Want to stop dropping your pick while playing?
A lot of my students want to play their guitar in front of their friends, but fear what could happen if the slightest thing goes wrong.
Like, what if they forget the chords and they’re laughed at?
Or, what if they don’t get their fingers in the right position, and they hit a really sour chord?
Or, what if their pick rotates out of position, or even drops clean out of their grip?
The truth is, many people never fulfill their desire to play in front of loved ones because they worry even the slightest mishap will make them look “foolish”.
Well, while I totally disagree with that…
That’s how they feel.
So instead of trying to change the thought…
I want to share an easy way to take care of these little mishaps so instead of worrying about them, you can feel confident you’re giving yourself the best shot of them NOT happening at all.
That’s why today I’m gonna talk about pick rotating/slipping and how to hold a guitar pick.
While there’s no sure-fire way to totally stop pick slipping besides gluing the pick to your fingers (and I wouldn’t recommend that)…
There are a few things you can do to prevent it as much as humanly possible.
Whether it’s changing your “hold”… buying special-made picks… or using simple homemade “hacks”…
Here are 5 of the simplest ways to prevent guitar pick slipping:
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Change how tight/loose you grip the guitar pick.
Obviously squeezing the life out of the pick will prevent it from falling out of your grip, but at the cost of uncomfortable, robotic picking. And playing with too loose a grip will pretty much ensure your guitar pick keeps slipping. So what’s the right grip strength?
My favorite way I’ve seen it put is: “the amount of pressure and grip strength you should exert is similar to that of holding a pen. You don’t hold it so loose that you are unable to write with it but you also don’t press your finger into the pen.”
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Buy a non-slip guitar pick.
Pick makers have different ways of creating non-slip picks. For example, there are picks with little raised lines or dots that help give your skin something to sink into and grip. There are picks with rubber coatings. And there are even picks with a “sandpaper” type coating on the top part of the pick.
Just look up “non-slip pick” and you’ll see hundreds (or thousands) of different options for you to try out.
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Use snot on your Guitar pick.
Okay, not YOUR snot — use “Gorilla Snot”. Gorilla Snot is a grip aide that you rub between your thumb and pointer finger. It creates a tacky feel so even sweat doesn’t cause your pick to slip around in your fingers. And it comes in a little jar you can just throw in your bag when you’re on the go. (By the way, it washes off easily. I checked.)
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Use a bigger guitar pick.
There are a bunch of options for larger picks. But a common one is a triangular pick. It’s not rounded at the corners like a “normal” pick, so you have more surface area to hold. And with more surface area of the pick touching your skin, you naturally have more friction.
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Superglue your guitar pick.
This tip actually comes from Terry K., a member of the Breakthrough Guitar Supergroup. He says he had a friend who would put a drop or two of superglue on his picks and let it dry. This would create a bumpy surface similar to a non-slip pick and would help him grip it better without having to squeeze tighter. Oh yeah, and Terry says, “Be sure you let it dry before using it or you might have a permanent pick implant on your finger.” ;)
Well, there you have it! Five ways to prevent guitar pick slipping and keep your playing on point. We hope you found this information helpful. Now that you know how to hold a guitar pick properly and how to keep it from slipping, go out there and practice those licks and riffs until they’re perfected!
And as always, if you have any questions or need additional help, don’t hesitate to reach out to us. Thanks for reading!
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