"Don't put your pick in your mouth!"

Claude_Ruelle · May 2022

"Don't put this in your mouth!" my mom would always say. I always listened to mom, so when I started playing the guitar, the idea of holding my pick in my mouth to play fingerstyle never occurred to me. Instead, I practised holding my pick between my index and middle finger.

I've seen many guitarists using different techniques for holding their picks and I find that quite fascinating because everybody does it their own way.

Here's a video in which I discuss this topic. Had some beer before recording this episode, hope you won't mind my sloppy playing and speech:

BillDL · May 2022

I'm glad you mentioned Chris Buck. Only a few hours ago I was watching a close up video of him playing in a guitar store and he has an interesting way of "palming" his pick to switch between fingers and pick, but it disables his index finger. I am quite clumsy. I can tuck the pick away quite quickly and keep it out the way while changing to fingerstyle, but retrieving it quickly is where i fumble. I usually just stick it in my mouth where I can't drop it, but I would be stuck if I had to sing also. I hate the taste that pearloid picks leave on my lips though. I am probably poisoning myself slowly, which makes me wonder whether there was any scientific basis for Eddie van Halen's suspicion that his metal picks could have caused his tongue cancer.

axisus · May 2022

On the rare occasions that I'm using a plec at all, and want it out of the way, yes I just stick it in my mouth. It's not worth me working out some fancy pants way to keep it in my hand. I am rather impressed with some people's technique to keep it in their hand though.

Claude_Ruelle · May 2022

At the end of the day, I don't think it's bad to hold your pick in your mouth. If Van Halen did it, who are we to judge haha. But I think it can definitely be worth learning keeping it in our hand.

If you do it quickly it can even look like a little magic trick.

Winny_Pooh · May 2022

Claude_Ruelle said:

At the end of the day, I don't think it's bad to hold your pick in your mouth. If Van Halen did it, who are we to judge haha. But I think it can definitely be worth learning keeping it in our hand.

If you do it quickly it can even look like a little magic trick.

Ediie Van Halen palmed the pick most of the time
or are you referring to Alex Van Halen?

digitalkettle · May 2022

Claude_Ruelle said:

At the end of the day, I don't think it's bad to hold your pick in your mouth...

The germs, man...the germs!

Claude_Ruelle · May 2022

Winny_Pooh said:

Claude_Ruelle said:

At the end of the day, I don't think it's bad to hold your pick in your mouth. If Van Halen did it, who are we to judge haha. But I think it can definitely be worth learning keeping it in our hand.

If you do it quickly it can even look like a little magic trick.

Ediie Van Halen palmed the pick most of the time
or are you referring to Alex Van Halen?

I thought I saw Eddie put it in his mouth a couple of times when tapping. But if he palmed it, it's even better

Claude_Ruelle · May 2022

digitalkettle said:

Claude_Ruelle said:

At the end of the day, I don't think it's bad to hold your pick in your mouth...

The germs, man...the germs!

Haha true... Especially when playing at a dirty pub. You don't know what those hands have touched

darthed1981 · May 2022

I've got a pick on my desk at work I sometimes chew to concentrate!

TheMarlin · May 2022

Brian Setzer palms the pick using his index finger.

BillDL · May 2022

Winny_Pooh said:

Ediie Van Halen palmed the pick most of the time
or are you referring to Alex Van Halen?

No, I was referring to Eddie. Alex would have been more likely to put a drumstick in his mouth than a guitar pick. Eddie used to frequently put it into the corner of his mouth when he fingertapped. That was why, after he had cancer on his tongue and had to have about a third of it removed, he wondered whether it was this habit and frequent contact of a metal pick on his tongue that may have caused the cancer. He was only posing a theory. Of course the press jumped onto this and made out as though he was criticising doctors that suggested the excessive alcohol and cigarettes were the most likely contributing factor and blaming the picks. All he did was wonder about the correlation because the affected side of his tongue was where he put the pick. Oddly enough that's also the side of his mouth that he usually had a fag hanging out of.

euan · May 2022

I hold the pick against my palm with my pinky and ringer finger, then when I want to switch back I lower my hand and sort of drop the pick onto my index finger and catch it with my thumb.

Means I have my thumb, index and middle fingers available for playing.

Claude_Ruelle · May 2022

euan said:

I hold the pick against my palm with my pinky and ringer finger, then when I want to switch back I lower my hand and sort of drop the pick onto my index finger and catch it with my thumb.

Means I have my thumb, index and middle fingers available for playing.

Nice one! sounds tricky, I don't think I could pull that off

Dominic · May 2022

I come from a small village so it's not a problem for me
I quickly slip it between the 6th and 7th fingers which keeps it right out of the way

viz · May 2022

I swallowed a plectrum once - I had it between my lips and I breathed in and it just shot straight down like a frisbee and got stuck. My mum rang the doctor and he said “tell him to eat bread - brown bread”. So I did, and it came out a few days later. Now I wear it round my neck, rather than in it.

BillDL · May 2022

Have you ever wondered what to do with the cigarette you nonchalantly lit and had a few drags from during the slide guitar, piano and fiddle solos? No, don't stick it under the 6th string at the tuner. That's so "Eric Claptonish". Instead, slip it down to your other fingers and do your own guitar solo as Merle Haggard deftly demonstrates at the 3:14 marker in this video.

