# Tips for training out a heavy pick hand?



## NotFromToronto (Dec 10, 2009)

Having spent most of my formative guitar playing years on acoustic… I suffer from a very heavy hand when picking. 
I’m consciously trying to soften my attack and wondering if others have techniques they have used to train this. 
So far, the most effective thing I have tried is playing through a fuzz that cleans up and trying to keep it from breaking up.


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## Mark Brown (Jan 4, 2022)

I recently started a closed hand grip and altering my picking style and noticed a good deal of lightening. I will get a picture of the difference when I find my phone  It helped me a lot. 

I like your idea a lot though, set a threshold and consciously try and stay under it, that is a good idea.

I played a lot of acoustic and electric without an amp, so there was that. I know your pain


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## Wardo (Feb 5, 2010)

String gauge ?

I stopped playing electric for about 40 years just played acoustic dreads with 13s kinda bluegrass flat pickin style.

In 2017 I bought a Telecaster and had issues pushing chords out of tune with too much grip but some of that was also that the nut slots needed to come down a bit. I was using 11s on the Tele for about a year because I was a bit heavy handed and 11s felt closer to an acoustic tension. 

Anyway, I just got used to it over time and now I run 9.5s on a Telecaster, 10s on a 335. I'm still using 11s on a Les Paul Jr but that's because of the songs that I use that guitar for - might try 10s on it next change.

So as it is now I switch from acoustics with 13s to electrics with 9.5s and don't make an conscious decisions about playing differently. 

Pretty much just adapted over time without even knowing it.


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## Doug Gifford (Jun 8, 2019)

This fellow, in one of his videos, suggests the following:
1) turn your amp to 10
2) turn your guitar volume high enough to really hurt if you pick heavy
3) soften your picking so it doesn't blow you away

Sounds like a good Pavlovian approach.


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## Always12AM (Sep 2, 2018)

Throw away the pick.


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## NotFromToronto (Dec 10, 2009)

Wardo said:


> String gauge ?
> 
> I stopped playing electric for about 40 years just played acoustic dreads with 13s kinda bluegrass flat pickin style.
> 
> ...


I use 10s on my LP and SG, and 9s on my strat. I don’t have an issue with gripping too hard on my fret hand such that I push the strings out of tune, but I probably would if the frets were any taller. The bigger problem is the degree to which I seem to dig with the pick.

I can lighten up when I’m thinking about it consciously, but trying to get to the point where my ‘default’ setting is a lighter touch.


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## NotFromToronto (Dec 10, 2009)

Doug Gifford said:


> This fellow, in one of his videos, suggests the following:
> 1) turn your amp to 10
> 2) turn your guitar volume high enough to really hurt if you pick heavy
> 3) soften your picking so it doesn't blow you away
> ...


This would be effective eventually, but I’d definitely be deaf first!


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## NotFromToronto (Dec 10, 2009)

Always12AM said:


> Throw away the pick.


I am probably too heavy when I use my fingers as well. Ideally I’d like to be able to do both!


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## Always12AM (Sep 2, 2018)

NotFromToronto said:


> I am probably too heavy when I use my fingers as well. Ideally I’d like to be able to do both!


I’d just keep practicing. Strings, amp volume etc. they are all relative to your touch. Just keep playing. I’m not qualified enough to give playing tips to anyone really.


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## Parabola (Oct 22, 2021)

This might sound dumb, but blues playing can utilize a variety of pick attack dynamics and other fret hand techniques like harmonics and mutes that force you to throttle back a bit. Personally I found playing slide really helpful for that as you try and find the right “touch” between the slide and strings.


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## Sketchy Jeff (Jan 12, 2019)

NotFromToronto said:


> consciously trying to soften my attack


what for? 
do you not like the sound of heavier attack on electric?
or maybe you hurt yourself or pull strings off?

if you don't mind the activity itself maybe time to tweak the guitar (higher action heavier strings lower pickups) and amp and effects to suit the way you already play rather than change who you are to suit expectations. take a look at josh smith on youtube. the boy's got hands like hams and plays hard with high action and 13's on teles and it sounds great

j


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## Brian Johnston (Feb 24, 2019)

Use a lighter pick 😊


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## NotFromToronto (Dec 10, 2009)

Sketchy Jeff said:


> what for?
> do you not like the sound of heavier attack on electric?
> or maybe you hurt yourself or pull strings off?
> 
> ...





