Howdy RUclipsrs, as always I hope you enjoyed this video and have subscribed to the channel. For some one on one Skype sessions you can email me at waynebenson1969@gmail.com
Anthony Hannigan encouraged me some years ago, to change my right hand playing, to the way showing. After playing for 25 years with a very open hand and holding the pick, as it it felt hot , I started changing slowly but surely. It took my hand quite some time longer than my brain to change, but I never want to go back to that old habbit ! This and changing my left hand playing with a tip by Sharon Gilchrist at a workshop started a whole new mandolin-life for me :-)
@@waynesworldofmandolin3616 Finger picks and they were on backwards (had never seen anyone wear them up close). I went to a bluegrass festival and found some old guy backstage that sounded like he could play and asked him. He twisted my picks around for me...turned out to be JD Crowe. Yes, I was a grown man.
This is awesome Wayne! I had noticed your pick hold change over the years and it is really cool to hear your talk about all that went in to the change up! I sent Mike M a comment on his Artist Works page about your video here so he could see the shout out. Oddly enough, I am working on that same Bach piece now. After about 5 months I think I am up to bar 36 LOL.
There's some great Mando instruction on the internet, but never could find the kind of pick hold discussion I think it deserves. This is so helpful and relatable. Thanks Wayne.
I changed to this grip a few years ago, Wayne, so I can relate to the bumpy transition. It is definitely worth the effort, as the many right hand aspects can now grow. Splendid video, and congratulations on finally getting to grips with it (sorry - I couldn't resist)!
Super good. I have that Accu tab instruction vid. I learned to hold and use the pick your current way many years ago myself. It gave my right hand more control. Good job Wayne!
Whoa, pure gold thanks! Struggling with my pick hold right now actually. Playing clawhammer banjo for years and no picks, mtn dulcimer is a different hold too, so thanks a lot! I also struggle with it turning in my hand.
With clawhamner and dulcimer you certainly do have a lot of different right hand techniques goin on. I'm glad you found this to be "pure gold". Thank you....
@@waynesworldofmandolin3616 Wayne, I played guitar for many years, so I guess I had a good grasp (ha!) on the "right" way to hold a pick. One thing I noticed about those 3 sided picks, they wanted to turn sideways. I drilled a 3/8 hole in the middle so my thumb could help that from happening. Some picks have an embossed cross hatch type of thing on them, but I don't like them all that much. The hole feels better to me, allowing me to grip it better for faster runs and chops. Baron thought if it helps hold it where it should be to meet the strings, all the better. Any thoughts on this idea of a hole in the pick ? Thanks, my friend. I'm just a hobby player, jams and a bit of busking every so often when time allows. Cheers, Bob
I spent thirty years playing with a rubbish plectrum grip but in the last five years I have forced myself to use a more conventional grip and the change in tonality, precision and expression has been transformative. Your plectrum hand technique is so important to your sound. Your fretboard hand might screw up your sound every now and then but a bad plectrum grip will spoil every note you play.
Really enjoyed this video watching the journey of your pick hold- thank you! I changed to the closed right hand position about a year ago because I was having limitations with my position the way it was before!
Wayne, I just discovered your channel and right off the bat it’s my favorite mandolin channel. I just wanted to second what you said about “it’s never too late” to make technique changes. I am self-taught on mandolin. It isn’t wise to learn without an instructor because you develop so many bad habits that can be very hard to unlearn. My two biggest mistakes were too much pressure with my fretting hand and not using the relaxed closed fist for holding the pick. Both created so much tension I once told my band mates that my hands felt like meathooks from the pain and stiffness I was experiencing. It got so bad I had to quit playing mandolin. I thought I was done for good. But after two years, my hands finally healed to the point I could play for a short time if I was very, very careful. I HAD to learn to play using the lightest pressure and most relaxed technique possible. This was at 60 years old! After a couple of years of slowly relearning my technique, while my hands continued to heal, I am playing better than ever. Sometimes under performance pressure I catch myself falling back into those old habits. So I imagine I will always have to be aware of using proper technique. I could have avoided all this, and been much more skilled, if I had started out the right way. However, IT’S NEVER TOO LATE!
