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The best guitarists know that when it comes to gear, you’re going to need a solid set of guitar picks. That little thumb-sized accessory could make a big difference in your performance and your sound.
Think of guitar picks are an extension of your fingers, giving you more consistency and control over your guitar strings, whether you’re strumming chords or plucking away at a melody. Also known as “plectrums,” the best guitar picks help musicians glide over strings with more finesse and ease, while saving your fingers from calluses.
With a ton of options on the market, you’ll want to look at a couple of things before deciding what to pick up (no pun intended).
Start by considering the type of music you’re playing (say jazz, classical guitar, or rock and roll). Different guitar pick sizes and materials will create different sounds. Thin picks will create brighter tones, and are great for acoustic strumming or pop songs. Thicker picks — and their extra weight — will create deeper, mellower tones. They’re also better for using with electric guitars, since they can hold up to the thicker strings, and they’re great for faster playing, since you don’t need a lot of the pick to touch the strings to generate sound.
As for materials: while guitar picks were originally crafted from real tortoiseshell (taken from the Atlantic Hawksbill Turtle), the rise of manufacturing and y’know, the fact that the Atlantic Hawksbill became endangered, led to companies quickly shifting to plastic plectrums. Other popular materials used these days include celluloid, nylon, and occasionally, wood or metal. Generally speaking, celluloid picks deliver richer, rounder tones, while playing with nylon picks will get you sound that is warm and bright.
The last thing to know: guitar picks come in different shapes. A teardrop shape is the most popular, but you’ll also find shark fin shapes, rounder shapes and pointier, triangular shapes. These shapes operate exactly as you think, with the sharper points giving you more detailed attack (great for intricate guitar solos) and the rounder points generating mellowing sound (great for strumming).
Ready to start plucking? Here’s what to get.
