Pick or no-pick?
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What method do you teach: finger-style or pick-style?
I have classical guitars, but the students are keen on using picks, so I purchased some and passed them out during class yesterday. They were cautioned against allowing the picks to scratch the tops of the guitars, and of course several of them dropped their pick inside the instrument. We’ll see how this progresses. Amped up the volume exponentially, I have to say!
I teach finger-style, but do make a point of passing out a pick at the beginning of the year and showing students how to hold it properly, so they may use it if they choose when playing melodies or strumming chords. I explain that I was taught finger-style so that’s how I play most of the time, and you probably won’t see me using a pick in class, but that doesn’t mean it’s wrong, it’s mostly personal preference and depends on the styles of music you like to play and the teacher you work with. I leave the decision up to them, as long as they are doing one or the other correctly!
I teach a blues-rock based class, so I insist that they get comfortable with picks.
I go back and forth depending on the style of the music we are playing. For our beginning guitar class I try and teach many different styles so if we are strumming and singing then picks are fare game if we are working in ensembles then generally it’s a PIMA day.
I only start with fingerstyle. The comparison I use most often is learning to drive a car. If you learn on a manual transmission, you can drive an automatic with no problems, but if you learn on an automatic, you usually won’t bother learning to drive a stick. In the same way, playing with a pick can become a crutch too easily for those who don’t have the skill to use their fingers.
Here’s a great device: http://www.pickpunch.com/
Christopher M. Johnson, Professor of Music Education and Music Therapy, is currently the Chair of the Music Education and Music Therapy Department and Director of the Music Research Institute at the University of Kansas. Johnson earned his Ph.D. from the Florida State University.
Since his arrival at The University of Kansas, Johnson has taught courses in Instrumental Conducting, Teaching Instrumental Music, Managing Behaviors in the Music Environment, Psychology and Acoustics of Music, and Research Methods in Music Education and Music Therapy. Johnson served two terms as the editor of the International Journal of Music Education: Research, the research publication of the International Society for Music Education. He is currently serving his second term on the National Association for Music Educations Executive Committee of the Society for Research in Music Education. He also served on the editorial board of the Journal of Research in Music Education, and one earlier term as the Chair for the MENC Executive Committee of the Society for Research in Music Education. Johnson also served as the Chair for the Research Commission of the International Society for Music Education.
Johnson’s research interests include applied research in music education, and basic research in all aspects of the psychology of music. He has published articles in many journals including the Journal of Research in Music Education, the International Journal of Music Education, the Journal of Music Therapy, Journal of Band Research, Contributions to Music Education, and the Bulletin of the Council for Research in Music Education, among others. Johnson has also been an active member and contributor to the Research Seminar of the International Society for Music Education and World Alliance for Arts Education.
Johnson received a university teaching award – the Ned N. Fleming Award for Excellence in Teaching and received the recognition for Graduate Teaching Achievement from the Center for Teaching Excellence. Johnson was also awarded a lecturing & research award as a J. William Fulbright Scholar and recently received the Ella Scoble Opperman Citation for Distinguished Achievement from the Florida State University College of Music.
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