Last Updated on March 30, 2023 by Guitarist Authority
How to hold a guitar pick? If you’re reading this, we’ll assume you are just starting out your journey as a guitarist, congratulations! You’ve made the decision to learn and enjoy this passion that will be rewarding for life and in return, give you back so much more than you put into it.
What is the BEST answer to the question of how to hold a guitar pick? The short answer is: whichever way is the most comfortable. This may seem silly, obvious or unproductive but it’s the truth.
For example, Brian May of Queen is known for using a sixpence coin for a guitar pick. The reason I bring this up is because he used to use picks that have more bend and decided he liked a more rigid feel. To make effective use of this sixpence pick however, Brian stated: “I changed the way that I held the pick, sort of bending one of the fingers around, and I never went back from that point.”
Remember Brian Mays’ words if someone were to tell you that you MUST hold a pick a certain way. It’s not true, you need to be comfortable. Every person’s hands, fingers, strength, flexibility and skill level are different. It makes sense that there would not be one definitive way of how to hold a guitar pick.
Another important note is that you are not required to use a pick at all! Plenty of guitarists use techniques such as hand strumming and/or fingerstyle and never even touch a pick. These ideas/techniques will be covered in another article.
Below I’ll explain the basics of how to hold a guitar pick, some tips and tricks, answer some questions and hopefully by the end you’ll have a good understanding of how to hold a guitar pick that will be comfortable and support your play style now and in the future.
HOW TO HOLD A GUITAR PICK – BASICS
The process is simple:
- The pick is held between your thumb and forefinger on your strumming hand. Right hand for standard guitars, left hand for, you guessed it, left-handed guitars (less common).
- The tip of the pick should face 90 degrees from your thumb.
- How much of the pick is exposed is your preference. Begin with a small amount, around 1 cm protruding and adjust based on your comfort level.
- Grip strength is important! You want to make sure the pick does not slip but you don’t want to hold it like your life depends on it. The goal is control without hand cramping or fatigue. You will also have to adjust your grip strength on the pick depending on if you are picking or strumming. Picking will require a bit more grip strength than strumming. You’ll notice strumming with a tight grip is not smooth as you want the pick to float on the strings.
- The most important aspect of holding a pick is comfort
HOW TO HOLD A GUITAR PICK – TECHNIQUES, REALLY?
You may have heard of several different pick holding techniques such as:
- The fist method
- The pinch method
- The O method
Do not be overwhelmed or confused by these techniques and their names. They are NOT definitive for certain styles, nor is there any reason to adhere to one over the others. The information out there regarding these techniques is just altering pick or finger positions slightly.
Some websites are trying to say that one of these techniques is better for thinner picks, etc… This is utter nonsense. As I touched on earlier, hands, fingers, strength and flexibility are different for everyone and what works well for one person, may not work well for others.
I’ll emphasize again, the most important aspect of holding a guitar pick is comfort.
HOW TO HOLD A GUITAR PICK – PRO TIPS
To show again that there are multiple ways of how to hold a guitar pick and none are wrong, I’ve compiled a few videos so you can see how different professionals hold their picks. I’m not saying you should hold your pick like any of these professionals but it’s interesting to see how effective these different styles are.
Eddie Van Halen – No introduction needed… But seriously, if you aren’t aware, Eddie Van Halen was the lead guitarist of the band Van Halen which he founded with his brother Alex in 1972. He is regarded as one of the greatest rock guitarists of all time.
Eddie holds his pick between his thumb and middle finger with little support from his index finger. When asked about this technique Eddie said that his mom had bought him a guitar book and that book showed an image of holding the pick between your thumb and index finger and he just couldn’t do it. “Well, I couldn’t, for the life of me, hold it like that. It was very uncomfortable, and I felt like I had absolutely no control of the pick.”
Regarding which way to hold a pick, Eddie says: “Bottom line is, and I say this a lot, do whatever works best for you.”
Michael Angelo Batio – Formerly the lead guitarist of the heavy metal band Nitro. Touring guitarist for the band Manowar. Voted No. 1 Fastest Guitar Shredder of All Time” by Guitar One Magazine in 2003.
Michael Angelo Batio when asked about his picking was quoted as saying, “”I was lucky – I did it by accident, but then I analyzed it, and realized why it works.” However, he also mentions, “”If you ever watch my teaching, I never tell another guitar player to play like me. I say, what I do is similar to other great guitar players, and you have a choice of two ways or a combination of both. But I never tell anybody to play like me.”
Marty Friedman – Best known for being the lead guitarist of the band Megadeath from 1990-2000.
When asked about his picking style, he mentions, “”I really have no idea. It’s like I hold my hand upside down or something. And I don’t really know the origin of it, there’s no real reason behind it. It just happened.”
FINAL THOUGHT
Try different picks, grips, positions and angles. Choose a grip that’s comfortable for you. We hope this article was helpful and informative. Get shredding!