Sketchy Jeff said:


> what for?
> do you not like the sound of heavier attack on electric?
> or maybe you hurt yourself or pull strings off?


Great question… there are a couple of reasons. The primary one is dynamic range. I think a lighter touch would give me more options on dynamics Than playing at full pluck all the time.

But secondary is it is also a bit of a speed limiter. This isn’t as straightforward, because I suspect I use the feel of the pick almost under the string to ensure picking accuracy.


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## Doug Gifford (Jun 8, 2019)

NotFromToronto said:


> Great question… there are a couple of reasons. The primary one is dynamic range. I think a lighter touch would give me more options on dynamics Than playing at full pluck all the time.


It's not just dynamics, it's sound and the range of sounds you can pull out of your instrument. Imagine if Mark Knopfler just played hard all the time… Maybe think of yourself as caressing the strings.


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## Mooh (Mar 7, 2007)

Relax, it only takes a minimal amount of effort to propel the string. Too much is wasted energy, too little is unrealized voice. Find the amount that results in a consistent volume, then vary from there for dynamics. 

Care to post a video so we can see what you're doing?


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## Wardo (Feb 5, 2010)

And listen to the guitar and how you want it to sound.

Players usually vary the sound dynamics by doing things like palm muting, dampening some strings to control the garbage in a chord or just playing loud or soft as needed. So it’s not like playing a washboard.

So if you’re listening to the guitar your hands should just follow the sound that you want without you really having to think about it. At least it seems to work for me whether it’s modulating volume or choking up on the pick to put a harmonic on a bend. It’s not really something that I think about as Im doing its more about listening to the sound I’m getting or want to get.


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## Sketchy Jeff (Jan 12, 2019)

ok here's another one, not because i know the answer but it's something i think about as well. 

do you want to play softer so you can play softer or do you want to play softer so that when you play hard it stands out more? 

in other words, is your goal to be able to accompany a soft spoken contemplative singer in a way that suits the voice or is your goal to get your kick-ass solo to stand out from the rest of your playing?

not everybody is mark knopfler or should be. somebody like josh smith is a great player and he uses high action heavy strings, he's very fast, has hands like hams, and plays hard. it's also expressive and nuanced. 

j


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## Mutant_Guitar (Oct 24, 2021)

not sure if already suggested, but hybrid picking is a very useful skill. And it would force you to make use of your pinky finger. I think you can "soften up" by increasing the dynamic range of your picking hand, and hybrid picking is a sure way of doing that. There are numerous advantages to adopting this technique, least of all is a clearer distinction of bass and harmony roles within your chord playing.


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## NotFromToronto (Dec 10, 2009)

Sketchy Jeff said:


> ok here's another one, not because i know the answer but it's something i think about as well.
> 
> do you want to play softer so you can play softer or do you want to play softer so that when you play hard it stands out more?
> 
> ...


Definitely more the latter. Right now, I play heavy most of the time and can soften for contrast. I’m trying to flip it around.

To be clear… it’s not that I can’t do it. It’s about trying to retrain what I do when I’m not actively paying attention.


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## Sketchy Jeff (Jan 12, 2019)

NotFromToronto said:


> it’s not that I can’t do it. It’s about trying to retrain what I do when I’m not actively paying attention


bingo that's exactly it

i can do all sorts of nuanced stuff when i think about it and practice alone several times over and calm down

get me up on a stage with the adrenaline going and some other people playing and i'm back to ripping the B and E strings off like i'm leading a camp song with an old public domain flat top acoustic and a hundred squirmy kids calling out this little light of mine loud as they can shout

j


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## Doug Gifford (Jun 8, 2019)

Sketchy Jeff said:


> bingo that's exactly it
> 
> i can do all sorts of nuanced stuff when i think about it and practice alone several times over and calm down
> 
> ...


I played guitar for the first time in a church at a funeral last Saturday. The family asked for "All My Tears"by Emmylou Harris and I decided it would be better on guitar than pipe organ. Took the dobro and chose not to use sound reinforcement (the church is big and high and the choir loft is halfway to the roof at the back; big space but great acoustics). I was loud enough to balance with the singer… but I had to play _hard_ to fill the church. Worked for the song but I wouldn't want to have to play that loud all the time.

They loved it.