In transition to mandolin from guitar, I plan to develop good habits from the beginning and this technique tip is much appreciated. See you in rockingham county Feb 18th.
Greatly appreciated, Wayne. I made the “pinky brace” leap about five years ago and you’ve encouraged me to work on the other side of the right hand! A big fan since Livewire…and maybe before. Best wishes!
Interestingly enough, and other than her husband Mike Marshall, Caterina Lichtenberg actually uses sort of Wayne's "old" pick grip. As much as I appreciate his won battle changing it, my advice would be, to not force it, as long as you're not comfortable with the instrument's other technical challenges (the latter certainly not being the case with Wayne at 35). Also, in elderly people, bending the first finger back can be painful or is not working completely, which can make the first finger's nail touch the strings when using the "fist" grip.
This is so encouraging, and thank you so much for making this video. It’s 4:00 in the morning, and I’m dying to grab my mandolin, and go for this new pick technique, but my wife and son would probably kill me, Lol. I’ve played the guitar for the majority of my life, and picked up on playing the mandolin for only a few years now, and I’m 53. I can, and will do this. Thanks again Wayne.
I really enjoy your lessons Wayne. You share a lot of valuable information for everyone from beginners up to lifelong mandolin playing old guys like me. By the way, your knee pickhold looks like Bill Monroe’s right hand. Thanks Wayne!
Hey Wayne, I'm playing more Celtic right now than BG but love this channel of yours. I'm searching for more of a relaxed feel in the holding of the pick so I can work a little more on the speed which I drastically need to work on. I ordered the Practice of Practice just now and between this video and the Tremolo...got a lot of work to do! We'll be in touch!
I also just ordered the Practice book, looking forward to checking it out! Another good one I read was The Talent Code by Daniel Coyle. Gets into what makes greatness in music, sports, etc. and how to work towards it. Probably some similar concepts.
Been trying to do this for years! I was only 7 when I learned how to hold a pick, and to do so I had to use two fingers and my thumb. Long story short, I never stopped doing that bad habit. I’ve STILL trying some 40 years later!
Thx for the comment. I'm almost two years into this new pickhold and things are finally settling in. I played a three song overdub session in Greenville SC yesterday and never thought about my pickhold untill I was in the car driving home.
Looking at you teardrop pick, it looks as if you made your own , but lefthand. bevel in the pick. Normally a righthanded person will b uya righthand bevel - b u t if you as a right hander hold your pick "upwards", you will need a lefthand bevel !!! It will reduce friction and picknoise extremely. So a tipp for "upward" pick players - if you really can´t change your righthand to the position Wayne is explaining - try a lefthand bevelled-pick :-)
That's great advice concerning the pick bevel. If you make contact with the string in the opposite direction then the bevel needs to be opposite as well. Use the same pick long enough and it will eventually be perfect as it wears. This is how we end up with our "favorite pick".....
Hi Wayne . Thanks man for putting up this . I’m an Irish trad tenor banjo player . Much the same as u wen started of I never have pick hold a second thought . I stopped playing for a few years and wen I went back at it .. we’ll man I couldn’t even hold a pick without it spinning all over the place . Couldn’t finish 1 tune properly although I curled my index finger in like u ,,, It would try and straighten itself out … causing all sorts of problems. I’m still having this issue . So much so I am thinking about packing it in again. It really frustrates me ,, I love playing so much . I’m not sure wat to do now?
Howdy Celtic Bassman, whatever you do don't "pack it in"! There is always a way forward you just have to keep after it. Wish I could recommend other content that talked about pickhold but I don't have anything specific in mind. Research the topic more on line and here on RUclips. A breakthrough moment could be in the near future.....
This is excellent. I need help - I am stuck using my right pinky to anchor my hand to the mando (and guitar), looking for exercises that will wean me off this...
