Picking Problem Re: Grip

**srlank** · 12-07-2015, 01:04 AM

Hi all,

For the last few months I've been having some trouble keeping a good grip on the pick. I don't know why this is, and I don't recall having this problem in the past. The only work-around that has helped at all is picking with more of the thumb and less with the wrist; but it still doesn't completely solve the problem. I haven't been playing any more or less, nor can I think of anything else in my technique has changed.

Anyone else ever experienced this problem and come up with a cause and/or solution?

Thx for any feedback.

**docbop** · 12-07-2015, 01:25 AM

Have you tried making the pick sticky. There is stuff called Gorilla Snot, yes a gross name, but it was made for drummers to help make sticks sticky well guitar players use it also to make picks sticky.

I use regular celluloid picks and sometime they can be slippery and I use a emery board to rough up the pick some.

**srlank** · 12-07-2015, 01:32 AM

Thx Doc. Those are some great ideas.

**vintagelove** · 12-07-2015, 09:38 AM

Sounds odd, but you're probably gripping the pick too hard. Lighten up and relax and it should stay put. Good luck

**Robertkoa** · 12-07-2015, 09:47 AM

There is a line of Picks by Daddario / Planet
Waves called Duragrip- they are Delrin ( called Duralin )similar to Tortex but a hair stiffer great stuff.

It is like their regular Duralin Picks but
EXTREME grip surface at Thumb / Index end.

I don't sell or endorse them but have thought of it.

2) Another option is to score your picks on both sides with a sharp knife-
BUT - you MUST hold the pick down with pliers or a screwdriver on the cutting surface because you WILL cut your fingers eventually if you try to hold the pick down with your other hand.

Be VERY careful when scoring picks.

3) IF you are early in your Technique you may wish to change your Grip to a curved index finger versus a more fingertip grip on your Index or first finger.

So it's a " grippier" pick

Or a larger pick.

Or a grip with more Thumb/Index on the pick.
Or combination of above.

**whiskey02** · 12-07-2015, 10:10 AM

I find that I prevent the pick from slipping by gripping mainly with the tip of my thumb rather than the fleshier pad beneath. Feels more "precise" too.

**edh** · 12-08-2015, 12:37 AM

There's a product out there called Lizard Grip. I have tried it and it works great for me.

**tonedeaf** · 12-08-2015, 01:01 AM

...and coming in cheaper than any of these suggestions is this product. It produces just the right tackiness. I have been using the same can for about 5 years now:

GLUE CANDLE STICK-UM FOX

**srlank** · 12-08-2015, 10:12 PM

Thx for all of the suggestions. I am extremely appreciative, and will be checking everything out!

**bobby d** · 12-12-2015, 09:55 PM

Is it that your muscles in that area are feeling too weak? Or is it that the pick is slipping from lack of friction? Knowing what is causing the lack of grip will help in finding an answer.

It could be that you need to take a break from practicing and come back to it. That is if the problem is muscular.

I've experimented with crosshatching (with a knife or file) some of my picks which also aids in making them less slippery. But if I overdo it, the pick will feel uncomfortable.

Report back on what you've found to work!

**neatomic** · 12-12-2015, 10:04 PM

what pick are you using and how old are you?

not unusual to lose some feeling with time/age...try a bigger/different shaped pick..and one with more "grip"

can also try rosin or beeswax for better grip

cheers

**MarkRhodes** · 12-24-2015, 09:47 PM

Originally Posted by edh

There's a product out there called Lizard Grip. I have tried it and it works great for me.

Funny you should mention that. I tried to get some but their site is down. There is a similar product called Monster Grip and I have ordered some of those. (They're silicone 'dots' one affixes to any pick, either just one side or on both, for a sure grip.) I wrote to the company and have been told that Lizard Grips was infringing on their product. (This may be why the Lizard Grips site is down.) I started a thread about Monster Grips and the company is offering a 30 % discount for Christmas.

I ordered some yesterday and look forward to giving them a try. I never drop picks but I recently came to realize my pick moves around in my hand more than I realized (and this creates much of the inconsistency that has bedeviled me lo these many years...) I think they're worth a try.

**edh** · 12-24-2015, 10:58 PM

@Mark, I suffered from the same problem(shifting picks, I have a light grip). These grips solved the shifting problem for me. To bad their out of Business. I'll look up the Monster Grips.

edh

**MarkRhodes** · 12-24-2015, 11:07 PM

Originally Posted by edh

@Mark, I suffered from the same problem(shifting picks, I have a light grip). These grips solved the shifting problem for me. To bad their out of Business. I'll look up the Monster Grips.

edh

I think Monster Grips are pretty much the same thing---and maybe they came first; I don't know.

https://www.monstergrips.com/

Check the thread called "Monster Grips" for a 30 % discount promo code.

