Never Drop Your Guitar Pick Again

Guitar players of all different levels can struggle with picks flying out of your hand like plates at a Greek wedding. If you struggle with dropping your guitar pick or having it spin in your fingers, I’m here to save the day.

Pick slippage mainly comes from poor technique but if you polish up your technique and still find that pick flying, you can try some hacks to help you out. First, let's check out technique.

Technique

If your pick tends to slip out of your fingers or spin you are most likely holding onto the pick too tightly. While your pick might bend slightly from hitting the string, it should have most of its give in the grip of your fingers. The less give there is, the more friction is created and in a battle between a tight string and a flimsy pick, the string is going to win every time.

You can test your grip tightness like this: hold your pick like you normally would, grip the point of the pick with your left thumb and forefinger, and gently move back and forth. Your pick should should have about a quarter inch of give before the pick begins to bend.

Watch the video below to see the test in action.

Picks Selection

Picks come in a million different thicknesses for a reason; the harder the pick the more fight it has. Thick picks are great for soloing and single note lines but they can be brutal when strumming. If you can’t bring yourself to hold on to the pick lighter, try a thinner pick. You can also try picks with different types of grips. Some have sandpaper-like texture while others have raised lines. Personally I like Everly Star Picks the most. They have a star shaped hole which allows your thumb and forefinger to touch creating both a more secure grip and a more natural feel.

Sticky fingers

You can thank Worship Artistry member Charlene for this tip. Charlene uses Mighty Plugs natural earplugs when she’s rocking her motorcycle (cause she’s rad like that) and found a musical use for them. Rip off a small piece and roll it around between your fingers. It will dissolve into a slightly tacky, non-irritating coating on your fingertips which gives a little extra grip. See it in action in the video below.