, there are different methods for holding the flat pick. I tried different ones, till I found the one that works best for me. Check them out.

I hope that helps some. Lots of luck.

[Tomas]

Hi John,

There’s no one right way. I like to use both the pick and my fingers to get different sounds. I’ve added this question to the list for the next RGS Live so a can spend some time explaining AND showing what you can do with a pick and how I use my fingers.

If you decide to give it a go here’s two lessons you’ll find helpful:

How To Use A Pick

How To Keep Your Pick From Slipping

I second the Monster Grips silicon grips (https://www.monstergrips.com). I put them on all my picks.

How To Use A Pick

[Author]

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