wondering if anyone can offer some thoughts/opinions/insights to my current picking hand situation.
i was first given guitar around 10 years old (currently 33). guitar was righty, i’m a lefty, and my 10yo mind thought nothing of it. have been playing righty since then and the thought of lefty now seems unnatural to me.
played off and on for about 10-15 years, and then about 5 years ago really started taking guitar seriously again. it wasn’t until around a year ago that i realized my picking hand is seriously holding me back from doing most of what i want to do on guitar (not necessarily fast, but just tight and clean rhythmic technique). i became conscious of my pick grip and realized i was holding the pick with three fingers. immediately i thought “well this can’t be right” and spent the previous year becoming comfortable with a index + thumb only grip.
this grip (with middle, ring, and pinky fingers still limp but pointed out leaving them available for hybrid picking situations) felt much more natural to me when strumming chords, and i did like the new added ability of hybrid picking. as i started playing more and more 2010s metalcore, i realized that above even moderate tempos (150+ bpm), it was easier for me to play them (more attack, steadier, tighter, cleaner, etc…) when i would switch back to 3 fingers—this is especially true when i approach 180+ bpm. i then thought “well that’s probably just the past 20 years showing itself. this still can’t be right”
then, out of nowhere, a howard stern interview with hetfield popped onto my feed in which james talks about his 3-finger grip. he went on to say he can’t play tight rhythmically without holding the pick like this. i then thought “well he must be the exception to the rule…”
about a month ago i learned that what has hindered me the most is being completely unaware of escape motions. i had no idea what pickslanting is. upon purchasing a magnet and making it halfway through the pickslanting primer, i realize that i solely operated in the trapped zone. additionally, it wasn’t until reviewing the first half of the primer that i learned the 3 finger grip is actually legitimate, and that there are more legends than just hetfield using it.
this post has been mainly rambling, but i’m wondering if anyone has feedback for this lefty playing righty when it comes to grip. my current thinking is to switch back to 3 fingers due to it allowing me to play a bit faster and more precise, and simply learn escape motions with this grip. when i slow down the tempo to play and strum
more chords, i may try to incorporate some odd hybrid grip where i switch between 2 and 3 fingers depending on the line (3 for more alternate picking and 2 for more stunning), but this likely isn’t too feasible in the long run. perhaps i should just focus on escape motions and additionally some strumming mechanics with 3 fingers.
again, I’m not trying to become a speed wizard. i simply am just trying to clean and tighten up my rhythm playing and my alternate picking
