How To Hold Your Guitar Pick Properly (The BEST Way, With Close Up Examples)

✏️ Struggling to pick faster, accurately, or comfortably? Find out how to pick properly in this video!

DISCLAIMER
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This is not "the best way", but is definitely amongst the most efficient and beneficial methods in many regards. Think of it like writing. There isn't a "best way" to hold a pen, but there's certainly a method that works best for the majority which is the method that we're taught as children. If you are questioning your picking ability, then this video will undoubtably help you! If you're happy with your picking, then please move along 🙂

CHAPTERS
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0:00 Introduction
0:15 Picking Grip
0:46 Wrist & Finger Position
1:29 Palm Placement
2:15 Demonstration / Examples
2:44 Summary & Outro

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For Video (since 2019) I use a Sony A7III, Samyang 35mm f/2.8 FE, and a Rode VideoMic Pro.

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Hey! My name is Darryl Syms, and uh, well, I play guitar! I mean, I do a bunch of other cool things too - hopefully you can get to know me a little bit more through some of my videos.

On this channel, I predominantly post instructional videos to help inspire and encourage like-minded guitar players. My goal is to help you expand your musical vocabulary, to broaden your understanding of music, and to entertain. There are already thousands of guitar related videos out there, but I try to set my videos apart from the usual by exploring a modern approach, and by simply being myself! 💁♂️

I hope you enjoy what I have to offer, and I look forward to growing as a musician with you!

Thanks so much for reading! 💜

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[davegoodwin]

1:38 OHhh...the ball part of my HAND! I've been using my actual balls. Thanks for the tip, gonna try that instead.

[mcnoellynaick]

Unlike videos from others, it's quick and effective.

[hyenaswine]

I started holding the pick with 3 fingers. Guess my teacher wasn't paying much attention. 10 years later I started running into road blocks. Still trying to fix it. Old habits die hard..

[andyj]

I've been playing guitar for 20 years, never been able to hold a pick properly. The revelation of holding it against the side of the index finger and not the pad just blew my mind. Thanks, dude!

[alexseraofficial]

I've been playing for over 10 years, and even though I'm quite good, I always had a hard time with fast alternate picking, so I had to use a lot of legato... Turns out I've been using the "duck way" all this fucking time
¡Thanks! Cheers from Mexico :)

[nathanbernhardt]

I watched this video 6 months ago after a few years of holding it with three fingers. 6 months later I have fully retrained myself to hold it the proper way. My playing is so much cleaner and I can't thank you enough.

[renzo]

I play guitar also and this really helped me to understand basic fundamentals of properly holding a pick, I held my pick in the duck shape you mentioned and showed, I actually was having issues and I'm now going to consciously hold it correctly. Thank you very much for this.

[brittig]

Can't believe what a difference it made just switching to the side of my finger instead of the pad. I always felt like I was at risk of dropping my pick and now it feels totally locked in. Thanks for saving me so much headache

[vicentecantu]

It may sound weird but right after watching this I could greatly increase my speed and my two hands were a lot more synced than ever before. I guess the way you hold your pick affects a lot on your playing. That being said, THANK YOU!

[danielassor]

OMG this helped me so much. Just bought a guitar a few days ago and until I saw your guide I had so much trouble with picking. A big thanks to you!

[thataintitchief]

been playing guitar seriously for about a year now and this video still helped. Got my solos up to speed. Thanks man

[noct]

You just taught me that I’ve been holding a pencil wrong lol

[daniellefraher]

Tried strumming again at ab halfway thru the video, AND OMG THE THANK YOU!!!!

[hymerdl]

I've been playing guitar for about 20 years now and I'm almost entirely self-taught and I've known that I hold a pick wrong, (I do the one you described as "duck shape") but finally thanks to this video I am finally going to try to correct the habit. Thank you for taking the time to make this. I've hit a massive plateau where I simply don't feel like I can get any better without improving the fundamentals. So to any of you newer guitarists who happen to read this please take heed. Don't be stuck years in wasting time trying to brute force through stuff. Get the fundamentals down early.

[GuitarLessonsBobbyCrispy]

For speed ( metal ) playing I like to hold the pick on its side, so the pointy end is facing up, and the rounded end is picking the strings. The result is faster picking, but the notes sound a little bit more flat.

[stanleystanley]

You have no idea how great this video was for me... I’ve been playing guitar for 8+ years, totally self taught mostly acoustic, just fucking around in my bedroom. I ONLY used fingerpicking because it felt so natural to me, until a few weeks ago when I bought my first electric, and I decided it would be stupid not to learn to use a pick.

Anyways, it’s weird for me right now but I trust I’ll get used to it. Thanks again

[nickproductions]

I’ve been learning and playing a lot of songs, chords, scales for a good 2 years now doing great but honestly I needed this to learn how to really hold the pick to help me keep up with my playing style if that makes sense, thank you

[slooob]

I can not believe how much this has improved my playing in practically 5 mins. I sort of had a hybrid pinch/half correct position. This was creating unwanted string noise which turns out was the tip of my index finger dragging. I could play fast but not clean which was very frustrating. Turns out my speed is ok just that I've been doing it the hard way at the picking end. I can also hit pinch harmonics much better now too.
Thank you so much for this video.

[vhalbred]

Picked up guitar again after a while of not playing and realised I completely forgot how to hold a pick. This is way different to how my teacher taught me but by using the bridge as an anchor point I can be so much more accurate with playing the right string. Thanks!

[stillmaddy]

ahhh thank u so much!!! i’ve started playing electric a few months ago and my teacher never told me how to hold the pick, so i’d been holding it with 3 fingers
i eventually had to start using other techniques with my guitar and it got really hard to do them with my pick like that, but now it’s much easier like this :) TY!!