I haven't tried them, but some are on the way. I'll let you know what I think of them.

**edh** · 12-24-2015, 11:53 PM

Wow! I went to their site and could not get past a pop-up telling me to register for a free give away. I really don't feel like registering on another site and getting promotional e-mails from them... really to bad, I was going to order from them.

**MarkRhodes** · 12-25-2015, 10:22 AM

Originally Posted by edh

Wow! I went to their site and could not get past a pop-up telling me to register for a free give away. I really don't feel like registering on another site and getting promotional e-mails from them... really to bad, I was going to order from them.

Well, you can order the grips via Amazon. (That's what I did.) I know what you mean about registering and getting promotional emails by the score. You know, I almost never get emails from people I know (-old friends, relatives) anymore.

**MarkRhodes** · 12-25-2015, 03:50 PM

You know, I used Jazz III picks for years and liked them except that they would "turn around" in my hand. I never dropped them. I thought maybe I played too hard. (And when I was young, I probably did!) But now I'm thinking it was just that my grip wasn't tight enough.... Who knows, the coming year may be the one when I can play really fast because the pick stays in place and allows for the consistency I've never had....

**wolflen** · 12-25-2015, 04:09 PM

Originally Posted by MarkRhodes

Well, you can order the grips via Amazon. (That's what I did.) I know what you mean about registering and getting promotional emails by the score. You know, I almost never get emails from people I know (-old friends, relatives) anymore.

mark...open another email acct just for (junk mail) so when someone "requires" and email addy you can use that acct instead..

and Merry Christmas..and thanks for doing a great job as mod on this site...

**MarkRhodes** · 12-25-2015, 04:15 PM

Originally Posted by wolflen

mark...open another email acct just for (junk mail) so when someone "requires" and email addy you can use that acct instead..

and Merry Christmas..and thanks for doing a great job as mod on this site...

Merry Christmas to you too, Wolfen!
And thanks for the tip about an email account for junk mail. I hadn't thought of that. What a great idea!

**FatPick** · 01-01-2016, 01:10 PM

I find my pick starts to rotate towards my palm when I'm playing at or near my speed limit. I think I'm pushing the forward edge of the pick down into the strings when I'm trying to go as fast as I can. I've also noticed that as my working speed increases (meaning I can play faster and faster tempos as my picking skill level gets better) that the pick rotation doesn't happen. So It must be how I'm picking when I'm at my (ever-increasing) speed limit—probably my arm is getting tense, I'm picking too hard, and I'm trying to think about too many things at once.

The acrylic material they make V-Picks out of is super sticky, especially if moist. Whenever I use my V-Picks, I breathe on them like I'm cleaning the lenses on a pair of glasses, and that makes the pick really stick to my fingers.

I also use Guitar Moose sticky dots which work really well and increase the pick thickness slightly (I prefer thicker picks for the ergonomics).

I tried some Monster Grips and didn't really like them as much. I found that the dots felt too small for me. YMMV.

**AlsoRan** · 01-01-2016, 03:38 PM

Originally Posted by MarkRhodes

You know, I used Jazz III picks for years and liked them except that they would "turn around" in my hand. I never dropped them. I thought maybe I played too hard. (And when I was young, I probably did!) But now I'm thinking it was just that my grip wasn't tight enough.... Who knows, the coming year may be the one when I can play really fast because the pick stays in place and allows for the consistency I've never had....

I went through the same thing for years. At one point, I was even blaming the picks. It did not take long, after trying several picks, to realize that the problem was me.

It was not until this year that I finally solved the problem after 5 years of disappointment. I basically spend at least 20 minutes a day, at least three times a week, just alternate picking one single string at a time. I start out with the metronome at around 125 bpm and alternated pick 16th notes. As I warm up, I increase the metronome's tempo. I accent the first strike of the 16th note beats. On good days, I can play at my metronome's max tempo of 208 bpm, even with the accenting.

For example, I think 1-eh-an-uh, 2-eh-an-uh, 3-eh-an-uh, etc.. I always accent the number. I accent using downstokes on the accented note, and then I spend time accenting using upstrokes.

After several months of this, the pick is very secure in my hand even when playing major scales at 145 bpm and my stamina is much longer. After awhile of continuous strumming, it does start to get "squirrely," even after months of doing this but as I said, it takes much longer and I can play at higher tempos with more security for a longer period of time.

This worked for me, maybe the OP can try a variation of what I did. It is very boring to do but pays great dividends.

Good luck to all with your technical pursuits.