Geni Swing Guitars

Pick Strings

When learning the guitar, right hand technique is half the job. Accuracy of notes depends a lot on how good that technique is. So, if you are a beginner and want to speed up your process and get on the fast track to better playing, here's how you go about it.

Holding the pick

Hold the pick between your thumb and index finger- just those two fingers. The other fingers just hang loosely by. Do not use a clenched fist. Many beginners do this. It is difficult to play with a lot of speed, if you use a clenched fist.

The pick should be held by the thumb so that the point sticks out the side of the thumb. The index finger curls to get out of the way. The motion is the same as if you were simply sweeping the guitar with the side of your thumb.

Use only the tip of the pick. Too much pick will give you a big flapping amateurish sound. Not enough pick means that your fingers get in the way and muffle the sound.

Loose Grip on the pick

You need to have a pretty loose grip on the pick. It has to be so loose that you almost drop it. It needs to be able to tilt up or down against the strings as you play. It will take awhile until you get the right feel.

Keep the right hand steady

Keeping your hand steady in front of the strings, is half the battle. If you watch a skilled player, their hand is not wobbling all over the place. In fact, it will look like the hand defies the quickness of his or her playing speed.

So, that is number one, keep it as steady as you can. It is not considered good form by some, but many guitarists, professional and amateur, rest their right fourth finger lightly upon the guitar. This helps them keep their hand steady. I offer it as a last resort to my students, if they are having trouble keeping their hand steady.

Keep the hand and wrist loose

This may take some time to develop, but always strive for a relaxed, loose hand and wrist. Speed depends on it. Rotating the wrists loosely before playing can help to keep them loose.

Keep pick strokes tiny

When playing individual notes, it is called a "stroke" of the pick. Make your pick strokes tiny, staying very close to the guitar. Most beginners swing their hand way out, and then can't find their string again, without looking.

If you are always close to your strings and move only slightly after a stroke, it is much easier to locate your string. This will help you with both your accuracy and your speed. Just remember that if you are starting out, going too fast too soon, just makes a big mess. Take your time and build up your speed gradually.

Chord strumming

When you play a chord on your guitar it's called a strum. There is a little action from your wrist when you're playing, but not much and make sure that you don't twist the wrist as you play, particularly with chords.

A lot of beginners do this and don't touch all the strings with their strum. Make sure that your strum goes straight across the strings, touches every string and does not swing out

Use the spring effect

Strum your guitar and then pretend that your wrist is attached to a spring and it bounces right back to its original starting place. Try that a few times. You'll find it getting easier. Using that technique, you will find that you know where your hand is in relation to where you want to play next. It will also help with accuracy, particularly when you want to play the same chord several times in a row.

Following these simple guidelines will get you on the way to developing good right hand technique. Make it a priority, and notice how you're playing. If you are learning on your own, you must be your own watch dog. Be diligent. It pays off.

Gail Karen (G.K.) Eckert is a vocalist, musician, songwriter, author and teacher. She founded Musikhaus Studio of Creativity in Kitchener, Ontario, Canada in 1987.

Get a free copy of her new e book "Be Creative" - a step-by-step guide to a More Creative Way of Life.

She has written numerous articles on all aspects of the music business. Find out more about learning to be a pro.

Guitar Strings and Pick $19.99 Images Monsoon Guitar Strings and Pick - Photographic Print

On Strings $10 On Strings

Strings $5.99 Strings

No Strings $9.49 No Strings

With Strings $14.29 With Strings

Wedgie Bass Pick Holder $2.49 The Wedgie Bass Pick Holder is extra wide and extra sturdy to hold your picks handy above your bass guitar's nut. If you ever play bass with a pick, then the Wedgie Bass Pick Holder is for you. Offers you the same benefits as the standard Wedgie Pick Holder, but the bass version has a wider and beefier mount to latch on to your bass strings. Just twist it on to your strings just above the nut and never lose a bass pick again. For 6- or 8-string basses, use the standard Wedgie Pick Holder.

