Starting out... tips on pick and strumming please

[geetarmanic]

Hi all... i'm making do with an 'almost-not-working' PRS-style electric right now until i can get a new guitar... i'm a newbie.

When starting out, is a particular thickness of plectrum/pick recommended... i've seen varying thicknesses?

Also, to build up pick speed, i was watching this YouTube tutorial...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MfYDRMUTRLk

... and it suggested holding the pick at an angle, not parallel to the strings. Any thoughts on that?

Finally, are there any exercises anyone can suggest for getting used to not looking down at the picking hand to check you are picking the right string/s?... it is slowing me right down. For now, i'd like to concentrate on the fretboard.

Thanks for your help.

[sfmartins]

Plectrum thickness really depends on the style you play... just try a range and choose the one that you feel more comfortable with.
I play acoustic and I use .7mm for pure strumming, 1mm for soloing and 2mm for hybrid finger/plectrum picking...

As for the left/right hand training, I suggest you start practicing chords positioning with the left hand and then go for some scales to develop both hands.
It will take a considerable amount of time to be able to play flawlessly without looking.

Just "practice, practice, practice"...

Good luck!

[b31182]

He is absolutely right, you really need to determine what you will be playing to get a pick that fits. For rock you'll want to use something a little harder like a 1mm, and for acoustic style strumming go with a med. As far as building speed and coordination, it just takes time. If you want more videos to check out, go to a guitar tab site called ultimate-guitar.com, go to the videos section and check out a guy named Kristofer Dahl. He posts free video lessons on the site. They are kind of corny sometimes but they cover good material and the guy is an amazing guitarist. I think there are almost 20 of them that cover all different things. Best of luck and welcome.