I'm going through the same thing, I noticed even with guitar that most people angle the pick so the front of the pick facing the fingerboard is tilted down, I've always done it the opposite way: edge of pick toward the bridge facing turned downward, hitting the strings firs on a downstroke.
Thanks man. I’ve watched this a lot and it’s very helpful. I find that my pick rotates counterclockwise and while I use a wegen triangle it turns and by then I’m playing with the edge of the pick not the corner or pointed part. What can I do to correct this?
Some folks have had luck just scratching the surface of the pick to help stop it from rotating. This isn't an option with the material the Bluechip picks are made of but I think it'll work with what you're using. Good luck....
Hey there, I am using a large triangle Golden gate pick. I've played guitar for years, but have always used my fingers for picking. Now I'm on the mandolin for about a year, but am struggling with the pic hold. Do I want to hold the pointiest part of the pic with my thumb and index finger, or do I want to hold the body of the pic with my fingers and use the point for the strings?
Do what feels best to you. A lot of great players do a lot of different things. This video is just a description of what worked best for me in the end. Best of luck...
That is a major technique change. Thanks for sharing.
It's extremely helpful to hear real life experiences and encouragement from a professional.
It really is a big deal Greg. Thx for the comment and for watching.....glad it helps.
Anthony Hannigan encouraged me some years ago, to change my right hand playing, to the way showing. After playing for 25 years with a very open hand and holding the pick, as it it felt hot , I started changing slowly but surely. It took my hand quite some time longer than my brain to change, but I never want to go back to that old habbit !
This and changing my left hand playing with a tip by Sharon Gilchrist at a workshop started a whole new mandolin-life for me :-)
Thx for the comment Martina and congrats on improving your technique. I'm so glad I made this change.....
Thank you, Wayne! I've struggled with this and your video is so encouraging.
Did you use a flatpick first or finger picks on banjo?
@@waynesworldofmandolin3616 Finger picks and they were on backwards (had never seen anyone wear them up close). I went to a bluegrass festival and found some old guy backstage that sounded like he could play and asked him. He twisted my picks around for me...turned out to be JD Crowe. Yes, I was a grown man.
THAT is the best story EVER!
This is awesome Wayne! I had noticed your pick hold change over the years and it is really cool to hear your talk about all that went in to the change up! I sent Mike M a comment on his Artist Works page about your video here so he could see the shout out.
Oddly enough, I am working on that same Bach piece now. After about 5 months I think I am up to bar 36 LOL.
Thx Drew. Tell Mike howdy from me when you talk next. He has influenced a lot of players. Good luck with that Bach and have fun....
Hey Drew you beat me to it. Lol
Hey Wayne, you are in good company. Your new pick hold is the way Mike teaches it on Artist Works. Love the videos and learning a lot.
Great video!!
There's some great Mando instruction on the internet, but never could find the kind of pick hold discussion I think it deserves. This is so helpful and relatable. Thanks Wayne.
Glad it was helpful! Thx for the comment Brad....
I changed to this grip a few years ago, Wayne, so I can relate to the bumpy transition. It is definitely worth the effort, as the many right hand aspects can now grow. Splendid video, and congratulations on finally getting to grips with it (sorry - I couldn't resist)!
Great! It's good to hear from others who have made this change successfully.....
Super good. I have that Accu tab instruction vid. I learned to hold and use the pick your current way many years ago myself. It gave my right hand more control. Good job Wayne!
Thx Clarence! Glad you found the channel. Not sure I even have a copy of that DVD anymore. I found that clip here on RUclips!
Whoa, pure gold thanks! Struggling with my pick hold right now actually. Playing clawhammer banjo for years and no picks, mtn dulcimer is a different hold too, so thanks a lot! I also struggle with it turning in my hand.
With clawhamner and dulcimer you certainly do have a lot of different right hand techniques goin on. I'm glad you found this to be "pure gold". Thank you....
