Musical Practice and Performance Stack Exchange
Musical Practice and Performance Stack Exchange

Questions tagged [picks]

A guitar pick is a plectrum used for guitars and other string instruments

A pick is generally made of one uniform material; examples include plastic, nylon, rubber, felt, tortoiseshell, wood, metal, glass, tagua and stone. They are often shaped in an acute isosceles triangle with the two equal corners rounded and the third corner rounded to a lesser extent.

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Why does string strummed with finger sound different from the one strummed with pick?

What is the physical reason for difference in sound when using fingers instead of pick and vice versa?
zduny
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Pick weight - functional difference, or just personal preference?

I'm at the very beginning of learning to play guitar, and I recently needed to buy some more picks. This was more complex than I was expecting, since there are apparently many different weights of picks available. I've gotten the impression that…
Chad Birch
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How can I prevent the noise my guitar pick makes?

When I play the guitar (electric with steel strings), I can hear the noise of the pick clashing against the steel strings. When I play a chord, after my pick triggers one string it then falls against the next string causing a clashing noise which…
Tamara Wijsman
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Lots of pick movement

I have always had trouble controlling pick movement while strumming. Gripping tighter on a pick causes tension in my playing and I am wondering if anyone has some tips for me? Picks have always felt slippery to me even the ones that have rubber…
oregonduckman
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Why do thicker guitar picks result in a darker tone color?

I recently had a vendor send me extra-heavy picks rather than heavy picks. I like the sound so I think I'll keep them but each note picked with the heavier picks definitely has a darker timbre (tone color) than with the lighter picks. What are the…
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Is it important for a guitarist to know how to use a pick?

I've been playing guitar for almost a year and a half now and I still don't know how to use a pick. I strum very hard and I'm afraid that my guitar strings would break from the pick. Would this be detrimental to my playing in any way? Wouldn't I…
J Roq
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Can I use bass pick as guitar pick?

First of all, I don't really know about the difference between both picks, but as far as I know, the bass pick is slightly wider. Can I use it (the bass pick) as a guitar pick (for guitar, of course)? Will it make different tone? (Yes, I know, but…
seseorang
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Does the plectrum you play with make a difference in your guitar sound?

Does the plectrum you play with make a difference in your guitar sound? Is it just the thickness of the pick or does materials also make a difference if at all? What would be the science behind this?
Neil Meyer
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Looking for a specific device to secure a pick to your hand

Some years ago, I was chatting with the gutarist in a cafe in Cape May, New Jersey, and I asked him how he switched between flatpicking and fingerstyle playing so smoothly. He had a little gadget that secured a pick to a short piece of rubber…
Goodbye Stack Exchange
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Do I handicap my guitar learning by deemphasizing learning to use a pick?

Been playing guitar for a few months now and for the last month I've started trying to use a pick since most people (including the best guitarists) do and while it's useful for alternate picking, pick scrapes, when palm muting, etc, when playing a…
Random Guy
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Why are tortoise-shell picks prized?

As a mandolin player, I have discovered that the type of pick (plectrum) one uses makes a noticeable difference to the sound. I personally prefer thick (1mm) plastic picks, like Golden Gate, to get a warmer, "woody" sound, but I have often heard…
Eric O
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Playing with a pick with less pick-sound

I have two types of guitars, electric and acoustic and have been playing for over a year. How does one learn to or adjust their strum so that there's not so much sound of hitting the strings (as opposed to actually hearing the note)? Is picking a…
Jeff
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Why do lighter picks sound "better" on acoustic guitars?

I have a small variety of Dunlop Tortex pick sizes. Normally, the 0.73mm (green) is my favorite. When I recently picked up my first acoustic in ages, I chanced to discover that the lighter 0.56mm (I think, red) sounded sooooo much more brilliant.…
Kirk A
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When should you change your pick?

Sometimes when I try to play a solo I feel that I can't pick the notes because the pick is too short, and when I look at it, it is about 0,5mm shorter on the end than a new one. When should you generally change your pick? Edit to clarify: These…
akaltar
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What is the point of drilled guitar pick?

I was wondering what impact on sound and playing drilled guitar picks have. I have tried one and did not notice any kind of difference with regular flat picks. Is it supposed to make for a better grip ? or a different flexibility curve ? Maybe it is…
Joulin Nicolas
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