Using a pick.
I made a written list of things that I do, or ought to do, when I use a pick. (The content of the list that follows is mostly for guitarists, obviously, but the idea is helpful for everyone.) Here it is:
The right elbow moves the forearm to position the hand over the string I’m going to play.
The right wrist moves from side to side to push the pick through the string.
The right wrist works from a fairly neutral position, not flexed much in any direction.
Both shoulders are relaxed and down.
The depth of the pick into the plane of the strings is about 1/8 inch.
The angle of the pick to the strings is consistent and doesn’t change much from downstroke.
The “head” edge of the pick leads on a down stroke. The “bridge” edge leads on an upstroke.
The fingers holding the pick adjust a little as I play but I can’t put what happens into words.
The volume of the note is independent of my intention in playing it. (In other words, trying to get the note right doesn’t mean playing it harder / louder.)
I use the minimum effective effort.
The pick travels the minimum effective distance.
The general path of the pick is parallel to the guitar top.
I grip the pick in the upper right corner. (I call this the “northeast” grip.)
I play in time.
The list does a few things for me.
It breaks a complicated process into a finite number of simpler ones.
It improves my understanding of what I’m trying to do, in two ways:
I need to analyze the process in order to make the list in the first place. That helps me understand it.
It’s easier to understand something when it’s in words, that when it’s not.
It gives me specific things to notice/work on when I practice.