@@waynesworldofmandolin3616 Wayne, I played guitar for many years, so I guess I had a good grasp (ha!) on the "right" way to hold a pick. One thing I noticed about those 3 sided picks, they wanted to turn sideways. I drilled a 3/8 hole in the middle so my thumb could help that from happening. Some picks have an embossed cross hatch type of thing on them, but I don't like them all that much. The hole feels better to me, allowing me to grip it better for faster runs and chops. Baron thought if it helps hold it where it should be to meet the strings, all the better. Any thoughts on this idea of a hole in the pick ? Thanks, my friend. I'm just a hobby player, jams and a bit of busking every so often when time allows. Cheers, Bob
I spent thirty years playing with a rubbish plectrum grip but in the last five years I have forced myself to use a more conventional grip and the change in tonality, precision and expression has been transformative. Your plectrum hand technique is so important to your sound. Your fretboard hand might screw up your sound every now and then but a bad plectrum grip will spoil every note you play.
Thx for the comment Owen. I'm always glad to hear these success stories when it come to changing pickhold......
Great tip! I noticed a much more 'woodsy' chop, when I hold the pick as you're doing now. Thank you!
Really enjoyed this video watching the journey of your pick hold- thank you! I changed to the closed right hand position about a year ago because I was having limitations with my position the way it was before!
That's great Lucy! It's never to late to improve what we do...
Wayne, I just discovered your channel and right off the bat it’s my favorite mandolin channel. I just wanted to second what you said about “it’s never too late” to make technique changes. I am self-taught on mandolin. It isn’t wise to learn without an instructor because you develop so many bad habits that can be very hard to unlearn. My two biggest mistakes were too much pressure with my fretting hand and not using the relaxed closed fist for holding the pick. Both created so much tension I once told my band mates that my hands felt like meathooks from the pain and stiffness I was experiencing. It got so bad I had to quit playing mandolin. I thought I was done for good. But after two years, my hands finally healed to the point I could play for a short time if I was very, very careful. I HAD to learn to play using the lightest pressure and most relaxed technique possible. This was at 60 years old! After a couple of years of slowly relearning my technique, while my hands continued to heal, I am playing better than ever. Sometimes under performance pressure I catch myself falling back into those old habits. So I imagine I will always have to be aware of using proper technique. I could have avoided all this, and been much more skilled, if I had started out the right way. However, IT’S NEVER TOO LATE!
Thx for sharing that Kevin. It truly is never to late. Good luck with your playing moving forward.
In transition to mandolin from guitar, I plan to develop good habits from the beginning and this technique tip is much appreciated. See you in rockingham county Feb 18th.
You're very welcome!
Greatly appreciated, Wayne. I made the “pinky brace” leap about five years ago and you’ve encouraged me to work on the other side of the right hand! A big fan since Livewire…and maybe before. Best wishes!
Thank you for the comment and good luck!
Interestingly enough, and other than her husband Mike Marshall, Caterina Lichtenberg actually uses sort of Wayne's "old" pick grip. As much as I appreciate his won battle changing it, my advice would be, to not force it, as long as you're not comfortable with the instrument's other technical challenges (the latter certainly not being the case with Wayne at 35). Also, in elderly people, bending the first finger back can be painful or is not working completely, which can make the first finger's nail touch the strings when using the "fist" grip.
This is so encouraging, and thank you so much for making this video. It’s 4:00 in the morning, and I’m dying to grab my mandolin, and go for this new pick technique, but my wife and son would probably kill me, Lol. I’ve played the guitar for the majority of my life, and picked up on playing the mandolin for only a few years now, and I’m 53. I can, and will do this. Thanks again Wayne.
Thank you Alan and good luck!
I really enjoy your lessons Wayne. You share a lot of valuable information for everyone from beginners up to lifelong mandolin playing old guys like me. By the way, your knee pickhold looks like Bill Monroe’s right hand. Thanks Wayne!
Thx Ron! Guess this must be a "Hoss" of a pickhold.....
Always appreciate the honesty you bring to your videos/lessons. Thanks, Wayne.
Thank you Randy.
Thank you! I am a beginner and your safe advice is so timely!!
You are so welcome!
