Choosing a guitar pick may seem like a very small topic for an article that is supposed to be a 'guitar lesson,' but, as a guitar teacher, I've had many students ask me about what type of pick they should use. It seems to be a common question in a student's first few guitar lessons, so I thought I would write a brief article about choosing the correct pick.
What's Right for You
While it's true that certain picks are typically used for certain styles of playing, I'd like to make the point at the beginning that what's important in choosing the type of pick you will use use is finding the one that feels best to you. As I go through the types of picks, I'll mention what type of playing they're used for mainly, but those are not rules. You can use any pick for any kind of music, All that matters is that you feel comfortable playing with the type of pick you choose.
What's the Difference Between Picks?
The main characteristic that differentiates guitar picks is their thickness. Thickness determines how much a pick bends when you strum or pick the guitar strings. Though there are more subtle variations, picks basically come in three thicknesses: thin, medium, and heavy. What thickness he or she prefers is what determines what pick a guitarist uses. While some picks do come in different shapes than the traditional guitar pick, I'm going to stick with thickness for this article.
Thin Picks
Thin picks, as the name implies, are very thin. They will bend quite a bit when you play a note or strum a chord with them. Many people who play folk-like music where they are strumming chords up and down quite a bit prefer thin picks. People who play a lot of single notes, such as rock, metal, or jazz guitar players who will be playing a lot of guitar solos, tend to stay away from picks that bend as much as thin picks do.
Medium Picks
In between thin and heavy guitar picks are medium. Medium picks will bend a bit when playing a note or chord, but not nearly as much as a thin pick. Since they're in the middle, I recommend medium picks to most beginning students who take guitar lessons with me. Medium picks are used by many guitarists and are a good choice if you're doing a combination of strumming chords and playing single notes, like in rock and blues music.
Heavy Picks
Heavy picks are very thick and, for the most part, won't bend at all when you strum a chord or play a note. These picks are best suited for players who don't do a lot of strumming but are playing a lot of single notes. Many jazz and metal players use heavy picks because of the large amount of soloing that guitarists do in those styles. Also, players who use heavy picks tend to play chords in a less strum-y way than folk-style players who use thin picks.
To reiterate the point I made at the beginning, the thing that's most important in choosing a guitar pick is what feels best for you. If you're just starting out with the guitar, however, the above guidelines can help you to get in the ballpark for the type of music you're interested in playing. Picks are very inexpensive, so I would recommend buying a few of each thickness and seeing which one feels best for you.
I hope you found this article helpful, and thanks for reading! For more guitar lessons, check out my Guitar Lesson Blog.
Roger Panella
Village Guitar Studio - Guitar Lessons in Chicago
Guitar Lesson Blog
lessons@villageguitarstudio.com
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Roger_Panella
