I find it more natural to keep my picking hand closed when I play the guitar.
e.g. Justin helping YOU in a video - #27 by erionstrings
My hand is relaxed but my fingers are pointing inwards, it’s not a clenched fist.
I have been wondering if this is somehow a hindrance because most guitar players I’ve seen pick with an open hand.
Is this just a matter of preference or is there more to it?
I’m one of those in the majority, with a natural open hand.
Things like palm muting and hybrid picking are more efficient I believe with an open hand.
However, plenty of guitarists use a closed fist without too many problems.
Cheers, Shane
I’ve just been wondering the same thing myself! I was watching a video of someone flatpicking an Irish tune and he had a closed hand. I tend to keep mine open but it got me wondering which is better. You can see it here:
My natural hand is closed and relaxed, not clenched. My hand feels more tense when open and usually ends up closed again when I stop thinking about it.
With a closed hand, I mute with the back of the fingers as well as the palm.
A good supplementary to add to your question Erion.
Personally, I think the open hand with fingers relaxed and loose is better option and I recommend it. That is my personal, subjective suggestion. But there will be many highly skilled players who do what you do.
I also tend to play more with an open hand, especially while not thinking about it. A while back, I tried to play more with a closed hand as I thought that’s how it’s supposed to be. It caused tension in my hand, so I reverted and play in the way that feels natural to me.
Probably, when it comes to these kind of questions, it’s good to stick to they way that feels best, relaxed and most natural. There won’t be a “true” right or wrong in this case.
Thanks all.
@Richard_close2u is the open hand considered the correct technical position? I’m mostly interested in this because I’m planning to do an electric guitar grading exam in the near future with RSL. Would a closed hand be frowned upon?
I can’t speak to the requirements or recommendations of the grading paths you are looking at Erion.
I think that specialist fast pickers do tend towards a loose curl for speed and accuracy in their style whereas others, Justin included iirc, favour the open hand.
I would think an advantage to an open hand would be that it will be easier to add some hybrid picking in the future. Or to transition to finger style playing.
If you are too accustomed to the closed hand, using the other fingers to pluck will feel more awkward.
Personally I’ve never thought about it. What ever has felt natural and relaxed. I suspect most people play some where inbetween with slightly curled fingers, not straight or clinched fingers.
Look at hybrid picking you can’t do it unless your fingers are curled enough to pick the strings.
I guess it all depends aon the style you play most on how closed or open your fingers are.
I do both finger picking and hybrid picking. It’s just that when I’m holding a pick, my fingers tend to curl on the inside.
If it’s not hindering your playing and it feels relaxed I can’t see anything wrong with it. Can’t speak for whether or not it will effect your exam. If the course had a preference you’d think there would be something in the course about it.
Can’t see then taking away point for something they didn’t teach.
Hi Erion
When holding a pick I do so with open relaxed hand(as much as possible). I just tried strumming with both open and closed, trying to mute immediately after an up and found it nearly impossible to do with a closed hand. I would try different strum patterns with percussive muting on down and ups and see if it works with open or closed.
@AJSki2fly thanks Adrian.
I don’t have any problems muting (or doing anything else) with this hand position.
It just feels natural to me.
Well that’s fine then, do what’s best for your
Either. Best if you can do both 
Interesting question - I had to look back at some of my videos to see what I do - and it looks like I have a closed hand, too, as relaxed as possible, but my pinky sticks out just a little bit. I guess that comes from the times when I was practising scales and alternate picking and I was anchoring the pinky. I am not doing that any more because any anchoring creates tension in my hand (flatpicking and fingerpicking).
And then I got curious what the picking pros do and it’s 50:50 in a sample of two: Molly Tuttle has her hand closed, and Billy Strings has it open, but he anchors when playing lead lines (and releases when back to strumming). I had not noticed that before.
So as others have already said, I don’t think there is a right or wrong - whatever works for you and is most comfortable to you. No-one should frown at you in your exam and if they do they are the real stupids.
I am mixed. When picking individual strings, I tend to have a relaxed, closed hand. When strumming, my hand tends to open to provide more comfort when applying dynamic palm muting.
I use entirely open hand and rest my pinky on the guitar, it helps me gauge where my pick is. My hand is usually very relaxed, I wish I could say the same for my left hand.