I played for years constantly feeling frustrated with the same thing, wondering if I was missing some more innate quality to play guitar.
Then for some reason, I changed how I held my pick, and it made a shocking difference to me. I now hold it much closer to the tip of the pick, and I feel so much more in control. I found the sweet spot for me was just shy of pinch harmonic territory.
I’ve never heard anyone else say that change helped them avoid clams, and maybe it’s a change that’s idiosyncratic to me, but I figured I’d share because it completely transformed my relationship to the instrument.
It wasn’t immediate for me but after about a month I noticed the significantly greater precision and control.
Same goes for the size of pick. When I switched from the old Fender Mediums to the Jazz III picks, I was shocked by how much cleaner I played and never looked back.