Jumpin' the Strings $11.99 Track Listing: 1. Jumpin' the Strings, 2. Around the World Waltz, 3. Teetotaler Reel, 4. Honeymoon Waltz, 5. Nickle Creek, 6. Memories of Scotland: Cryin' Eagle , 7. Midnight Waltz, 8. Cuttin' Horse, 9. Ballerina Waltz, 10. Zigzag, 11. Pick-a-Dilly, 12. Trail of Tears Waltz, 13. Leavin' Town, 14. Dance With Me Waltz, 15. Grand River, 16. Oklahoma Waltz, 17. Indian Hill, 18. Shepherd's Waltz, 19. Hummingbird Reel, 20. Plantation Ball Waltz, 21. Mando Mania, 22. Untitled(Hidden Track)

Pick Pick Pick It Up $10 Pick Pick Pick It Up

The Golden Touch Sterling Silver Pick $29.99 Handmade sterling silver pick is suitable for playing. Quick-release clasp for use as jewelry or on a key chain. Produces a unique sound and won't harm strings, plus it's engraveable.

Wedgie Headstock Mount Pick Holder $1.99 The Wedgie Headstock Mount Pick Holder attaches to your guitar' strings above the nut using a patented twist-lock system. Just place the holder ibetween the strings and rotate 90 degrees to lock it in place. Store your picks by inserting them into either of the holding slots. Wedgies fit all types of guitars and picks. For additional storage, simply add more Wedgies.

Planet Waves Satriani Chrome Dome Pick 4-Pack $5.99 The Chrome Dome Pick, designed and used by Joe Satriani, allows you to create new and exciting "not of this earth" sounds. Just pick, scrape, scratch, hammer, and drag your Chrome Dome pick to make sounds just like Joe or to create your own soundscapes. 4 exclusive Satriani picks are included with each Chrome Dome pick for a total of five picks. Some of Joe techniques using the Chrome Dome pick include: Holding The Pick Upside Down Try holding the pick upside down and scraping the wound strings with small movements, back and forth, just as they come over their respective saddles for a kind of "mellotron strings" sound. You can play harmonies by applying this technique to two adjacent strings simultaneously. Middle Eastern Effect For a Middle Eastern effect, strike individual strings using a hammer-like technique just about a 1/4" away from the bridge. This adds a microtonal sound to each note you play, and can be an interesting exotic touch to single note lines. Metal Pick Brian May gets a great sound using an old British coin as a pick and you can too, using the Chrome Dome just as you would a standard pick. The increased mass of this metal pick, detailed with polished, beveled edges, makes for a thick, smooth picking tone. Old-School-Computer-Gone-Crazy Sound To get that old-school-computer-gone-crazy sound, first add some gain to your amp setting. With your fretting hand mute the strings on the fretboard. Then using any edge of the Chrome Dome, drag it across the strings, up and down, between the bridge pickup and anywhere up the neck of the guitar. Weird Bad-Robot Tone A variation on Tip No. 4 is to use the long edge of the Chrome Dome, sideways, and make contact with two, or, three strings at the same time. With, or, without moving the pick when it's on the strings this technique creates a weird bad-robot tone. Super-Glissando Scrapes For super-glissando scrapes the Chrome Dome delivers a bright, slippery sound with almost no feeling of friction against the strings. The polished metal edges create a more dramatic and melodic scraping sound when compared to a standard pick. A Cool Record-Scratching Effect You can get a cool record-scratching effect by muting the strings on the neck of the guitar with your fretting hand while scraping the wound strings in the guitar's pick-up area with the edge of the Chrome Dome. Move the pick in short, quick, back and forth rhythmic phrases to simulate a DJ's technique.

