Last April I was at Cabin Camp in Nashville. Had a freakin’ blast. Having recently (at the time) retired from my airline job I had begun to get serious about playing the mandolin, even though I had played AT it for over 30 years. Anyway, there I was in our first class with Penny (or was it the other one?) who almost immediately called me out for not holding my pick right. Though I tried to follow her guidance I was a bit challenged throughout the camp and wasn’t able to apply her guidance. ANYWAY, about a month ago I decided to adjust how I hold my pick and when back to watch Ben’s video about pick position. Ever since then I’ve been consistently playing with this position. At first I wasn’t holding the pick tight enough and it would rotate in my hand. Other times I’d loosen my fingers just enough to accidentally strike the strings. (All this stuff is still going on.) Regardless, I think this “new” (proper) pick holding has helped with some speed and agility…even though it feels like I’m learning to play all over again. Why post this? A catharsis, I guess. Wonder if anyone else has gone down this road? (BTW, still havin’ a blast with the mandolin…and am starting to try to figure out a mountain dulcimer. What am I thinking! LoL)
Fixing My Pick Hand Position
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Howdy Ron! I have been down similar roads. Some of them led to permanent change and others not. If you are already seeing improvement in a month, I’d think you are on the right path. Hang in there!
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Thanks for the feedback!
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