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12 votes
11 answers
2k views

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 ...
oregonduckman's user avatar
3 votes
5 answers
311 views

How do I hold/use a pick

Seriously. Most people say between the thumb and index coming out the side of your thumb, but I keep messing up, hitting wrong strings, bad rhythm/timing, etc. Any other ways of holding a pick or ...
Random Guy's user avatar
7 votes
9 answers
2k views

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 ...
Random Guy's user avatar
2 votes
2 answers
525 views

Claw-like gloves to simulate pick when playing fingerstyle?

I am wondering if clawed gloves would be able to reproduce the sound of a pick when playing fingerstlye.
AshDrake049182's user avatar
1 vote
6 answers
1k views

The proper right-hand picking technique for playing the electric guitar

When I was taking electric guitar lessons for a year I was told, by my former teacher, that the pick should be parallel to strings at all times and so he insisted on it. The other thing he was very ...
Pepa Zdepa's user avatar
1 vote
1 answer
484 views

Anyone else have a noise issue with thicker (~9mm) picks?

I watched a video from Rob Scallon on Purple Plectrums, and in his video they looked and sounded great. However, I purchased one of theirs, a 9mm model and I was very confused. I loved the feel of it, ...
コナーゲティ's user avatar
62 votes
8 answers
7k views

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's user avatar
  • 745
3 votes
2 answers
402 views

Alternate picking speed

I've been using large triangular pick for a long time, and I'm used to it. Now, learning shredding, I once thought: "Does a regular pick have any advantages over a triangular in terms of speed?". ...
Eugen Eray's user avatar
1 vote
2 answers
189 views

Fingertip-covering picks for fingerstyle guitar

I've seen a couple of videos in which a fingerstyle guitar player appears to have solid white, maybe plastic, picks covering the last segment of his finger. I haven't been able to find these at the ...
Jeff Roe's user avatar
  • 145
2 votes
2 answers
1k views

Do I pick the bass string upwards or downwards?

I'm new to guitar and have been fingerpicking some songs (e.g. playing each bar: thumb - finger 1 - finger 2 - finger 1 - finger 3 - finger 1, holding the chord) which sounds nice. Now I just got a ...
Anna's user avatar
  • 1,817
4 votes
1 answer
683 views

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 ...
Joulin Nicolas's user avatar
9 votes
3 answers
2k views

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 ...
empty's user avatar
  • 12.3k
5 votes
3 answers
2k views

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 ...
akaltar's user avatar
  • 151
6 votes
4 answers
6k views

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 ...
Jeff's user avatar
  • 63
4 votes
1 answer
278 views

How is he hiding his pick?

I've noticed that he's using his thumb to mute, so he's probably not holding his pick in between his index and thumb, which would suggest it's in his palm. Does anyone know this technique, and can ...
Jim's user avatar
  • 151
6 votes
1 answer
2k views

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 ...
Kirk A's user avatar
  • 2,659
6 votes
2 answers
4k views

What types of plastic and manufacturing techniques are used to make guitar picks?

Like most guitarists, I'm sure, I have both preferred thicknesses and brands of guitar pick. I have always liked using Jim Dunlop Tortex picks, for instance, as I like the way the plastic wears ...
Bob Broadley's user avatar
  • 21.7k
9 votes
5 answers
10k views

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)?...
seseorang's user avatar
  • 4,157
9 votes
6 answers
59k views

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 ...
J Roq's user avatar
  • 807
0 votes
0 answers
119 views

How can one minimise the percussive strumming sound on acoustic guitar and maximise the notes? [duplicate]

Possible Duplicate: How to prevent the noise my guitar pick makes? When we are rehearsing with the band it seems that the main thing that one can hear of our singer's acoustic guitar is the sound ...
glenatron's user avatar
  • 433
7 votes
5 answers
2k views

Looking for a specific device to secure a pick to your hand [closed]

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 ...
Goodbye Stack Exchange's user avatar
25 votes
10 answers
33k views

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 ...
user avatar