Clayton Guitar Pick Variety Pack 6-Pack $1.99 Black Raven: This guitar pick has been specially formulated to reduce that annoying string pop. Plus, it has a matte surface that allows you to hang on to your pick without any unwanted slippage.Spike: Spike will have you licking your chops on how satisfying this new guitar pick is. Its sharp edges will allow you to get that killer attack with all of your speed riffs. Made of Ultem for ultimate strength.Cork Grip: This retro favorite has been around for over half a century. The cushioning piece of cork really lets you gain control of your guitar pick, giving you the ability to keep your pick from sliding off of your finger.Sand Shark: The revolutionary "Sand Shark" puts a sandy grip right where you need it. This gripping design has the sand just where the shape of the shark is, allowing you to really choke up on the pick for intense playing power.Ultem Gold: Ultem is remarkable for creating crisp clean tones, on even the dullest of strings. This pick is made of high grade material to ensure your guitar produces the cleanest, brightest tone available. This pick closely resembles the true sound of actual tortoiseshell that is so widely desired. However, it will not fracture like tortoiseshell and is one of the strongest picks on the market.Acetal: Strength is key to the ultimate performance. The composition of this pick gives you just enough stiffness to give you those killer power chords, but has just enough give so that you're not busting strings left and right. Plus this pick has a matte surface that prevents it from moving or slipping in-between your fingers.

Clayton NuTone Standard Protein Guitar Pick Heavy $5.99 The Clayton NuTone Standard Protein Guitar Pick was created to mimic the extraordinary sound of authentic tortoiseshell. Its unique composition produces a punchy bass with clear treble tones, making it a perfect pick for acoustic play. Its natural lubrication releases off your strings quickly and gives you the ability to produce articulate tones. Made from polymerizing, an animal protein, it is much the same as the famed, but endangered, Hawksbill Sea Turtle's shell. NuTone Protein Picks replicate the sound and feel of the Hawksbill's shell with its natural protein components, but no animals are harmed in any way by its production.

Clayton Nutone Standard Protein Guitar Pick Heavy $5.99 The Clayton NuTone Standard Protein Guitar Pick was created to mimic the extraordinary sound of authentic tortoiseshell. Its unique composition produces a punchy bass with clear treble tones, making it a perfect pick for acoustic play. Its natural lubrication releases off your strings quickly and gives you the ability to produce articulate tones. Made from polymerizing, an animal protein, it is much the same as the famed, but endangered, Hawksbill Sea Turtle's shell. NuTone Protein Picks replicate the sound and feel of the Hawksbill's shell with its natural protein components, but no animals are harmed in any way by its production.

Dunlop Nickel Plated Steel Bass Strings - Medium $17.97 Bass players demand consistency, durability, and versatility from their strings. Dunlop delivers. Dunlop bass guitar strings offer traditionalists, slappers, and pick-wielding rockers cutting midrange, wide bottom end and a growl that will cut through any band. Carefully selected core-to-wrap ratios yield a low-tension steel string with an extremely long life, and minimal break-in time. Each 4 string set is exceptionally well balanced from string-to-string, and provides an amazing amount of dynamic range.DBN2014 Medium 4 strings/setString gauges: 45-65-85-105Nickel-plated steelWarm and harmonically rich toneSmooth tactile feelLong-lasting

Dunlop Stainless Steel Bass Strings - Heavy $19.99 Bass players demand consistency, durability and versatility from their strings. Dunlop delivers. Dunlop bass guitar strings offer traditionalists, slappers, and pick-wielding rockers cutting midrange, wide bottom end and a growl that will cut through any band. Carefully selected core-to-wrap ratios yield a low-tension string with an extremely long life, and minimal break-in time. Each 4-string set is exceptionally well balanced string-to-string, and provides an amazing amount of dynamic range.DBS3514 Heavy, 4 strings/set String gauges: 50-70-90-110 Stainless Steel Cuts through with bright tone Punchy low mids Long-lasting

Dunlop Stainless Steel Light Bass Strings $19.99 Dunlop stainless steel bass strings deliver the consistency, durability and versatility that bass players demand from their strings. Dunlop bass strings offer traditionalists, slappers, and pick-wielding rockers cutting midrange, wide bottom end and a growl that will cut through any band. Carefully selected core-to-wrap ratios yield a low-tension string with an extremely long life, and minimal break-in time. Each set of Dunlops is exceptionally well balanced string-to-string, and provides an amazing amount of dynamic range.Stainless Steel Cuts through with bright tone Punchy low mids Long-lasting