How to Use a Guitar Pick for Beginners

How to Use a Guitar Pick for Beginners

Before learning how to change guitar strings, play barre chords, or even read tablature, guitarists should know how to use a pick. This fundamental tool is a must for anyone who wants to strum or solo with a full, rich sound. Our guide to using guitar picks will help any newcomer quickly get the hang of using them to strum or shred. If you need a new pick, we have hundreds of guitar picks for sale from the leading brands.

How to Hold a Guitar Pick

There are several potential guitar pick grips you can use, including the three-finger grip and the black metal grip. However, we recommend some variation on the standard guitar pick-holding method to get started. Form a relaxed fist with your picking hand, then place the pick between the face of your thumb and the side of your index finger. Depending on personal preference, the pick can be on the index finger’s tip, first knuckle or second knuckle. Your thumb can also be parallel or perpendicular to the tip of the pick. Regardless, you should cover the top half of the pick with your thumb and finger while leaving the bottom half free to play.

Strumming with a Guitar Pick

To do some rhythm strumming, you want to hold your picking hand over the guitar’s sound hole (acoustic) or pickup (electric). While you can let your arm rest on the guitar body, keep your hand and wrist hovering. Rest the tip of the pick on the top (or bottom) string, holding it loosely enough that it’s able to bend but firmly enough that you won’t drop it. Then play the strings by rotating your wrist so the tip of the pick brushes over them; the motion is like turning a light bulb. Angle the pick slightly up for downward strums and slightly down for upward strums. Remember to keep your wrist and your relaxed.

Single-String Playing with Guitar Picks

What if you only want to play one string? You will set up like you’re going to strum. However, after playing the string you want to play, either stop your wrist or pull the pick away from the guitar so it doesn’t strike any other strings. You don’t want to pull it far, though — otherwise, you won’t be in good position to play the next note. This same principle can be used to play two to five strings of a chord rather than all of them. Play the strings as lightly as possible while still being able to audibly hear each note.

Tremolo Guitar Picking

Alternate picking, also called tremolo picking or double picking, is a way to play a lot of single notes in quick succession. To do this, you simply alternate between downstrokes and upstrokes on the same string. For tremolo picking, you can let your hand rest on the guitar, since you don’t need the same range of motion as strumming. For more information, read our post on Tremolo Picking Techniques for Black Metal Music.