software

That's Pick with a P

I'm mainly talking thumb here. Do you have the side/pad of your thumb on the pick, and hold it pretty straight, or do you have closer to the thumb-tip on it, and allow some flexing, even using a lot of flex in the thumb knuckle?

I've generally played with a fairly flexible thumb, but been working over the last few days with a more rigid thumb...seems a little easier for high-speed stuff I have to say. Perhaps I've had a technical flaw in using that flex...

Any ideas?

This is hard to describe, J.

My pick rests in the middle of my thumb (between the tip and middle knuckle) and against the side of my index finger, beside the nail. It's beside the nail of my index finger, but at about a 45 degree angle. I don't flex the thumb at the joint much most of the time, but I can as I'm one of those people who's thumbs flex backwards at the middle knuckle.

I'll do it occasionally in an attempt to circle pick, but not very often.

Mine sits between my thumbprint and the side of the end joint of the index.

Basically, I think that for high speed stuff it doesn't matter how you hold the pick, but it's important to stay away from finger movement. It should be either all in your wrist, or a combination of wrist and elbow movement.

Pad of my thumb, and I slide my around on my index finger, I do that all the time..for different pickings

Pad of my thumb and index both. Or sometimes I'll quickly move it to between my thumb and middle fingers so I can use my index to touch harmonics over the neck pickup area

Like this:
I was wrong... I actually hold mine more on the tip of my index, not the side.


Originally Posted by Tom MLike this:
That's what I've always done too...and I think I've allowed too much flex in my thumb when I've been shredding, making it harder on myself.

In trying it over the last week or two, after watching a mandolin player, I've been noticing that the picking with a rigid thumb seems to require slightly less effort to play fast...

...just trying to figure out whether it's a technical flaw in my playing in the past, or whether it's worth keeping on using both techniques for different things, rather than looking to use one exclusively.

My thumb is perpindicular to the pick, and the base of the nail is in the exact center. The index finger and thumb kind of make an x shape.