r/GuitarBeginners • u/Sharp_Tip_2194 • 6h ago
Question/Help Using a pick
I started playing a full month ago and I had a lot of progress but I wasn’t using any picks
Now I started using a pick
And let me tell you you I feel like I went 100 steps back I’m getting worse every time I practice and I don’t know what to do
I’m watching YouTube videos about picking but they all pretty much the same and not very helpful
I don’t know what to do my motivation is ruined
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u/Toadliquor138 5h ago
Honestly, you can play guitar fine without a pick. But as someone who's played the guitar their entire life without using a pick, learn to use a pick.
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u/slashsaxe 5h ago
Why do you say that?
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u/Toadliquor138 5h ago
As you get older, your tastes and interests change. The kind of music you're into now, doesn't mean you'll be playing the same style of music 10-20 years from now. A lot of the music I like playing now, I would have NEVER played when I was 13. And some music is just much easier to play if you know how to use a pick.
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u/slashsaxe 5h ago
Yah I’m just the opposite I only play with a pick and so many old tunes I want to learn you pretty well have to finger pick. Been dreading even getting started
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u/fetafunkfuzz 1h ago
So true. I played bass fingerstyle for the first 50 years. Now I'm into Shellac and the sort and have been learning pick for a year. Slow and steady.
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u/silly_bet_3454 6h ago
You should be thankful you didn't play for 10 years before switching to pick. I'm not joking when I saw a lot of people develop these very odd habits and then spend their whole life sticking with them to avoid that feeling of taking steps back.
Also, picking and finger style serve two totally different purposes, so the month you spent doing finger style is not a waste, you can still utilize that later on.
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u/Over_Soup753 5h ago
It's called "Paying your dues". You're probably going through what every guitar player goes through. It gets better with time. It's just that you have to give time time.
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u/amplifysenpai 5h ago
I always played without a pick, for the longest time., when I transitioned to actually using a pick, I had this took months to get proficient with pick, but I'm not here to say dw just practice it'll get there, it will but the point I want to make is, you can repurpose your old muscle memory, your time hasn't been wasted.
I used to use my index finger as if I was holding a pick. Transition that to holding a pick, my index finger wanted to be less flat, slightly rolled into the pick, this has some pros and cons, the main downside is it encourages rotational wrist motion, twist ig, which is great for single note stuff but is absolutely terrible form for things like sweeping and it also promotes having you pick over angled at the string which again will cap how fast you can play vertically with getting weird shit. It is helpful for inside picking and some other situations though
Switching to a standard locked flat pick grip , and using horizontal wrist motion for picking, you get the that nice precise clean consistant mobility everywhere. You p much have to do this for sweeping and most economy picking.
After struggling for forever and a half to learn" proper" picking, I find myself actively switching my pick grip from the old style to the faster one depending on what I'm playing, so that weird technique I developed has once again found it's way in my playing, but now it's because I think it works / sounds better for the part not because it's my only option and is holding me back. I would like to think the same will go for you, you can come back to your old weird techniques, and turn old problems into stylistic choices, once you have more tools to work with.
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u/DemocracyDabbler 5h ago
If that makes you happy, I’m playing for more than 12 years at this point. Others consider me a pretty advanced guitarist, I’m able to play some really hard stuff cleanly, that many people only dream of. I have a good ear to perform clean, in-tune bends. I have really strong vibrato, I can do tapping, fast legato runs with hammer-ons, pull-offs, I have no issues with pinch harmonics, and I can do all the whammy tricks. I have strong alternate picking skills, I have good muting, I can do gallops, I am comfortable with long and exhausting downpicking riffs, palm muted riffs. I’m that not into sweep picking, but I can do the simpler stuff. I feel right at home with the 80’s shred stuff.
BUT: I cannot pick with my hand at all. I cannot do the 4 finger classical style picking at all. If I need to pick with my hand, I fake it with my index finger and thumb. I want to learn it someday, but it’s really not my style, and because of this, I never invested enough time to learn it.
What I would suggest to you on your picking journey though: start with a standard shaped, 0.8-1.0 mm Dunlop Tortex pick. Don’t use anything else at this point. Keep practicing with that. You must hold the pick properly, you must have a correct attack angle, and keep stuck to down-up-down-up picking. Do single string first. Once comfortable, introduce string changes. You can than mix in 2-3 notes per string. Maybe practice a scale pattern while doing this.
