How to Hold a Guitar Pick

Learning how to hold the guitar pick correctly is one of the first things you should learn when you decide to learn the guitar. If you learn it well in the beginning, you’ll never need to worry about it again, and it’ll make your learning experience much easier. Many beginners instinctively hold the pick between the tips of their thumb and index finger, which is incorrect, and will result in lessened stability. So, lets get to it. Correct hand position Step 1: Initial hand position Curl your hand as in the picture, almost as if you were showing a loose thumbs up. Your index finger is curled, and is parallel with your thumb. Grasp the pick Step 2: Pick placement Place the pick onto your index finger, and put your thumb over it. As you can see on the picture, you’re holding the pick between your thumb and index finger. The tip of your index finger and thumb are parallel, while the pick is perpendicular to them. Correct pick position Visible pick The size of the pick to be left visible will largely depend on the style of music you are playing. If you plucking individual strings very fast, leave only a little part of the pick out. If you are strumming, you can leave more of the pick visible. Holding the pick correctly, as described above, takes some getting used to, so don’t worry if it feels a bit weird at first. Practice, get used to it, and it’ll feel natural soon.