I've been playing for 4 years. I've always held my pick a little differently, but I never thought much of it. and now I'm really starting to get into sweeps and they are taking me a LONG time to get down. I'm wondering if my pick holding method has anything to do with it.

Here are some pics of how I hold the plectrum. I know my fingers look creepy in some of the pictures...I took them with my free hand,which was shaky due to cold weather.

http://i199.photobucket.com/albums/...ectrumdelII.jpg

http://i199.photobucket.com/albums/...ar/plectrum.jpg

http://i199.photobucket.com/albums/...ctrumDelIII.jpg

Look at my incredibly pale skin in that third one!

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I think you should keep doing your own thing. A lot of players do, look at Sam Totman (Dragonforce), or James Hetfield. Im not much of a sweeper, so I dont know if it will have a effect on it. I hold my pick in a "standard" way, but when I started out I held my pick almost like you do now. I changed it to do harmonics easier, and it took a long time getting used to it. I don't think it matters to much, I've seen the most amazing players hold their picks the strangest ways.

It looks like you're holding the pick with three fingers... thumb, middle, and index (right?)

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that could get in the way from what i can tell. mabey just try and train yourself to hold it another way.

Yep I hold it with three, and I actually had to do harmonics a different way for a while. I use a different technique for pinch harmonics, on some strings I use my thumb but on some I use my pointer finger. The only thing this makes weird for sweeping....Is the whole muting the strings with my right hand......I don't have as flat of a surface to use......it's complicated....

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I also hold the pick with the middle, index, and thumb. I don't think it really affects my sweeping, but i might change the grip of it when I sweep, i'm not really sure. I dont have a guitar in front of me to check. But there's really no need to readjust your whole playing technique.

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I change the way I hold the pick when I sweep too. I was just afraid the way I hold my pick would screw me up later. but I guess not. but my sweeps still suck, and I've been practicing them for about half a year.

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Sweeps take time. It took me a while to get them down and then one day it just clicked. They're still not perfect but then again I dont really practice them much anymore.

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fuckin taking me forever. but that's cool my picking style isn't detremental. I know there is already a sweeping htread....BUT. Should I mute the strings with my fretting or picking hand?

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I hold my pick all sorts of different ways depending on what Im doing, sweeping I loosen up my grip a bit and make an "O" shape with my thumb and index finger, for trem picking I tighten up my grip and pull my thumb and index finger into my hand, and sometimes I point my thumb upwards to change the angle of the pick for a different attack on the string.

it is all a personal preference it seems, as was said before look at all the strange ways some of the other guitar players hold their pick, or even what you are using for a pick. maybe try some different picks out to see if anything else makes a difference in your playing

I use a dunlop jazz 3, that little black thing, but for personal comfort and more easy to hold on to the pick I drill a hole in the center of it like you would put it on a string to put around your neck, but I find it helps my grip on the pick so when I have been playing for a long time and start to sweat I dont lose my grip on the pick and drop it as easily.

I couldn't see a thing from those pictures, I think you're putting the camera too close, and not using a macro setting.

But anyway, you'll see lots of professional players holding their pick in different ways, and they don't seem to have a problem. I have heard it's worse to suddenly try and change your grip for a different style though, and that you should try and pick everything with the same grip as it's one less thing to have to (re)learn.

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I actually used to hold the pick just like that myself, but over time learned that it's a lot easier to play everything by just gripping with the index and thumb.