Guitar Picks a.k.a. Guitar Plectrums
Guitar Picks come in so many shapes, sizes, materials, and thickness (gauge) that sometimes it's difficult to know which ones to choose. For many players just starting out, choosing a pick can be a little confusing. Here are some insights to help you make a choice that is right for you.
There are four main attributes of a guitar pick.
The shape of the tip
The thickness
The overall size
The material
THE TIP
The tip of the pick is the part you use to strike your guitar strings.
There are two basic tip shapes:
Rounded
Sharp
In general, rounded tips are best suited for strumming chords and playing rhythm guitar. This shape allows the rounded edge of the pick to slide more easily across multiple strings as done with all strumming techniques. This does not mean that you can't play lead guitar with a rounded tip, you can, but there are some lead guitar playing techniques that are more difficult to do with a rounded pick.
Sharp picks are better for playing lead guitar. Lead guitar is primarily focused on playing one note at a time opposed to rhythm guitar which primarily plays more than one note at a time. A sharp tip allows the lead guitar player to more accurately strike one string at a time, and makes it easier to play some more advanced techniques such as pinch harmonics. Playing rhythm guitar with a sharp pick requires a much lighter touch when strumming as the pick will tend to grab each string that it passes.
You can play rhythm or lead guitar with each of these tip shapes, but always keep in mind that each shape strikes the strings differently. You will need to adjust how you play depending on which tip shape you choose to play with.
Rounded Guitar Picks Jazz Picks Sharp Picks
Click here to see a variety of sharp and rounded guitar picks
THICKNESS
The thickness of picks are generally measured in millimeters (mm) and range from 0.38mm (thin) to 1.5mm (thick). In general, thin picks are good for rhythm guitar but not great for lead guitar. Thick picks are good for some rhythm guitar and great for lead guitar.
Here's a little explanation:
Thin picks allow a guitar player to firmly strike the strings without much chance of breaking them or playing too loud. Thin picks bend easily and are designed to make strummed chords sound smooth. Because these picks bend so easily, they tend to roll across a string and snap towards the next string without much effort. This slip and snap behavior makes thin picks great for playing rhythm guitar.
Thick picks give a guitar player more control of volume and attack on the strings. There is not much give, so thick picks don't bend very easily. This makes them excellent for lead guitar, and good for experienced rhythm guitar players.
The right pick thickness for you will depend on your playing skill and what you will be playing. Beginning guitar players should try a variety of different picks, but start with thin. As you gain more control and accuracy of your picking hand, move to a thicker pick.
OVERALL SIZE
Picks come in a variety of sizes and shapes. You will want a pick that fits comfortably between your thumb and first finger. For the most part, just about any pick size will work. If you have very small hands, you should look into using small jazz picks. These picks are small, and come in rounded or sharp tips.
Click here to see some jazz picks
MATERIAL
Picks are made from several different types of material. The most common are plastic, nylon, tortex, and metal. Each type of material has a slightly different texture and lifespan. The texture effects how easy it is to move between your thumb & fingers.
Metal picks are more commonly found as finger style picks (the type you slide onto your pick hands fingertips), but there are a few standard style picks that you can find if you search for them. Metal picks are expensive, but have the longest life.
Nylon and tortex picks are the most common picks used today. The material has a good surface grip and they are easy to find. These picks are very economical, and have a good lifespan.
Plastic picks are common, but are not really recommended as they tend to have a short lifespan, and easily slip out of your fingers while playing.
