hey guys....need your opinions!

[GiaNtBallzOfGoLD]

now I have been playing the guitar since I was a little 5 year old.....I am about to be 21 in november.My problem is with my picking hand(my right hand) now every body I know or come into contact with say that I have the oddest way of picking!......now the way I pick never really seemed to bother me before but now that I looked into it its pissing me off...........now the way I pick with my right hand .........I hold it with three fingers......my thumb,pointer and middle finger.....and I have the pick pointsstraight out of those three fingers..........now I read a collumn or something by Micheal Angelo and in it he basically said that he studied the way all the "greats' hold theyre picks.............which is with only the thumb and the pointer finger and at an arch...................so that when they use theyre picks the pick usually is at an angle.............now I have never had a problem before with this but until he mentioned it in a magazine saying how much you could easily get tired of doing the way I do it ..........I have been trying to use it the way .....lets say Paul Gilbert and Steve Vai and Joe Satriani use their picks.....which is all the same way in a matter of speaking............but I feel as if I'm learning the damn instrument over again like this..........is it worth me to learn how to play over again? or do you guys think I should stick with my guns?

[Mr. S]

if it works for you do it... sod other people... okay that was a bit harsh but you shouldnt change now, i mean tell me if im wrong but EVH holds the pick with his thumb and middle finger (leaving the index for tapping).

i say carry on how you were if you find it easyer and more efficient, we all do things differently

[King Knall]

Everyone is unique in their own way. Its your choice whether you want to change your picking style or not, but why fix what isn't broken?

[JoeJoe]

If im correct Steve Morse holds his pick the same way as you do: with his pointer, middle and thumb. And if its good enough for Steve...

I know that Gilbert completly changed the way he holded the pick after playing for seven years. He used to hold it like you do, but now he holds it with the side of his thumb and his pointer. Its possible to change the way you pick but it takes A LOT of work, especially if you used your technique for so long like you did.

But if you happy with your technique the way it is, why change it?

Good Luck!

[ET Guitars]

I pick exactly the same way you do, and it started like that when I first picked up a guitar - it just felt more natural to me that way, maybe because thats how I also write with a pen.
These days however I feel it slows me down a bit, and impedes things like string skipping. So I am consciously trying other methods including the standard way. I suggest you try a few ways, learn and become more flexible and versatile.

[mi2tom]

Why do you want to change the way you hold your pick ????? If it works for you then its alright then.... No need to follow those great guitar players

[GiaNtBallzOfGoLD]

i wanted to change the way i pick because its too much effort in the way i do it now......it tires my right arm sometimes