Strumming With a Pick
Last week I posted a lesson for the song, “Shelter From the Storm” and Niels left a comment:
For those that don't know Niels has been one of the first of my guitar students on the Coil/Cinnamon Platform. He has quite a bit of potential, there's a lot of raw talent with this one. So much talent, that I have a deep seated fear of turning my back to him if we were ever alone on a lava planet together.
Why does this eventually happen with all my guitar students...
Where was I?
Ah yes, difficulty strumming the guitar! What Niels described a lot of beginners have trouble with. There's a couple of pointers I'd like to go over, that will probably help with strumming the guitar.
Holding the Pick
Step one is to make sure you are holding the pick correctly. To hold the pick, make sure you only use your thumb and index finger to hold the pick. DO NOT USE ANY OTHER FINGERS!!!
Please focus on how I'm holding the pick, and not on how masculine yet sensual my hand is... perv.
Notice how the fingers not touching the pick remain open and loose? You want to keep those fingers as relaxed as possible, that will keep your hand from tightening up. A lot of beginners will want to lock their hand and wrist, which will result in a very stiff and harsh sound when they strum their guitar which brings me to my next point.
Don't Kill the Strings!!!
This is by far the most important point when learning to strum the guitar. Many beginners will lock their wrist, make a fist, and strum as hard as they can. You want the pick to give away when it hits the strings, almost like you're dragging the pick across the stings. Also, remember this:
*Only use the tip of the pick!*
This is correct way to have the pick go across the strings.
and this is the incorrect way...
Notice how far the pick digs into the strings? It will be very difficult to produce an enjoyable or natural sound with the pick this deep in the strings.
Lastly you want to strum the strings at an angle. Try to visualize the pick giving away to the strings when they meet, like so...
It would be reversed for strumming upwards.
A Basic Warm Up
This is a not only a great beginner exercise, but also a great warm up exercise that I still do from time to time. First pick a chord, you don't want to strum the open strings over and over, that wouldn't sound too pleasant. As slow as you can, start strumming up and down. Don't go slow where it's not natural, you want the slowest tempo you can strum that still has some sort of natural rhythm. As you are strumming, focus on keeping your strumming hand relaxed. If your hand feels stiff or, you're digging too deep in the strings, SLOW DOWN!
Once you have a very relaxed and naturally sounding strum, increase the tempo or speed. Increase the speed in slow increments and focus on your strumming hand the entire time. The second you feel your hand or wrist stiffen up, you're playing faster than your skill level.
This my seem like a very simplistic exercise, but that's where the genius of it lies. So many players I know never develop proper strumming technique and therefore when they are playing something fast, will tire out extremely quickly, because they are digging too deep in the strings or have a stiff hand. They'll slowly decrease the tempo without even realize that they are doing it.
Try this exercise out and let me know if this helps Niels, and remember...
Never let your opponent get the high ground!
Now that I think of it, Niels does look like Hayden Christensen.
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