Right Hand Bad-Habit Blues

[Pick&Grin]

Hey all,

Recently got some excellent instruction on how I've been holding my pick: my index finger was straight rather than curled, and I'd been working the pick parallel to the strings rather than at a slight angle...for years.

The advise was/is invaluable, and I'm greatly thankful: my tone's so much warmer now. I know that this will vastly improve my sound and overall playing, but MAN, if it doesn't feel like I've just regressed 2-3 years! The fluidity with which I played my favorite tunes and did multi-string tremolos a week ago seem like happy memories as I clunk through them now. Here's hoping the new habit takes hold soon!

If you're a new mandolin player, do pay keen attention to your pick hand. You'll be thankful later!

[Tobin]

Ha, yeah, there's always a readjustment period when you start to refine things like this, and it will take a while to get your fluidity back. I went through the same thing when I decided to get my right wrist off the bridge. In the long run, these kinds of things pay off big-time, even though it is difficult in the short-term.

Good on ya for doing it, though! Hopefully this will be only the first of many such re-sets over the years as you experiment with new or different techniques that will improve tone, speed, etc. I'm sure I've got plenty ahead of me too.

[Hendrik Ahrend]

Yeah man, talking "thankful later", I changed my right hand approach back in 1985, which I felt to be a great improvement. I wasn't aware though, that Roland White, when he played guitar for Bill Monroe in the late '60s, changed his right hand in a similar fashion like you, Pick&Grin.

[Scott N.]

Can you elaborate on what you mean by picking at a slight angle? In what direction is the angle? Any good pictures or videos of this?

I have a sum total playing time of 4 days, so I'm going to ask every stupid question under the sun!

[Franc Homier Lieu]

Mike Marshall explains the angle here:

[AlanN]

Terrific explanation here.

[Pick&Grin]

Scott N., welcome to the wonderful world of Mandolin!
Do keep the questions coming. MandolinCafe is a great place to have landed: a very helpful community.

Thank you, Franc Homier Lieu for the video: I should have thought of that. Mike was actually the teacher who spotted my problem in a video exchange that I had with him through ArtistWorks. I've been subscribed for just over a week, and I can't say enough about it: especially the personalized feedback that you get from Mike.

[JeffD]

That angle is important. Its fun to play with too, to make the mandolin kind of whisper at the more intimate parts of the music, or bang out a tune violently during a more exuberant part. Its another knob on the control panel to fiddle with - volume, speed, where on the string you pick, and angle. One can almost make the darn thing talk.