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I was going to respond to another thread with this, but it sort of blew up into its own thing so... Offering a few thoughts on what I've (re)learned about picking in the last couple years as I basically taught myself guitar over again after a decade-long break. I'm not an expert but - A few things that helped me along the way with my picking technique, something that was a particular struggle for me:
-I got more solid by using thinner picks; thick picks I once used made me sloppy in maintaining an even pick angle with the strings, since they just power through the strings anyway. You need to maintain the correct angle on a thin pick more carefully to get an even "hit" vs. the pick scraping/sliding off. Thin picks lack dynamics, so I do need to switch it up every once in a while if you want to practice that; but I do still go back to thinner picks on occasion to keep my geometry correct
-Blunt-tipped picks (like a Jazz I or a nickel) also cause me to be more strict and disciplined with pick angle (again at the cost of dynamics)
-On the other hand, thicker picks require greater hand strength and minute muscle control to use, thus you can develop greater hand strength using them
-I had a habit to hold the pick waaay toward the end, not choking up enough. Using a smaller pick (Jazz I or Jazz III) helped
-Thinner strings (treble in particular) offer far less picking feedback than thick strings; for example, it's a lot easier to tremolo pick say the low E than the high E. I attribute a lot of that to the lack of feedback the thin strings offer when you hit them (especially if you use a thicker pick.) So... I practice with thinner strings
-Again there's a flip-side that greater left-hand (and right hand) strength is required to fret and pick thick strings so there's a benefit to practicing with those; usually I just play acoustic when I feel the need to do this since I'd rather not wrestle with a thick-stringed electric. Heavier strings overall are far less compressed in sound so practicing with them can give you ultimately more control over your playing
Basically? I use a ****ing ton of different picks, guitars and strings in my rotation to keep on my game as best I can as a bedroom (technically usually kitchen) player. Feel free to refute or add to any of this.
-I got more solid by using thinner picks; thick picks I once used made me sloppy in maintaining an even pick angle with the strings, since they just power through the strings anyway. You need to maintain the correct angle on a thin pick more carefully to get an even "hit" vs. the pick scraping/sliding off. Thin picks lack dynamics, so I do need to switch it up every once in a while if you want to practice that; but I do still go back to thinner picks on occasion to keep my geometry correct
-Blunt-tipped picks (like a Jazz I or a nickel) also cause me to be more strict and disciplined with pick angle (again at the cost of dynamics)
-On the other hand, thicker picks require greater hand strength and minute muscle control to use, thus you can develop greater hand strength using them
-I had a habit to hold the pick waaay toward the end, not choking up enough. Using a smaller pick (Jazz I or Jazz III) helped
-Thinner strings (treble in particular) offer far less picking feedback than thick strings; for example, it's a lot easier to tremolo pick say the low E than the high E. I attribute a lot of that to the lack of feedback the thin strings offer when you hit them (especially if you use a thicker pick.) So... I practice with thinner strings
-Again there's a flip-side that greater left-hand (and right hand) strength is required to fret and pick thick strings so there's a benefit to practicing with those; usually I just play acoustic when I feel the need to do this since I'd rather not wrestle with a thick-stringed electric. Heavier strings overall are far less compressed in sound so practicing with them can give you ultimately more control over your playing
Basically? I use a ****ing ton of different picks, guitars and strings in my rotation to keep on my game as best I can as a bedroom (technically usually kitchen) player. Feel free to refute or add to any of this.
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