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Excellent video. Thank you teaching a rational approach to guitar technique.

3 fingers

Please come out with a 2mm version. Love these.

Great picks, especially the mini beast. Just wish they offered them in stiffer versions.

I'm "three fingers". I just can't find any other grip choice comfortable or playing.

Super underrated video. This is probably one of the best picking breakdowns Ive seen.

3-finger here.

Are u kidding thumb point finger and pick your nose

I have never been able to secure the picture between my pointer finger and my thumb very well. I found myself early on naturally doing with the three finger method, but not as shown in this video, rather I use the two fingers, my pointer and thumb, for regular strumming, with only my middle finger there for extra support and I’m not really using it, whereas I switch to pinching between my middle finger and my thumb when doing more fast slanted picking, in which case my pointer finger is there just for stability and not actually gripping anything. I suspect this may be incorrect as I am a beginner, but the flexibility that I have being able to switch depending on what I’m doing makes sense in my head and I don’t drop the pick

[I sadly have the musical facility of a ring tailed lemur]

Flipping Brilliant Design!!! The splash image clipped me in.

Mampus dah harus mempertanggungjawabkan semua tindakan yang loss doll

Tc

Who cares? Picks are not expensive enough to matter, or make a pointless video about. What a stupid waste of time. Sponsored trash like this is why people hate RUclips.

It's a pick. Chances are, you'll lose it within a week.

I cannot strum the strings, very frustrating because the pick will not stay in my hand. Had this issue for a long time

The great Frank Gambale uses the far knuckle grip with a triangle pick.

I've been doing pad to pad for...ever, I guess. As little of the pick as I can use. Actually, I like the pick to be worn down to a curve. Not curved like the sides of the pick, but the point being worn away. What I've found, and I've been playing for over 40 years - is that this is not helpful for any fast alternate picking. It does allow me to pick smoothly, but not all that fast. Consequently, I've found that it unconsciously affected how I approach playing, wherein I throw in more legato stuff. Being left-handed, and playing right-handed makes that somewhat easier, or at least more sensible to me. I honestly never thought about it before. I mean, I knew how I held the pick. I've tried thumb to side, but I didn't stick with it all that long, as it just didn't feel natural to me. Another thing of note (for me, anyway), I have dry skin, so I have to grip that pick a bit tightly, or it can (and has) moved in my hand. Really, I've thought about ditching the pick many times over the years. Pretty sure I can get away with it without losing much in the way of speed, and I'd approach everything in new ways that may actually be better for me. I've tried it before, and I don't lose much.

You made me think about it and when I was thinking about it I used the 3 finger one(2 1/2..really). Once I started playing and stopped thinking about it I saw it was the pad to side with the side of my middle finger supporting my pointing finger at the knuckle and stabilizing the pick with the fleshy area right next to the fingernail, keeping it from move to far to the right(down) from the pressure of playing...so a hybrid of the pad to side and the 3 finger. Probably the very best combination since after 3 months playing Im already an expert. I know all 8 chords...take it with some salt.

I’ve pretty much abandoned picks. I’ve tried every imaginable grip, pick, two fingers, three fingers, all of it. Nothing is comfortable, and everything is a source of muscle tension. Frustrates the hell out of me.

I think another reason the pad to side method is most popular is because it what many teachers say is “best” to all their students.

Interestingly I was a middle finger picker for 25+ years, I've been using side 1st finger now for about three years, I drop the pick a lot and struggle with really strummy rhythm parts sometimes, maybe this video will help!

So whatever way you're doing it is backed up by research as totally valid.

I've always done pad to pad, since I first held a pick 17 years ago. I've straight up had people tell me it was wrong. But any time I try to use any other grip, I feel clumsy, and lose any semblance of fine motor skills.

I have an upside down "angle pad" and I can't break the habit. My thumb is hyper-extended when I play and the pick plays at an angle that is opposite to what everyone else does. I don't know how it happened, but 45 years of playing that way has me stuck.

What would you suggest would be the ideal grip for reducing strain e.g. if dealing with tendonitis or RSI?

Amazing video, love how througouly you analyzed this. Question- Ever since I've started playing 2 years ago, Ive never been able to hold the pick correctly. Ive experimented with pad to pad, pad to side, angle pad, and other stuff. Sometimes rarely it feels like the pick is held correctly in very specific finger positions that are hard to duplicate, and I can play fast with lots of control, but that goes away fast when it slips a tiny bit. I'm also double jointed in my index finger (idk if this has to do with it.) Ive experimented barely pressing at all, pressing lightly, and hard and nothing seems to work. Would you have any tips? Thank you

Oh my! What an awesome video! Different angle on pick-gripping techniques, it should be mandatory to all new guitarists! Thank you very much, and BTW nice logo on the t-shirt!

