picks

Wes Montgomery, one of the most original and talented guitarists of the 20th century, never used one because he couldn't stop dropping them either.

On the other hand, often picks get dropped because you're simply using a cheesy pick.

Personally, I swear by Wegen picks. Yeah, they're expensive (mine are $25 per pick). And yes, they're worth it.

A few company's are making some manufactured picks that verge on acceptable, Dunlop's 3mm "Big Stubby" pick has good solid thumb hold on it.

Frankly, I have no idea how people who play with paper thin cheap plastic picks EVER manage to hold onto one for a whole song . . .

Frankly, I have no idea how people who play with paper thin cheap plastic picks EVER manage to hold onto one for a whole song . . .

I am ONE of those people. Well, I use mediums I think but they are thinner than yours. I think its all in what you get used to. And personally, I think its worth it to take the time to learn to use and hold a pick. I hate using them myself but I dont drop them any more and it give me more versitility over the sound. Stumming with fingers will sound different than strumming with pick.

But its all up to you. My thinking is just that you might as well be great at a bunch of different ways than just one or two. Practice pick, different fingerstyles, and anything else you can learn. You'll be better in the long run wont you?

Geoo

I'm not saying someone shouldn't learn to use a pick. I'm saying that overly thin picks ARE hard to hold onto, and from what I can tell, don't buy much in terms of sound or speed, but I'll accept that other people see value in them.

All I'm saying is that using a pick or not using a pick (and which pick you use) is a personal choice. Plenty of good to great guitarists in any genre you care to name have used picks, plenty haven't, and a few have done both.

This is one area where my attitude is "do what you want." But if someone asks me for a recommendation, mine is: use a high quality, heavy thick pick with a good thumb hold.

A heavy pick with little flex in it gives you the most control over your sound, in my experience anyway. Again, your milage may vary. A good thumbhold keeps it from flying away in the middle of a song. Just my 2 cents. *shrug*

Ohh no KP. sorry I wasnt arguing with ya. :D

Geoo

I am using a cheap pick . Ill have to go and get me a good one. thanks alot!! :D

A heavy pick with little flex in it gives you the most control over your sound

Personnaly I find a medium pick(.62mm for me) offers the most flexability, still pretty good for lead and good for sturmming. I find a heavy pick difficult to strum with. I would tell a begginer to pickup a handfull of different size picks and see which thickness suits him or her. Holding a pick becomes second nature after a while whether they are thick or thin.

Picks are personal, everyone has their favorite.

A heavy pick with little flex in it gives you the most control over your sound

Personnaly I find a medium pick(.62mm for me)

Picks are personal, everyone has their favorite.

Since thin, medium, and heavy are very individual terms, I'll just respond by saying I think a 2.5mm or so is the start of heavy. In my mind, a .62mm pick isn't "medium," it's light and far too flexible to be used in good strumming techniques (at least for me!).

I absolutely agree with your last sentence!

Since thin, medium, and heavy are very individual terms, I'll just respond by saying I think a 2.5mm or so is the start of heavy. In my mind, a .62mm pick isn't "medium," it's light and far too flexible to be used in good strumming techniques (at least for me!).
That's about how I feel too. I consider a 1mm pick to be medium and the thinnest I'll use, and 2mm and up to be heavy, and easiest to use.

I don't like floppy picks because you can't dig in with them (because they move out of the way) and you have to move way too far to play quickly (to get the floppy pick all the way across the string). Plus they also break if you play hard. On the other hand, with stiff picks you just have to practice and strumming is easy. I find thicker picks to be easier to grip, although I don't drop picks anymore. I would never spend more than a dollar on a pick, and that's a very steep price in my book.

I'm another for thick picks. I've become a bit less choosy over the years, as long as there is little or no flex in the pick. One simply learns to strum with a stiff one ( :!: ). A stiff pick shifts all the necessary flex -- and therefore control -- to the fingers, wrist and arm.

Light picks not only flex, creating postional uncertainty, they break. I find that even 1mm tortex type picks (yeah, they are mediums in my book too), deform from strumming and even just gripping pressure. Stubbies are great for trem picking.

Yeah, I like heavier picks as well. Dunlop, Jazz III picks are my favorite.

So what widths are consider light, medium and heavy? My picks are, 0.75mm, what does that mean?

With anything, in time you can (if you want to) learn how to hold and use a pick.

Myself, I use a .88 Nylon pick and can honestly say, I have never dropped a pick, never. Yeah, I've only been playing for just less than two years, but I do play everyday and with all the emotion I got in me.

Yes, it is personal preference, but your technique plays a big part as well.

Then again, I am a person that believes a pick plays a large roll in your sound/tone.

Put me in the 'thick pick' group too.

I started out with medium picks (like everybody else) and dropped 'em a lot (like everybody else).

Then I stopped dropping them after a while, and went on my quest for speed (like everybody else) and thin picks seemed to make more sense - light, flexible, therefore fast, right? Wrong. Sloppy, slappy sounding, and apt to shatter on you.

Then I figured if I couldn't have speed, I'd at least get tone. Good tone comes from heavy picks - at least in part. Over the next few years I discovered heavy picks are no barrier to control or speed, whether you're playing rhythm or lead.

do picks have to be used? I have a hard time holding a pick on the upstroke! Im more comfortable not useing one. :)
No they don't have to be used. :) It depends what style you want to play, what sound you want to get, and to some extent what sort of guitar you play. For instance, I'd guess that a lot more rock electric players use picks than nylon classical players do.

Some players never play with a pick, some never play without them, and some can do either.

I play mostly acoustic and I hardly ever use a pick. I just prefer the sounds I get with thumb and fingers, and the flexibility I get from having all those digits to whang away with.

There's some things I can do using a thumb and 3 fingers that I couldn't do with a pick at the same speed or with the same sound. And no doubt there are some full on sounds that I couldn't get without a pick.

If I'm playing with my fingers and want a "picky" sound I sometimes hold thumb and finger together as if I was holding a pick, and use the nail on my index finger like a pick.

Lots of options really. I'd try and keep all styles going for a bit until you really feel like settling with one way.

On pick thickness: I have a Tommy Emmanuel video in which he says "I have some advice for all of you who use thin picks. Burn them!" So we all have our preferences.

Cheers, Chris