What picks should i use

Everyone always needs more practice. Once your technique is good then you can pracctice for the fastest results. Notify me of followup comments via e-mail.

You can also subscribe without commenting. Join us at one of our upcoming events! My Account. Search Site. Which guitar pick should I use: light, medium, or heavy? Home Our Blog Which guitar pick should I use: light, medium, or heavy? Sam Kashyap , June 16, Reply Thanks for this post on how to learn guitar. Jeff Teehan, August 30, Reply Thanks. Sage , September 3, Reply Hey Jeff. Does that help? Michi , July 17, Reply Our most sold thickness is 0.

Buffalo horn picks are available from small shops and can be ordered online. They tend to run a little thick, though, except for the Flexi-Tones available via Timber Tones. If you can get one of the right gauge and shape, buffalo horn picks have a wonderful tone and feel that is quite similar to real tortoiseshell.

Weaknesses: pick noise inflexible not smooth. There are some specialty shops offering bone picks, including US Blues and Clayton, both of whom offer exotic specialty picks on Amazon. Bone picks are quite dense, and the surface has an unpleasant amount of friction. This can result in an unpleasant string noise. Weaknesses: inflexible not good for chords. Stone is a very dense material with unique tonal properties. The challenge with stone is that it is difficult to work with, especially for thin gauges.

Most of the thinner picks on offer at Stoneworks Guitar Picks are 1. Stone picks are not particularly useful for strumming chords, but they are good for single lines.

They command a thumping tone from the guitar. Weaknesses inflexible rough on strings. Ever seen a sweater grow fuzz? Try playing with a pick made of metal, and your strings will do the same. The Dunlop Teckpick is designed with a rounded edge to help minimize this effect.

This Dunlop Teckpick [? The added heft and metallic surface make it a pleasure to handle. The drilled holes of the pick can be used to turn it into a necklace or attach it to a keychain for an always-available emergency pick. Strengths: stunning bright smooth. Abalone picks are perhaps the most beautiful pick of all. And they match the abalone inlay often used on acoustic guitars.

The tone of these picks is very bright. The picks themselves are surprisingly smooth and playable. Strengths: thin flexible affordable. You may also want to try the pick they offer that is made out of ballistic weave fiber. Strengths: great bevel high quality. Of all of the synthetics, one of the nicest ones to grip in the hand is the Chicken Pick , which is pleasantly cool to the touch. These picks also have one of the best bevels of any pick.

Although the picks are heavy, they have a very thorough bevel all around the edge of the pick. This allows the pick to pass through the strings with greater ease. Strengths: flexible cheap. Weaknesses: fragile thin not good for lead thin. Nylon picks have a slippery surface, and for this reason are often coated or textured so they are easier to grip.

They can also be somewhat brittle. Thinner nylon picks will wear and shatter easily. Nylon is wonderful for strumming chords because it is very flexible, but still stiff enough to pluck out individual notes or bass lines.

Try some Dunlop Nylon. Strengths: vintage flexible cheap. Celluloid has been a go-to pick material for decades, making it a favorite of vintage players. Celluloid is the original substitute for tortoiseshell, with many celluloid picks bearing a mottled pattern intended to mimic the look of tortoiseshell.

Some players find this desirable. Try these in a Pick Variety Pack [? Strengths: no-slip grip flexible cheap. One of the most ubiquitous materials in pick manufacturing is called Delrin.

Many modern picks are made from this material. It has a matte, non-slippery finish. It is noted mostly for its durability and reliability. Its tone is not remarkable, though it has a slightly warm sound. It is very common and is sold under several trade names. Strengths: unique tone flexible cheap. It wears more quickly than Ultem. Many players prefer the tone of Tortex. It is similiar to Delrin, but its exact composition is unknown.

Many or most Dunlop picks are made from Tortex. These are great general-purpose picks for beginners. Among inexpensive plastic picks, they rate well.

Acrylic picks are harder than other plastics. They last longer, wear more slowly, and are also a bit more slippery. These are some V-Picks. Strengths: hard wear-resistant bright tone. Acrylic has a translucent, glass-like appearance and a slippery feel. It wears slowly. Acrylic picks can feel slippery in hot weather, as the glossy surface collects perspiration. Highly recommended are V-Picks , which are made out of a specially formulated acrylic that bonds to the fingers slightly, giving it a tacky feeling that makes it harder to drop.

Gravity Guitar Picks Are also worth mentioning. I totally agree that guitar picks are the most overlooked element to guitar. I am a guitar teacher and I see so much improvement from my students simply by helping their guitar picking technique. Hey there, really informative post about choosing the best guitar picks.

I have been using the same plectrum for years however I have now decided to try as many different picks as possible to see if my first choice yellow Tortex will still remain my favorite. Thanks for the useful information. Thin picks are anything up to approx 0. Medium picks are between 0. Thick or heavy guitar picks are anything from approx 0. Get the eBook. Get the print book. Sound Playing the guitar with a pick produces a bright, punchy sound as opposed to playing the strings with the flesh of the fingers.

Thickness A heavier pick will generally produce a darker sound than a lighter pick. Playing styles Thin guitar picks allow a guitar player to strum hard without breaking the strings or playing too loud.

Music styles Of course the kind of music you want to play is also a factor. About the Author Daniel Coffeng is an honors graduate from the Guitar Institute of Technology and is a Los Angeles, CA based performing guitarist, freelance studio musician and music educator specializing in modern contemporary guitar.

Share this page with your friends Iron Age November 1, at pm - Reply. Which variation you choose will depend mainly on the sharpness of the striking surface. As the final and most important factor of all….

The material of the pick is what ultimately determines the stiffness, texture, and overall performance. Think of these more as special picks for special occasions. And choose your go-to picks from one of the popular plastics mentioned above. Since picks are practically free anyway, just buy assortment pack of different gauges , and different materials , and try them out at home on your own time.

And after much online searching, I found two specific packages that would be perfect for this test. It was no coincidence that Fender and Dunlop are the two brands I chose to recommend here. Currently, they are the clear industry leaders in guitar picks. In general…Fender is known more for their celluloid picks, while Dunlop is known more for their Tortex and Nylon picks.

And while there are probably a dozen other brands that are arguably as good, if you prefer to keep things simple, your best bet is to stick with one of these two. So there you go guys, hopefully this post has answered all your questions, and helped you find exactly what you were looking for.