Strumming Patterns With Ups

[roger_holland]

Hi Alan, @alan_almeida
That’s completely normal that it happens in the beginning … we’ve all had that (sometimes I still have it after more than 3 years)…keep practicing.
Welcome here and I wish you a lot of fun and perseverance
Greetings,Rogier

[alan_almeida]

Got it thanks <3

[moose408]

I am having a problem where the pick is rotating clockwise in my fingers when I do the up/down strumming. Not a problem with just down strokes.

I have to grip the pick REALLY hard to make it not rotate and that throws off my rhythm.

Any suggestions or explanations as to what’s happening?

[MAT1953]

Craig @moose408
I am afraid it is a very common problem for beginners, I certainly suffered from it and still do to a certain extent. One option is to use picks with texture, Dunlop maxi grips are one type but I think the thinnest is 0.6 not ideal for beginners.
Justin has a lesson later on on pick manipulation, How to Use a Pick When Strumming - My Own Experience! - YouTube in grade 2, which may help but you will find as time goes on you get better control of the pick and can hold it lighter.
Unfortunately it is a like a lot of things with a guitar, you just have to work through it.
Hope this helps.

Michael

[Tbushell]

You could also check this out:

How To Hold A Guitar Pick

WRT to pick spinning around… Justin’s funk course has an exercise buried in one of the lessons that helped me quite a bit, even though I have no interest in playing funk. Basically, you deliberately let the pick rotate a full 360 degrees, in either direction. Once you learn to control this, you seem to learn how to prevent it from happening, and also get it back in position if it moves. The exercise is around the 6 minute mark.

Paradoxically, gripping the pick tightly can make it more likely to spin…I’ve experienced it myself, but I don’t understand why it happens.

[Jaysaspara]

Hello,

First of all, thank you very much for your help and guidance! It’s been a while since I am practicing strumming. Oftentimes, my pick is rotating in an anti-clockwise direction while practicing up/down strumming patterns. If I try to hold the pick more firmly, it makes my arm feel like a robot and messes up my rhythm.

Any guidance on why this may be happening and how I can fix it will be greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance!

Cheers,
Jay

[MAT1953]

Jay

See the comment on pick manipulation I made earlier which is perhaps ahead of where you are as it is in Grade 2
Michael

@MAT1953

Craig @moose408
I am afraid it is a very common problem for beginners, I certainly suffered from it and still do to a certain extent. One option is to use picks with texture, Dunlop maxi grips are one type but I think the thinnest is 0.6 not ideal for beginners.
Justin has a lesson later on on pick manipulation, How to Use a Pick When Strumming - My Own Experience! - YouTube in grade 2, which may help but you will find as time goes on you get better control of the pick and can hold it lighter.
Unfortunately it is a like a lot of things with a guitar, you just have to work through it.
Hope this helps.

[Richard_close2u]

@moose408

I have to grip the pick REALLY hard to make it not rotate and that throws off my rhythm.

That can be a part of the problem. Loosen your grip. It may still rotate a little but will be much easier to rotate back again.
Plus, too much grip = hand tension and hand tension = bad sounding music.