Claude_Ruelle · May 2022

viz said:

I swallowed a plectrum once - I had it between my lips and I breathed in and it just shot straight down like a frisbee and got stuck. My mum rang the doctor and he said “tell him to eat bread - brown bread”. So I did, and it came out a few days later. Now I wear it round my neck, rather than in it.

Oh my word!

Rocker · May 2022

Don’t do something simply because your favourite guitar player does it. Find out what is easiest and most reliable for YOU and do it that way.

Danny1969 · May 2022

Eddie used to use his first finger for tapping and held the pick with his thumb and middle finger as far as I know .. I did the same once I figured that out.

https://blog.evhgear.com/2015/07/ask-eddie-how-to-hold-a-pick/

LastMantra · May 2022

I wish I could get it in my mouth.

Ahh pick...

hollywoodrox · May 2022

viz said:

I swallowed a plectrum once - I had it between my lips and I breathed in and it just shot straight down like a frisbee and got stuck. My mum rang the doctor and he said “tell him to eat bread - brown bread”. So I did, and it came out a few days later. Now I wear it round my neck, rather than in it.

That’s brilliant

stratman3142 · May 2022

I sometimes hold the pick with a crooked pinkie, which leaves my index and middle fingers completely free. The trouble is that the pick gets stuck if I leave it in my crooked pinkie too long and I have to lift it out with my left hand and place it back in my right hand, which doesn't look so slick.

As an alternative, I generally prefer to hybrid pick, holding the pick while using my middle, ring and pinkie fingers. But I can't play such intricate things as I can when I have my index and middle fingers free.

english_bob · May 2022

BillDL said:

Winny_Pooh said:

Ediie Van Halen palmed the pick most of the time
or are you referring to Alex Van Halen?

No, I was referring to Eddie. Alex would have been more likely to put a drumstick in his mouth than a guitar pick. Eddie used to frequently put it into the corner of his mouth when he fingertapped. That was why, after he had cancer on his tongue and had to have about a third of it removed, he wondered whether it was this habit and frequent contact of a metal pick on his tongue that may have caused the cancer. He was only posing a theory. Of course the press jumped onto this and made out as though he was criticising doctors that suggested the excessive alcohol and cigarettes were the most likely contributing factor and blaming the picks. All he did was wonder about the correlation because the affected side of his tongue was where he put the pick. Oddly enough that's also the side of his mouth that he usually had a fag hanging out of.

I work in the NHS in a cancer care role (non-medical) so I was interested when I heard this theory. There is apparently a possible link between nickel and some types of cancer (lung, oral, nasal), but it's still unproven and linked more to metalworkers and other professions that have regular exposure to nickel dust than to guitarists who put their picks in their mouths (although that's going to be at least in part because metalworkers who develop cancer are a much bigger demographic than guitarists who use metal picks, and put them in their mouths and go on to develop oral cancers).

Inasmuch as anything "causes" cancer (that's not really how it works), the cigarettes and booze were probably much worse for Eddie than putting a metal pick in his mouth.

Kittyfrisk · May 2022

viz said:

I swallowed a plectrum once - I had it between my lips and I breathed in and it just shot straight down like a frisbee and got stuck. My mum rang the doctor and he said “tell him to eat bread - brown bread”. So I did, and it came out a few days later. Now I wear it round my neck, rather than in it.

You should see a doctor as if you breathed it in then crapped it out, then it sounds like you have an oesophageal/tracheal issue

Claude_Ruelle · May 2022

english_bob said:

BillDL said:

Winny_Pooh said:

Ediie Van Halen palmed the pick most of the time
or are you referring to Alex Van Halen?

No, I was referring to Eddie. Alex would have been more likely to put a drumstick in his mouth than a guitar pick. Eddie used to frequently put it into the corner of his mouth when he fingertapped. That was why, after he had cancer on his tongue and had to have about a third of it removed, he wondered whether it was this habit and frequent contact of a metal pick on his tongue that may have caused the cancer. He was only posing a theory. Of course the press jumped onto this and made out as though he was criticising doctors that suggested the excessive alcohol and cigarettes were the most likely contributing factor and blaming the picks. All he did was wonder about the correlation because the affected side of his tongue was where he put the pick. Oddly enough that's also the side of his mouth that he usually had a fag hanging out of.

I work in the NHS in a cancer care role (non-medical) so I was interested when I heard this theory. There is apparently a possible link between nickel and some types of cancer (lung, oral, nasal), but it's still unproven and linked more to metalworkers and other professions that have regular exposure to nickel dust than to guitarists who put their picks in their mouths (although that's going to be at least in part because metalworkers who develop cancer are a much bigger demographic than guitarists who use metal picks, and put them in their mouths and go on to develop oral cancers).

Inasmuch as anything "causes" cancer (that's not really how it works), the cigarettes and booze were probably much worse for Eddie than putting a metal pick in his mouth.

Interesting...

guitarjack66 · May 2022

viz said:

I swallowed a plectrum once - I had it between my lips and I breathed in and it just shot straight down like a frisbee and got stuck. My mum rang the doctor and he said “tell him to eat bread - brown bread”. So I did, and it came out a few days later. Now I wear it round my neck, rather than in it.

I always wondered how Plastic Bertrand got his name.

PolarityMan · June 2022

I use shreddies to pick with so doubles as a quick snack.

guitarjack66 · June 2022

PolarityMan said:

I use shreddies to pick with so doubles as a quick snack.

So this is the actual origin of 'shredding?'

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"Don't put your pick in your mouth!"

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