| Each step of learning to play your guitar gets you | | | | By now you will have bought yourself a few picks and |
| closer to your ultimate dream and that is to be a | | | | if you haven't you should, you will soon find out that |
| "good" guitar player. It is important that you remember | | | | picks have a habit of going missing. Picks come in |
| to practice each step over and over again until it is just | | | | different thicknesses, brands and shapes you can play |
| second nature and you cant remember ever having | | | | around with them and find the type you favor but for |
| trouble or feeling awkward. You will feel stiff when first | | | | now we will use a medium pick its not to hard or to |
| starting and you will have to do mental checks to | | | | flimsy. |
| make sure you are positioning yourself properly but in | | | | 1. Open your picking hand and open your palm so it is |
| a very short time and there is no point in learning to | | | | facing you. Your picking hand is the one positioned |
| play any instrument and then skipping the parts we | | | | closest to the bridge. |
| don't like if your going to learn, learn properly the first | | | | 2. Close your hand and make a very loose fist making |
| time. | | | | sure that you thumb is next to your index finger. |
| Find the most comfortable armless chair you can find, | | | | 3. Turn your hand so you are looking at its profile you |
| that will usually be a dining room chair sit with your | | | | should now have your thumbs knuckle facing you. |
| lower back against the back of the chair make a | | | | 4. Use your other hand to put the pick between your |
| conscious effort to stay sitting with good posture don't | | | | thumb and index finger. The pick should be behind the |
| slouch as this will give you sore back and shoulders | | | | knuckle of your thumb. |
| and bad habits. | | | | 5. Make sure the point of the pick is facing away from |
| Hold your guitar so the back of the body is against | | | | your fist and is sticking out about half an inch. Hold your |
| your stomach while the neck is running parallel to the | | | | pick firmly. |
| ground. If you are holding your guitar properly the | | | | 6. Put your picking hand over the sound hole of the |
| thickest string will be on top whilst the thinnest is | | | | acoustic guitar or if you are using an electric guitar |
| closest to the floor. For a left handed person ideally | | | | over the body. With the thumb knuckles facing you |
| you should buy a guitar made for left handed people | | | | your picking hand should be floating just above the |
| but this is not always necessary as I know a lot of | | | | strings. Don't rest your picking hand on the body of the |
| lefties who can play using a standard guitar perfectly. | | | | guitar or the strings. |
| When you are holding your guitar while sitting you will | | | | 7. Use your wrist only to strum don't use your whole |
| notice that the body of the guitar is resting on your | | | | arm, using a downward action strike the sixth string, |
| right leg (If your right handed, left leg if your left | | | | that is the string furthest from you. Sometimes this will |
| handed) the guitar will rest on the leg furthest away | | | | cause an excessive rattle just simply hit the string a |
| from the headstock. Try to sit in this position for a little | | | | little softer. |
| while taking mental notes on how your posture is and | | | | 8. Now do the same but in an upward stroke. Repeat |
| how it should be. | | | | this exercise several times making sure to minimize the |
| We are going to focus on your fretting hand, that's the | | | | movement of your picking hand, one short picking |
| hand closest to the neck of the guitar. Your thumb | | | | stroke downwards and one short picking stroke |
| needs to be behind the neck of the guitar with the | | | | upwards. |
| remaining fingers being slightly curled held just above | | | | 9. Do the same exercise on all other strings starting |
| the strings, it is important to keep these fingers curled | | | | with the sixth string and moving up towards the first |
| at the knuckle unless you are told otherwise. | | | | strings. |
| The Guitar Pick | | | | |