How to Play Electric Guitar for Free - Lesson Three - Holding a PickHow to play electric guitar for free - Lesson three - holding a pick So we've learnt the different parts of the electric guitar and how to hold the instrument. In this our third lesson on how to play electric guitar for free, we shall learn how to hold a pick. First of all, if you've not already done so, you need to buy a few picks. They're pretty cheap, costing about 30 or 40 cents each. Or borrow one or two if you can. There are many different shapes, sizes and brands available for you to choose from, but for starters you should buy medium gauge picks. The picks shouldn't be too flimsy, neither should they be too hard. Don't buy picks that are too glossy and smooth. You may have trouble holding on to it, especially if you have sweaty hands. If you have already bought picks and you find they are too smooth, you can simply rough them up with a piece of fine sand paper. This will give you more grip. How to play electric guitar for free - holding a pick If you're a right-handed player, you hold the pick with the right hand, while a lefty (with a left-handed electric guitar) uses the left hand. This is the hand which is closest to the bridge of the guitar.
How to play electric guitar for free - mistakes to avoid when holding a pick. Avoid the mistake of holding the pick too far back or too far forward in your fingers. Also, you should try not to hold it too tight or too loose. Ensure that you hold the pick in the correct position as described above. This is important. Maybe you feel more comfortable holding it with your thumb and second finger, or holding it far down the first finger, or even your thumb, first, and second finger. Don't. If you hold your pick in these weird ways, you will only make it more difficult for yourself in the future. As your playing improves you will find these ways of holding a pick very problematic, and you will have to relearn how to hold it properly when certain intricate picking methods come your way in the future. For example, if you use your thumb, as well as your first and second fingers to hold your pick, you can't use your second finger for other things. So while beginning players may feel that they have more control holding the pick in that manner, it puts them at a major disadvantage. When holding your pick... How to play electric guitar for free - Alternate picking So you want to learn how to play electric guitar for free? Try this simple exercise. Strike the sixth string (lowest string) of your electric guitar in a downward motion. Make sure it doesn't rattle too much. If it does it means that you are striking the strings too hard or you're using too much of the pick surface. Try again. When you're done, strike the string in an upward motion. Keep repeating the process (striking the string downwards, then upwards) with very little motion in your picking hand. Make each upward and downward stroke short. Your downstrokes should sound identical to your upstrokes. Try this exercise on all the other strings. Remember, practice makes perfect. The more time you spend on getting it right, the better. Click here to learn how to play the electric guitar. Return from how to play electric guitar for free to homepage.
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Hold the pick between your 1st finger and thumb. Make sure you hold it with more of the side of your 1st finger and the flat part of your thumb. (Check out the picture on the left.)