Very night

👍👍👍

Great video! I appreciate the lack of a one size fits all viewpoint. I'm an acoustic guitarist and an angle pad guy. It's what feels best to me in terms of pick security and the least tension in my hand, wrist and forearm. Over the past few years as I've gotten more into flatpicking and increasing my pick thickness. By the time I got up to a 1.0 mm Tortex, I found the pick security was becoming more of an issue. Rather than move towards pad to pad or squeeze tighter. I went to a larger pick. I almost exclusively use a Dunlop Primetone Triangle Sculpted 1.4 mm. The pick security issue went away and I can keep my most relaxed angle pad grip. My fingers vary between out and curved. When I make a fist, I get more tension. I've tried the pad to side grip on the recommendation of a bluegrass picker but I find that creates more tension in my hand. I think part of the issue is that my fingers are not thick so the pick wants to more naturally pivot to the angle pad grip. To keep that pick on the side, it's pressing against a smaller area and feels unstable. My point is just to reinforce what you say. Everyone is different and there are lots of factors that come into play.

To fix rotational slip use triangular pics, you don't have to squeeze as hard as it naturally resists rotation when using pad to side method, plus you get three tips so they last three times as long - win, win, win! I have used 'Dunlop Tortex' 0.6mm for 40 years.

The thing that has stopped me from getting serious about using a pick is that they're all made of polymer and they slip around as you start perspiring. It all becomes very non-intuitive as I adjust my grip to control the sliding of the pick.

Thanks!

The relative softness of the pad of the index finger compared to the boney side definitely affects the tone created from an acoustic guitar.

It's funny cause I started by holding my pick in the pad to pad position because I was mimicking Michael Romeo (The speeds he manages with this grip is beyond me) and a few years back I felt more and more unconfortable and changed all together to the pad to far knuckle. When I watch old videos and recent videos it seems so weird :p

Interesting ! I use pad to pad fingers out :)

#3 for lead. Angle pad. Fingers out unless hybrid picking. Pad to pad for rhythm - it allows the pick to rock and be less aggressive.

I've been playing guitar for several decades, and over the years I've tried different grips. Early on I played "Far Knuckle" for probably 5 or 10 years. Then I eased up and became a "Pad to side" player. But alas, I never was really happy with my picking. It seemed like I just couldn't get the control or precision I wanted, plus I always felt that the pick was slipping out when speeds got higher. Last year I tried, on a whim, middle finger and shortly after that three finger. Let me tell you, it was (and still is) feeling _really_ awkward and strange. But in spite of that, my control has become significantly beteer instantly - even when the pick felt like a completely alien object. It was fascinating to observe - it felt hella strange, but my speed and accuracy were still better. I now think that my overall problem is that my hands are probably not as strong as other players, and that lack of strength forced me to press much harder in the typical grips, while the middle finger and three-finger approach has given me the strength I was missing so I can actually play without as much tension. I don't know why it's more accurate, that's really unexpected, but probably a side effect of the whole tension thing. As of right now, I change my grip based on application - three finger for soloing and scales, but still "Pad to side" for strumming etc. It still feels strange, but I'm getting more used to it. Who knows, maybe next year I'll hold the pick between my pinky and index, lol...

Great Interview. Love Chris Buono's Brilliant Truefire Classes

An ultimate guide about holding the pick, THIS!. Also keep in mind the sound it changes related to the pressure of the pick, also if you do strumming or soloing, pick thickness etc. so it's also another factors about choosing your holding type. Thanks!

I've been experimenting on all the mention techniques above, the most ergonomic for me is the three finger. You can speed as much as you want with no stress on your fingers, i didnt encounter the trade of on it.

I happened to go to a Billy Ray concert and I listened to every one of his 17 albums that's right 17 albums but most dumb fickle force-fed humans don't realize how great of an artist he actually is.

I have not tried your picks as yet, but believe you have unique solution. Having played for +5-decades, holding the pick without twisting or dropping altogether has become more of an issue; however I have no idea where to start. To date the TUSQ ST1.0 or Jazz III Ultem has proven to work the best.Any suggestions. I do not like the smaller picks, as I have larger hands

Thanks for the tips.

I broke my index finger so ive had to start playing with my thumb but im open to learning new ways for holding a pick.

Thank you! An objective approach to picking rather than preaching what the teacher wants you to do. I’ll be experimenting with the different types now to see what works best for me. Picking at my age is more and more of a challenge with each year.

I have used my thumb nail for more than 30 years but it has restricted my ‘vocabulary’ of riffs and note choices all these years. Can you recommend the best grip to take advantage of my past experience….thanks.🎸

I've been using pad to side because this is what is mostly shown by online teachers... Then I saw Tom Hess' video about "the best way of holding the pick" (pad to pad), I started to use that method to try it, and it did change my perspective a bit especially in terms of muting ( he suggested to use thumb to mute thicker strings instead of inside of the palm as most do, because it allows to be precise with muting easier). After a while I ended up using angle pad with other fingers open for muting and hybrid picking, to combine everything I need from my picking hand. In my opinion this brings the best of both worlds

I've used the 3 finger grip all my life...