Round the bass corner of the bridge with 80 grit sandpaper. Keep your little finger loosely on the banjo head. Your palm can touch the bridge top lightly. Keep the heel of your palm off the head….hope this helps.

I'm new to tenor as well. But as far as background it's everything from mandolin, electric guitar, scruggs banjo, etc... I fell like there's not a lot of picking techniques that I come across that are new to me. It seems this instrument is incredibly sensitive to both the pick technique, pick itself, and left hand technique.

I've messed around to find what gives me good speed, control, TONE, and is efficient as far as accumulated wrist pain. However, what I've found is NOT what it seems like most Irish tenor players are recommending.

Do you have a link to the Enda advice you mention? I figure there's got to be some secret sauce I'm missing that unlocks that technique.

I'm also interested in finding that secret sauce. Are there videos demonstrating "correct" picking hand position?

The video looks like you’re playing just fine. As advised by others sand down the edge of the bridge to prevent it from hurting! I do this to every bridge before putting it in place.

It’s normal for the fatty part of the thumb/palm to rub off the bridge. That’s not an issue. Base if the hand touching or resting on the strings behind the bridge or on the tailpiece with a little touching on the head behind the bridge is fine too.

It’s a trade off. You don’t want to mute the bridge entirely or rest heavily on the head. So rubbing, touching off or resting lightly on the corner of the head is just fine. Most important is reducing tension and gripping in the hand and wrist which will impact picking and rhythm etc

Thank you Lapsteel! That’s all very helpful, I’ve actually just rounded the bass edge as you’ve suggested and it’s amazing the difference it makes having not even taken that much off, that’s been a great help.

jt80, totally with you. I really thought coming from octave mandolin that with the single strings on the tenor I was going to be flying and it would be so much easier but it’s turned out to be quite a sensitive instrument, I trust that our bodies will get used to it in no time though, I find it very easy to get stressed about this stuff but I know that in a month or two it’ll likely feel totally fine, best of luck to you!

Thanks so much for that Enda! I really appreciate the way you’ve explained that, means I can put my mind at ease and just get down to practising which I’m really excited about.

Thanks again all!