Picking hand position

[mitth]

Hey guys, need a little help here. Ok, the thing is, when i pick, i place my pinkie on the pickguard... and the area where i pick is slightly behind my neck humbucker. I'm wondering if this is wrong, because I see many people picking furrther behind, slightly in front of the bridge humbucker. Btw my guitar is a les paul. Yeah, and when I try to pick at this "correct" position my hand get tired faster :? Hmm, i suppose their are differences in tone also right? Thanks for reading!

 

[Mobius]

Well u are right that its the difference in tone...the nearer the neck u pick the rounder the tone u get ...and the nearer the bridge u pick the more "metallic" or brighter the tone...i pick in the middle not because i like the tone or anything....it jus occurs naturally...there is no right or wrong position IMO as long as it is comfortable to ur hands and ears..... and there is nothing wrong usin ur pinkie for support i do that too... :wink:

 

[Newbie]

yeah i have the habit of putting my pinkie on the pickguard. but im using a strat. when i rest my wrist on my bridge i also feel uncomfortable. just adjust to a placing where its comfortable to u. theres no right or wrong like what mobius say.

 

[subversion]

there's no definite correct position for this. you place your picking hand where you are most comfy at, but be sure it aids picking & muting.

when i strum chords, i'd move away from the bridge area to avoid excess treble. the nearer the bridge, the more top end you'll hear. try picking clean, just before the bridge saddle, hear the surge in top end. i emulate country-type licks this way all the time 8)

 

[vernplum]

Experiment with lots of different positions.

Look at Eric Johnson - he picks/strums over almost the full length of the string to get different tonal variation, sometimes strumming halfway up the neck!

When you're palm muting though, stay close to the bridge so the pitch isn't altered (unless that's what you're going for).