Guitar Lessons Article 5 : How to use a Guitar Pick

As many of you may or may not already know, not all guitarists use a pick when playing guitar. Lots of classical, flamenco, and mariachi guitarists use their fingers and finernails for strumming the guitar and produce some beautiful tones from their instrument. However, there are plenty of other styles such as rock, jazz, country, etc where using a guitar pick is most essential and that is why I have written this article. I think it is very important to understand the fundamentals of guitar picking and how to choose a pick depending upon the style of music and tone that you are looking for.

Lets begin with the most obvious. When you first walk into a guitar store, you will most likely be overwhelmed by the amount of guitar picks that are available. You will see a wide range of colors, sizes, weight, and even styles of picks that, as a beginner, you won't have the slightest idea which one is the right guitar pick for you. You will even see guitar picks for your thumb. Whatever you do, do not panic. There are plenty of pics being sold for a much higher price than what you should be paying for soley because of the popular name brand that has been slapped on that guitar pick.

Remember that not all picks are the same and not all picks can be used by everyone. Someone with really large hands may not be able to develop the same picking style that someone with small hands normally uses. This goes for the size of pick he uses also. That is why you have to fully understand what guitar pick is required for what style of music, and then decide exactly what type of tone you are looking for.

If your style of guitar playing is only going to involve strumming, then you will definitely need a pick that has very little give to it. A thin soft pick will probably be your best bet. A thicker pick would not be suitable for strumming because it has too much give and hence it is suited for more of the technical style of guitar playing, such as solos.

Now as far as guitar tone goes, you have to decide beforehand what type of tone you want to produce. The softer guitar picks tend to produce a really soft guitar tone with minimum amounts of harsh picking sound. In fact, the more give your guitar pick has, the softer the sound will be. However, using a soft pick will not give you the amount of volume that a harder pick would provide. You see, with a hard guitar pick, you will produce a louder and harsher attack and tone. It is all really up to you and what style of music you want to play and what tone you are looking for.

In conclusion, as a beginner guitar player you should choose a guitar pick that is in the middle ground. A medium guitar pick will give you a balanced sound and tone without sacrificing much of your technique. As your guitar skills progress, you will soon realize what style of music you tend to play more often and what tone you really want to be able to produce. This will be the time to decide if using a soft pick or a hard pick will meet your expectations. Do not be afraid to stick with a medium pick though, especially if you are open to playing many different styles of music. Good Luck.