Pick Angling

[Silence Kid]

Do you avoid it? Do you consistently angle up? Down? Up for bass strings/down for treble? Depends on the lick?

[Chistopher]

Re: Pick Angling

Sometimes I get halfway through a song and realize I'm holding the pickup upside down.

[VinceT]

Re: Pick Angling

Do you avoid it? Do you consistently angle up? Down? Up for bass strings/down for treble? Depends on the lick?

Totally depends on what sound I want.



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[Gtrjunior]

Re: Pick Angling

Are you talking about pick slanting a la Troy Grady?

[JB_From_Hell]

Re: Pick Angling

On mandolin, I make a conscious effort to keep the puck slightly angled. However, I’ve been playing electric guitar for so long I have no idea what the hell I’m doing.

[Mincer]

Re: Pick Angling

I generally don't. I don't like the 'slicing' sound before every note.

[Silence Kid]

Re: Pick Angling

I generally don't. I don't like the 'slicing' sound before every note.

I find the 'slice' is most audible when the pick is angled up; this is awful in particular on the high strings. I avoid this by angling the pick down on the high strings.

For the most part I angle up on the low strings in particular for chords, but I find it easier for some licks to angle the pick down even on the E/A/D strings.

I can't tell if I should make more of an effort to keep the pick neutral/un-angled; I think part of the reason I angle is because it limits my tendency to move my forearm laterally between the high and lower strings. Instead the motion of my wrist creates a natural arc to reach each string, and the natural angling that occurs as a result seems to help me pick more cleanly.

[Jacew]

Re: Pick Angling

Do you avoid it? Do you consistently angle up? Down? Up for bass strings/down for treble? Depends on the lick?

I used to make concious effort to adjust pick angle and slanting when practicing. Nowadays it comes naturally as I play, I'm constantly shifting depending on how much attack, and what type of "response" I want.

[VinceT]

Pick Angling

... I can't tell if I should make more of an effort to...

Careful, there really is NO “should”.

Django Reinhardt had two paralyzed fingers on his fretting hand.

Tony Iommi cut off his fingertips.

Stevie Ray turned his pick around backwards.

And on and on.

(Actually, I could just have said “Jeff Healey” and left it at that [emoji1])

So, no “should”s, just 3 questions:

1) Is what I’m doing giving me the sound I want?

2) Is what I’m doing growing comfortable?

3) Have I tried other options for playing this?

Yes to all three? Keep doing it!



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[beaubrummels]

Pick Angling

I only ever angle the pick when doing tremolo because it makes the pick roll smoother across the string and reduces the attack volume slightly. If I want to use less angle, I turn the pick around to a round corner.

If the guitar is slung at the proper ergonomic angle for playing, like classical (which few do because it doesn't look cool), the pick wouldn't be at an angle. If the pick is at an angle naturally for you and you are fighting it, the guitar might be slung too low. Not that I'm telling anyone to change, just pointing out one reason why it is happening.

[El Dunco]

Re: Pick Angling

Slight angle for the "scrunchy" palm mutes, parallel for most everything else.