Greetings, just joined the forum and i need some advice. PB stesses keeping the fingers on the right hand in a closed position while picking. I am really struggling to to do this without my fingers rubbing against the strings as i move up to the d,a and low e string. I have developed the bad habit keeping my fingers straight and resting against the pickguard for stability. I am going to continue picking the way PB teaches even though it is very uncomfortable. 25 years of bad habits and poor technique are hard to break. Any help would be appreciated.. thanks!

No he doesn't Pebber said he plays this way as it looks neater, as long as what your doing is comfy and not prohibiting your picking it's fine.
I have gone to a more curled hand type though, but still on occasion let my pinky rub on the scratch plate it makes no difference to my picking at all.. just get that Scalpel going
Anything you change which was habit is gonna feel a bit weird and uncomfortable but persevere you will get there..

Pick hand fingers must be curled into the palm. This helps with economy of motion. The pick hand is free to zip and zing. With the fingers stretched out, gravity is pulling the hand down and away which requires more strength to pull the pick back and forth so you lose.

If you don't believe Pebber, I asked Warren DeMartini from Ratt the same question once. I had been taking lessons from Pebber and one of the first things was he made me stop fanning the pick hand fingers out. I noticed Warren stopped doing it as well. I asked him why he stopped. He said, "It (the pick hand fingers fanned out) is like driving your car on the freeway in 1st gear the whole time."

So, curl the fingers into the palm. Not tightly. Very loose. This is the correct method. And even guys like Warren who fanned the fingers out for years are seeing it is not economical.

Hope this helps.

-U

Thank you for your help.. I guess I will just have to persevere until it begins to feel natural. Lightning fast speed is not nessesarily what i am after. Playing clean and accurately are whats most important to me for now. My technique has always been terrible.. Pebbers approach has been a real eye opener. Thanks again for your input!

Tb52