Hey Wayne, I'm playing more Celtic right now than BG but love this channel of yours. I'm searching for more of a relaxed feel in the holding of the pick so I can work a little more on the speed which I drastically need to work on. I ordered the Practice of Practice just now and between this video and the Tremolo...got a lot of work to do! We'll be in touch!
Thx for everything Ken! Hope you enjoy the Practice of Practice.....
Really enlightening - thanks Wayne.
Glad you enjoyed it
I also just ordered the Practice book, looking forward to checking it out! Another good one I read was The Talent Code by Daniel Coyle. Gets into what makes greatness in music, sports, etc. and how to work towards it. Probably some similar concepts.
Thx for the recommendation Drew! Reading The Talent Code is in my future.....
Been trying to do this for years! I was only 7 when I learned how to hold a pick, and to do so I had to use two fingers and my thumb. Long story short, I never stopped doing that bad habit. I’ve STILL trying some 40 years later!
Oh and I only use a pick on mandolin…
Thx for the comment. I'm almost two years into this new pickhold and things are finally settling in. I played a three song overdub session in Greenville SC yesterday and never thought about my pickhold untill I was in the car driving home.
Looking at you teardrop pick, it looks as if you made your own , but lefthand. bevel in the pick. Normally a righthanded person will b uya righthand bevel - b u t if you as a right hander hold your pick "upwards", you will need a lefthand bevel !!! It will reduce friction and picknoise extremely.
So a tipp for "upward" pick players - if you really can´t change your righthand to the position Wayne is explaining - try a lefthand bevelled-pick :-)
That's great advice concerning the pick bevel. If you make contact with the string in the opposite direction then the bevel needs to be opposite as well. Use the same pick long enough and it will eventually be perfect as it wears. This is how we end up with our "favorite pick".....
Hi Wayne . Thanks man for putting up this . I’m an Irish trad tenor banjo player . Much the same as u wen started of I never have pick hold a second thought
. I stopped playing for a few years and wen I went back at it .. we’ll man I couldn’t even hold a pick without it spinning all over the place . Couldn’t finish 1 tune properly although I curled my index finger in like u ,,,
It would try and straighten itself out
… causing all sorts of problems. I’m still having this issue . So much so I am thinking about packing it in again. It really frustrates me ,, I love playing so much . I’m not sure wat to do now?
Howdy Celtic Bassman, whatever you do don't "pack it in"! There is always a way forward you just have to keep after it. Wish I could recommend other content that talked about pickhold but I don't have anything specific in mind. Research the topic more on line and here on RUclips. A breakthrough moment could be in the near future.....
great to hear your thoughts on this!!
Thanks for watching Joe! Hope you are well....
This is excellent. I need help - I am stuck using my right pinky to anchor my hand to the mando (and guitar), looking for exercises that will wean me off this...
Good luck with the transition!
I'm going through the same thing, I noticed even with guitar that most people angle the pick so the front of the pick facing the fingerboard is tilted down, I've always done it the opposite way: edge of pick toward the bridge facing turned downward, hitting the strings firs on a downstroke.
That pick angle comes naturally for some folks. My old friend Greg Luck angles his pick like that and pulls killer tone out of a guitar.
Well, I do likehearing that!
@@waynesworldofmandolin3616
Thanks man. I’ve watched this a lot and it’s very helpful. I find that my pick rotates counterclockwise and while I use a wegen triangle it turns and by then I’m playing with the edge of the pick not the corner or pointed part. What can I do to correct this?
Some folks have had luck just scratching the surface of the pick to help stop it from rotating. This isn't an option with the material the Bluechip picks are made of but I think it'll work with what you're using. Good luck....
Hey there, I am using a large triangle Golden gate pick. I've played guitar for years, but have always used my fingers for picking. Now I'm on the mandolin for about a year, but am struggling with the pic hold. Do I want to hold the pointiest part of the pic with my thumb and index finger, or do I want to hold the body of the pic with my fingers and use the point for the strings?
Do what feels best to you. A lot of great players do a lot of different things. This video is just a description of what worked best for me in the end. Best of luck...