Any tips for picking?

I'm on "Guitar Fundamentals 1 - Hickory Ridge" and am having trouble with my right (pick) hand knowing which string to hit. My left hand is alright navigating the strings but I am having trouble with my right hand knowing where to go unless I'm looking. I can't look at my hand and the tabs so that makes it tough.

I took guitar lessons, originally, about 16 years ago and learned basic chords (G, C, D, E A, etc). I could play in my parent's church's youth group band well enough because the songs were simple enough, so I had no trouble with chord changes or strumming in rythym.

I never learned how to pick individual strings though. So now all these years later that I'm returning to lessons I'm finding myself frustrated knowing I can play those simple songs but can't do these basics.

How are you supposed to find the right strings with a pick when there isn't any... "tactile" way to know where your hand is?

I'm a beginner myself, so I could be wrong, but it's my impression that you have to look at first, and then you start to develop some muscle memory and a sense of what's where so that you're able to look less. Practice songs like Hickory Ridge seem designed in part for that purpose.

Originally Posted by: neil.sklar

I'm a beginner myself, so I could be wrong, but it's my impression that you have to look at first, and then you start to develop some muscle memory and a sense of what's where so that you're able to look less. Practice songs like Hickory Ridge seem designed in part for that purpose.

The muscle memory on my left hand I get, because it's sort of in a fixed position, but the right hand is sort of just... floating. Maybe I'm supposed to be keeping it somwhere rather than just out there in space.

Do you rest your right hand anywhere? I realized that for some other previous songs that were not all 6 strings I was resting on low E, which is no good.

Originally Posted by: jblakerDo you rest your right hand anywhere? I realized that for some other previous songs that were not all 6 strings I was resting on low E, which is no good.

You can use your pinky as an anchor too. Helped me a lot.

Pinky anchor works for me. It just takes time and lots of trial and error to get to the point where I can consistently hit the correct string. Definitely had a "this will never happen" phase but slowly I started hitting the right string much more often...I'm still a early beginner but I can actually feel progress.

Hi all,

Great question and suggestions.

My "Spider Legs" warm-up exercise is designed to help dial in this exact skill: training your pick-hand to know which string it wants to play, and finding it successfully.

Spend some time with that each practice session, and things should start to fall into place more easily for you.

Here it is: https://www.guitartricks.com/tutorial.php?input=621

Hope this helps! - Lisa