When you love playing the guitar, you want to buy just the right instrument and gear to get your creative juices flowing. Artists and musicians invest a lot of money just to have the perfect instrument and accessories that will let you play naturally. You search for that elusive feeling that you have when you just feel the music and you let yourself go to where your music takes you. You find yourself buying the right guitar and the right amplifier. What is easily overlooked when artists invest in their gear are guitar picks. Musicians probably lose dozens of them in a lifetime. They are easily taken for granted but choosing the right one can affect your guitar playing considerably.
For instance, the thickness of your guitar pick can make a difference for different musical styles. Thin picks are used best with acoustic guitars. They are made for strumming and may add some nice rhythm for those who prefer this kind of sound. Medium guitar picks are best for beginners and may suit a lot of different styles. Thick guitar plectrums are usually preferred by heavy metal guitarists and artists who like doing pinch harmonics. At the end of the day though, you simply want a guitar pick that feels comfortable and is durable. A plectrum that holds up while you are playing will work best. You do not want to use a guitar plectrum that easily slips of your fingers when you start getting sweaty fingers.
Guitar picks are made from different types of material. Makers of guitar plectrums have tried fashioning these nifty little tools from wood, plastic and steel. Others have designed them using unconventional materials and have started a whole slew of durable guitar picks with an excellent grip. Custom picks are very trendy nowadays and are commonly made from tortex, acetal polymer and ultem. Guitar plectrums are now personalized and come in a variety of colors and designs. One maker of custom picks called V-Picks started making clear guitar picks made from acrylic. Their transparent finish is such a huge turn from the usual colorful ones that they are like a breath of fresh air. Pushing the envelope even further, they introduced night glow guitar picks. You will have a stand-out performance in more ways than one with the custom picks they make.
Ultimately, you have to try out different guitar picks for your specific musical taste and style. When you try them out, you will also know which one makes you feel relaxed. Being relaxed is important when you play your instrument because it allows you to be at your most natural, making you play more beautifully.
It sounds like you've found something that works for you. :D
Most of the time someone asks "what pick should I use" or something similar, there are as many different suggestions as there are people making the suggestions.
But almost everyone says "get an assortment and experiment to find what works best for you"
How long did you experiment with different picks before you found these transparent acrylic ones that you have settled on?
I wrapped a newspaper ’round my head
So I looked like I was deep
The main thing about picks is how thick they are. The thicker, the more bass will be in the tone and that can add depth to your tone. That being said, the flexibility of any pick will determine how it feels when you pluck a note so tolo tick and you won't be able to play fast. I like Dunlop .73 mm. They last quite a while and I think they sound good. I tried V picks but they had no "give". No flex. That didn't work for me although Vince is a very nice guy.
Try a bunch of different ones and whatever feels good at first blush is probably it.
Garth~
Sorry about the typo in the previous post. I was trying to say that if your pick is too thick it will limit your picking speed because of the flexibility issue.
Garth~
I've got a V-Pick. It's a nice pick, just a very stiff hard plastic one you can see through. If you like the feel of a stiff hard one, it's for you.
"A cheerful heart is good medicine."
She left an S off the front of her name. It should be SPam
She left an S off the front of her name. It should be SPam
:mrgreen:
AAAFNRAA
- Electric Don Quixote -
A relative, Nick?
"A cheerful heart is good medicine."
I figured when I first replied.
But since she didn't get moderated into oblivion, I thought I'd give a response that might be helpful to anyone else reading the thread.
/no, really. I did.
I wrapped a newspaper ’round my head
So I looked like I was deep
It's called "viral marketing." Pretty harmless. Nothing's wrong with the V-Pick and I think some folks on here would really like one, but it's not the reinvention of the plectrum.
"A cheerful heart is good medicine."
I was trying to say that if your pick is too thick it will limit your picking speed because of the flexibility issue.
Garth~
I disagree. first of all, it's stiffness more than thickness that is critical -- though they are related thru choice of material and shape. secondly, most long time players will confirm: stiffer the pick, the faster one can play. flexible picks become unpredictable at higher picking speeds. some will say, "nope -- just choke up on the pick and use less of the tip." that's the same thing as making it stiffer and more positionally predictable.
-=tension & release=-
well OK, I'm just relaying my own experience and extrapolating. What the majority of players would say about thick picks and picking speed I don't know. I will stipulate that it's flexibility that is the principal issue. Since most picks are made of similar material (except for V picks) then thickness is in most cases directly tied to flexibility. I find that for me there is a certain stiffness which is optimum. Any stiffer and it slows me down. Any less stiff and I overdrive the pick and that causes clams.
Garth~
It was suggested to me by my instructor to use a heavy pick not only for speed but for tone. I would agree with gnease at higher speeds the variability of a flexible pick would work against you.
"It's all about stickin it to the man!"
It's a long way to the top if you want to rock n roll!
i like a heavy pick for strumming because you're less limited to straight up and down. it has more response if you want to attack certain strings. plus, if i get really into it, a thin pick will just tear in half.
If you use a thin pick and hit the strings, the pick bends. Playing slowly, that's fine because between each note the pick has time to return to its normal position. But as you speed up (assuming you don't change your grip or the force with which you hold the pick), there's less time between notes for this to happen, so your playing becomes sloppy. A thicker pick - less bend in it, so less time required for it to return to its normal playing. Simple physics.