miab16•12d ago

Rant: My guitar teacher told me to stop using a pick and I almost quit

I always thought using a pick was the only way to play fast leads. Then my teacher said I was choking the tone and needed to use my fingers for that blues jam at The Bunker in Austin. I fought him on it for three weeks. After I finally tried it his way, my vibrato got way smoother and I actually landed a gig. Anyone else get criticism that felt wrong but turned out right?

2 comments

2 Comments

emmag4011d ago

Yep, my first teacher told me to sit UP straight and stop hunching over my guitar for fingerpicking - I was SO mad. Turns out I was slouching so bad it was killing my tone and making my hand cramp.

blair_lewis8510d ago

My first teacher told me to ditch the pick for fingerstyle on a Willie Nelson cover. Took me two months to admit he was right. Now I can roll through chord changes without that clunky pick noise and my sustain is way better.