Plectrum Technique 1
Outline: This lesson describes the basics of picking on a guitar using a plectrum. It is intended for beginners who want to understand what goes into a good habit of picking, which would eventually allow for good overall playing technique.
Strap Height
First of all, I like to stress that the height of one's guitar strap when playing standing up is extremely crucial to how he or she picks the strings. Now, many players prefer to sit as they play, which offers more comfort and a usually looser, more relaxed grip on the neck. That's perfectly alright, as long as you know that you need to get used to the fact that playing sitting down is very different from standing up, and if you aspire to play live performance in which you'll need to stand someday, you might want to get used to both standing and sitting positions. Good strap height contributes to a parallel picking form, which allows the player to correctly adjust the pick without having to reach down far and contort the hand into abnormal positions.
When sitting, of course, the player doesn't need a strap. The basic sitting position involves sitting the body of the guitar on your right thigh (if you're right handed) and comfortably positioning your picking hand over the top right corner of the body. This allows the user to get great pick efficiency while allowing the guitar to be propped up. Some guitarists use a foot stool to rest the right foot on to raise it over the other and allow for easy reach of the neck.
When
standing, the fretting hand experiences an easier time stretching during
complicated chord fingerings, and forms an arch over the bottom edge of the
fretboard, not touching it for the most part. However, as seen in the photo at
right, one can see that a low strap height causes the guitarist to touch the
bottom edge, and the thumb's curve over the fretboard is greater (see lesson V).
What I, and most music teachers, would consider a proper strap height would be to have the guitar's bridge, the metal holder on the body from which the strings come out from, directly in line with the waist or hip bone. This would most probably allow for the optimum playing comfort for many players, although everyone's tastes are different, and so the player should try what he or she finds would suit his or her tastes. Remember to experiment with many different strap heights to find the one right for you, as this, unbelievably, can drastically change the way you play.
Picking Angle/Depth
The "angle" at which
the guitarist picks refers to the tilt of the pick when he or she strikes the
strings. The angle of the pick contributes greatly to the articulation of one's
playing, the tone obtained from the picking sound, the sound of the initial
attack strike, and the ease at which the pick goes through the string.
Hold the pick at a slight angle downward (angled at the end towards the neck, not the bridge), and strike. Once you do this, you may hear a softer, less articulate attack. This sound is good for rhythm playing or legato passages (where notes have very little articulation). You'll also hear that the more you angle the pick, the more of a "scrape" sound you'll hear along the string. This comes primarily from the ribbed texture of the string, causing a sort of crackling sound.
Now hold the pick directly parallel to the string, and strike so that it lands flat against it. You may hear a more articulate, cleaner sound. This sound is typically ideal for fast solos, etc. It is especially useful when you want to keep notes separate and hear a lighter, more staccato pick attack sound, instead of the "scrapy" sound you get from the angled pick.
The "depth" at which a pick is held refers to how far you dig the pick into the strings, or how much of the tip you use to pick with. Most players and teachers would advise that the picking hand stay relaxed, and only the very tip of the pick be used to pick the string, the top 1 mm or so. Using more of this can cost extra hand effort and can reduce speed and accuracy in faster, more articulate passages.
Floating Pick Style
The
picking style used by almost all guitar players is referred to as the
"floating style" because of the fact that the wrist "floats"
around when switching strings. Since the palm trails the pick when you pick down
to the first (thinnest) string, most beginners become confused as to where to
rest it when picking those. Well, when you are not picking a chord, the best
thing to do is to rest the palm on top of the lower strings, as shown on the
photo at left. This helps to mute the strings and stop them from ringing when
you are not using them, and do not wish to sound them.
When,
however, you recede your wrist to the thicker strings, you rest your palm on the
pickguard, or the body of the guitar. An example is shown at right. This,
however, leads to the fact that the other strings can ring involuntarily, and
this is prevented using muting of the fretting hand (see lesson V).
Remember the basic picking technique: always pick with only your wrist, in whatever situation. This is the only joint that should move, and perhaps your fingers, in certain situations. The rest of your arm should stay in one position, resting on the guitar. THIS IS PROPER TECHNIQUE. Picking with the arm or forearm is not recommended because of the fact that it is not accurate and you can end up tiring out your arm before getting even halfway through a song. Take notice of how tight your muscles are when you pick with your wrist, and relax yourself so that the joint is free to move without much effort. Picking should become second nature after a certain period of playing, when the pick automatically finds whatever string you wish to hit, and fretting becomes your main concern.
