Master & Learn Guitar - Revealed: Detailed Instructions On How To Properly Hold Your Guitar Pick

While you are learning to master and learn guitar playing techniques with your left hand, you will want to ensure that you are also not forgetting about your right hand technique.

Many new guitar players when learning to play the guitar are unsure of how to properly hold a guitar pick. Holding a guitar pick properly is imperative in order to play your guitar chords and guitar scales like a pro.

An improperly held guitar pick will stop you short of being able to master and learn guitar right hand picking techniques such as learning the art of alternate picking.

Before we take a look at how to hold your guitar pick, make sure that the thumb and first finger of your right hand are clean and dry. This will ensure that your guitar pick will not slip away from your fingers.

Let’s take a detailed look at 9 easy steps that will ensure you are holding your guitar pick properly.

1. Take your guitar pick and place it under your right thumb.

2. Pretend that you are growing your thumb nail and have approximately 4/5ths of your guitar pick tip showing.

3. Now turn your guitar pick towards yourself in a 45 degree angle turn. Your guitar pick tip should be pointing towards you now with your thumb pointing parallel to your guitar and body.

4. Place your first finger underneath the guitar pick.

5. Your first finger position placement will be on the right hand side of the guitar pick going from center to the right hand side of your guitar pick.

6. From this point on you might need to slightly adjust your guitar pick tip position. The key here is that you want to hold your guitar pick comfortably, and accurately enough in order to be able to play your guitar scales and chords properly.

7. Final finger placement: With your remaining three right fingers you can either curl them up into a loose fist, or you can lock all three fingers below the first string. If you are muting your guitar strings with your Palm then have your right pinky rest comfortably below the first string.

8. Make sure you have a fresh guitar pick: Having a fresh guitar pick at all times will ensure that you are getting a crisp and accurate sound from your right hand when you strum or pick your guitar. After about two hours of playing and practicing, you will want to switch to a new guitar pick. Any longer than two hours and your guitar pick tip will wear down making it more difficult to accurately play guitar scales. If all you are doing is playing guitar chords then you can use your pick longer unless you are arpeggio playing your guitar notes.

9. Choosing the right kind of pick: You will need to buy a couple of different variety of guitar picks as there are many pick choices to choose from. A general rule of thumb when buying your first guitar pick is to purchase a medium light guitar pick. From there you can decide if you want to play with a firmer or thinner guitar pick, or just keep with the medium light style of guitar pick.