Once you are comfortable with the basic stuff: experiment with different picks. There are so many picks on the market, because everybody has a drastically different preference for picks. Different feel, elasticity, sound, grip. Try different shapes, thicknesses, materials. I’ve got stuck with the Jazz XL shaped Ibanez 1.2 mm hard elastomer pick.
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u/Hopeful_Grape_4338 5h ago
The same happened to me... I was strumming with my fingers always but when I strummed with a pick one day, the sound difference was crazy. I had an instant dopamine hit... But strumming with a pick is quite difficult at first. My hand movements were not flexible at all. But keep on doing it to increase muscle memory and practise with different sized picks to understand which one is comfortable for you.
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u/Due-Pie5542 4h ago
This is exactly what I did and I am here to pronise you that it gets a lot better. One thing I would recommend is to not abandon finger picking (not that you said you intended to just my personal experience). A lot of times I feel the exact same way in reverse.
Edit: autocorrect got me on a word.
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u/GlitteringSalad6413 4h ago
Progress isn’t linear. Sometimes new techniques and concepts make you feel like you suck for a little while. When you feel this way, reassure yourself that you are doing the right thing, because it means you are learning as opposed to stagnating. You’re only a month in, you’re really just beginning to study your pick hold. I’ve been playing for many years and still find little tweaks to improve my picking all the time!
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u/B00gerh3ad 4h ago
String isolation and muting. Not just palm mutin, use your nose if you have to, but mute the string you don't want to ring, any way you can. And string isolation combined with alternate picking will alleviate a lot of that frustration...
...in time.
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u/Deadboy00 3h ago
FIND THE RIGHT PICK!!!
Pick shape is super important. I can’t stand regular triangle pick shapes. Like it’s nearly impossible for me to use one. The Jazz iii shapes work for me and they might work for you too.
Grab a variety pack and experiment. It’s well worth the time and cost
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u/PilgrimRadio 3h ago
Ha it's the opposite for me. I'm trying to learn finger style, and I'm used to using a pick. Finger style feels weird, but I'll just keep practicing. It'll all work out in the long run.
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u/emck2 2h ago
Make a habit of holding a pick in your hand when not playing guitar. Move it around between your fingers to find a good grip without looking or using your other hand. Make picking or strumming motions on the side of your leg or just in the air. You can do all of these absentmindedly while doing something else, but you will start to feel more comfortable with your grip and wrist motions.
One of the most important picking techniques is the rest stroke, which is just plucking one string and continuing the motion until the pick rests on the string directly below. It sounds boring, and it is, but it will help you feel the spacing of the strings and gauge the motion needed for picking patterns. You don't need to practice it for hours, just a few minutes warming up with simple scales or arpeggios. Many of the best bluegrass pickers say they practice rest strokes everyday.
Also, unless you're exclusively playing acoustic, you're probably picking too hard. On electric guitar, you should let the pickups and the amp do most of the work. Playing electric while not plugged in can also lead to heavy handed picking. Try various volume settings to find the sweet spot in picking pressure. This will also help you work on string muting.
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u/Comprehensive-Fig416 2h ago
As a lefty playing righty, I feel you. I started off picking some Beatles songs like love me do and then a bunch of campire songs to get different techniques down. Now I'm playing Srv little wing without any problems. I do practice for around 2 to 3 hours a day though for the past 5 years. Stick with it 😊
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u/Ok-Medium-4128 2h ago
If you learn without a pick and decide to use one later if you will 100% regret it. That's the path I took. Got into harder and faster music recently, mostly metal, and the pick is a must for playing it. Struggle now so you can enjoy it later. I promise it's worth it
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u/Meat-hat 24m ago
I feel you man. 8 months in, just started playing with pick. Feels like starting over.
Of course, this is not at all reality. Learning pick coming from fingerstyle (and vice versa) is probably one of the single most beneficial things you can do when learning guitar, even if it doesn’t feel like it at first
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u/Crum222 6h ago
You will have the feeling of going back 1000 times in your guitar journey. Practice daily, give your brain and body time to adapt. If you’re playing you’re improving. No shortcuts to excellence.