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| How To Pick A Guitar | November 11, 2006, 2:00 am | visits: 104 | wordcount: 641
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By Joseph Tierney
When you play a guitar, you will have to know how to pick a guitar and these are some of them.
There is the standard style of picking a guitar. The standard style is holding the pick between the flat of the thumb and the side of the index finger with your fingers either anchored on or draped across the pick guard.
This style does have some disadvantages. You will find that pressing the thumb against the side of the finger to be an uncomfortable position. You will also find that if you don't press hard enough, the pick will become unsteady when you pick the string. You will find that the pick will catch on the strings.
There is a variation of the standard style where the remaining fingers are in a loose or tight fist. There should be no contact between the hand and the guitar except through the pick. The advantage of this standard style variation is that you should have less baggage to swing around. This is because the mass of the fingers are closer to the axis of the wrist.
The main disadvantage of this variation is that even in the greatest of players, they were inconsistent in the accuracy of their playing. They kept on losing on losing their point of reference of fingers that were touching the pick guard.
Another variation of the standard style is that the palm rests flat on the bridge, either behind or in front, depending whether the strings need muting or not. You can have other fingers open or closed.
This standard style variation is perfect for electric guitar players who usually deal with feedback that they don't want.
The problem with this variation is that you have to play with a side to side motion rather than at the wrist. This will eventually lead to having a locked wrist and you will not be able to play faster.
There is another variation of standard style. When you play using this variation, you have the thumb side of your palm raised with the opposite side of your palm resting on the bridge. The only difference between this variation and the regular standard style is the hand location.
Another variation of the standard style is called circle picking. You hold the pick the same way as the standard style. You move by flexing the first joint of the thumb, with the index finger extending at its second joint. You slide the pick along the string before crossing it, turning counterclockwise on down strokes and clockwise on upstrokes. This essentially means that you are making a circular motion to play the strings and the reason that it is called circle picking.
The main advantage is that you can play several strings with no arm or wrist motion at all. The tones sound nice when using this style. It is a fun way to play if you don't mind looking weird.
The main problem with this picking style is that your feel will suffer. You will constantly have to will yourself to control your timing. It is hard to do large strokes like strumming. You will find eventually that the extra motion of the thumb and index finger are inefficient and limit speed.
George Benson has a unique picking style. When you want to use the pick like George Benson, you put the pick between the tip of the thumb and the flat of the index finger. The middle finger should rest against the index finger. The first joint of the thumb should be locked in a fully open position. You should the first and second joints of the index finger arched and locked. You should find that the pick is 90 degrees counterclockwise from the standard style.
About the Author: Gen Mason is a guitar player from Florida. Discover free how to improve your guitar skills at Jamorama
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