Musicians who play plucked string instruments such as guitar, mandolin, or bass often underestimate the power their picks have over tone. The pick, also known as a plectrum, is the connection between the musician and his instrument. In reality, many guitarists spend hundreds for a new ax, when just a few cents could give their old instrument an entirely new voice. Here’s a fun and affordable way to experiment with sound and keep technique fresh.
How to Find the Best Guitar Pick
As musicians begin their search for the perfect plectrum, they’ll soon discover that guitar picks come in almost an infinite array of shapes, colors, materials, textures, features, and thicknesses. Why are there so many picks? Because there are so many possibilities when it comes to instruments, playing technique, styles of music, tone, and string gauge.
The best way to begin is experimentation. If guitar players don’t want to splurge on a pick shopping spree, they should take their instrument into a local guitar store and try the picks out on site. Since each pick will interact differently with each instrument, it’s important to choose a pick while playing the instrument it is intended to be used with.
Unfortunately, there isn’t a formula for selecting the perfect pick, because a player’s individual preference is an important factor, but there are a few guidelines that can help narrow the selection.
Should Musicians Use Thin or Thick Guitar Picks?
For more information concerning the thickness of guitar picks, musicians can check out a more in-depth article. In general though, musicians who strum or play rhythm tend to prefer thinner and more flexible picks. Musicians who play melody lines find the accuracy of thicker picks to their advantage.
A pick’s shape and material also have a bearing, but in general, the thinner the pick, the brighter the tone it produces. Thicker picks offer a darker, fuller sound.
Why Are Guitar Picks Made in So Many Shapes?
A related article on the various shapes of guitar picks explores this in greater detail, but here are a few guidelines to get musicians started. Picks with a rounded tip are best for strumming. Pointed tips are designed for quick melody work.
Rounded tips give an instrument a darker tone. Pointed tips tend to create a clearer, bright tone.
Does the Material of a Guitar Plectrum Matter?
Guitar picks are most commonly made from plastic. Many players also experiment with plectra made from stone, wood, metal, bone, ivory, or horn. Each of these materials has a different density and offers a vastly different tone. For information on the various plastics used to make picks and the more natural tone available from exotic picks, players can check out a related article.
Experimentation is the best way to determine which pick shape, thickness, and material best suits the needs of musicians and their instruments.
Historical facts gained from Picks!: The Colorful Saga of Vintage Celluloid Guitar Plectrums by Will Hoover, 1995.
Marcy Paulson - From the moment Marcy Paulson picked up a recorder in fourth grade music class, she was hooked. Since then, her passion for music has ...