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## Sketchy Jeff (Jan 12, 2019)

that's a really great funeral song. good choice on their part and i can imagine the arrangement with dobro in a resonant space would be great. did the singer do it justice without trying to mini-me the emmylou voice? i love playing at funerals they are one of my favourite settings to play. right up there with summer festival evening stage outdoors. beats weddings by a long shot which are down near the bottom of my least favourite list.

i like playing acoustically not because it's quieter but because you need to play as loud as possible if there's any size of audience. or maybe not as loud as possible but projecting as clearly as possible. loud, clear, distinct playing on a big bodied instrument

playing electric has always been secondary for me and the thing i dislike about it is stepping back and letting the electronics do the work. i can get there kinda sorta sometimes but it's not my first language i always feel like i'm in translation to some extent. sometimes that's good for stepping out of a rut or experimenting. 

i don't have a link in front of me but the guitarist for Jazz at Lincoln Center, James Chirillo, has a short video series about playing acoustic vs playing electric for big band that's really interesting. 

j


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## Mutant_Guitar (Oct 24, 2021)

again.1)If it's a matter of introducing and expanding your dynamic range use hybrid picking. 
and 2) play your electric unplugged to see if you're using the appropriate strength, and if you're able to articulate as you like.


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## Wardo (Feb 5, 2010)

Lottsa good tracks on Wrecking Ball.


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## Doug Gifford (Jun 8, 2019)

Sketchy Jeff said:


> that's a really great funeral song. good choice on their part and i can imagine the arrangement with dobro in a resonant space would be great. did the singer do it justice without trying to mini-me the emmylou voice? …
> j


My cantor is a liturgical singer but she stepped up and, without trying to sound like Emmylou, nailed it. I love working with her. She knows the liturgy (which I don't, being a heathen of sorts) and has a fine and somewhat unusual voice and all the proper singer chops. I'm re-envisioning my organ playing to be an accompanist rather than a leader and it's very rewarding. But until Saturday our priest had no idea I could play guitar.


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## Sketchy Jeff (Jan 12, 2019)

Doug Gifford said:


> until Saturday our priest had no idea ...


you could probably finish that sentence a lot of different ways or just leave it at that

"which I don't, being a heathen of sorts"

i didn't grow up in churches that were part of a formal liturgical tradition but as i wandered around i have been most warmly received by far in settings where i didn't have a foggy clue what was going on and needed everything explained to me

back to guitar playing ... you may get asked to play again now that the cat is outta the bag. would you do it or do guitar and organ occupy different worlds in your mind that should stay functionally separate? saturday night is what it is and sunday morning is what it is and they are both good and different? plaid pants and a striped shirt are both cool but not together

or take the Pops Staples approach. music is music and playing it is better than not playing it. seize the available opportunities

j


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## Derek_T (10 mo ago)

NotFromToronto said:


> But secondary is it is also a bit of a speed limiter. This isn’t as straightforward, because I suspect I use the feel of the pick almost under the string to ensure picking accuracy.


It's true that for speed you want to avoid the pick going under the strings and stay right on top.

If you're still looking for advice, I'd recommend dropping by TGP, in the same section (Technique and Playing) and ask a guy called "ieso" (if he's still there) if he'd be willing to share the e-Book he wrote on guitar picking technique. He was kind enough to give me access for free when I was struggling with some alternate picking issue and it helped a lot in correcting the problem.
The guy put a great deal of effort into putting this together, it's definitely worth reading if you can get a hold of him.


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## markxander (Oct 24, 2009)

@Wardo nailed it back on page 1 -- if you use light strings you're going to play them out of tune and hear it immediately. I went down from 11s and 12s to mostly 9s a couple years ago (borrowed a guitar with 9s on it and thought it just sounded better). It took me about 8 or 9 months to lighten up enough that I felt like I was back in tune once. 

I had a teacher around that time who suggested I stop always using the same kind of pick -- he said just go grab a pile of cheap plastic ones. I still prefer something at least 1mm but I can hack it with the crappy L&M ones too now.


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## Derek_T (10 mo ago)

markxander said:


> if you use light strings you're going to play them out of tune and hear it immediately. I went down from 11s and 12s to mostly 9s a couple years ago (borrowed a guitar with 9s on it and thought it just sounded better). It took me about 8 or 9 months to lighten up enough that I felt like I was back in tune once.


Good idea, if you don't want to change sting gauge though, it's completely doable by working on technique. It just takes a lot of focus to "unlearn" the current habits.


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