Everybody has their preference, picks, bare fingers, thumb/finger picks or perhaps an object that is unique to you. What and why do you do what you do?

I am posting this thread is because after 45 years or so of playing I have interestingly begun using a thick 1.0 mm blue Tortex pick instead of the thinner orange .60 or red/black .50s. I had the blue on my desk, from whence it came I have no memory, but picked it up when I in passing on my way to sit and play outside on this beautiful Swiss spring day in the garden. I had fresh 13-56 medium Elixer Acoustic Bronze strings on my Martin D-15 M and began to noodle around to warm up. I was really happy with the sound coming out of the guitar, it seemed that it was the first time that I really heard what this guitar actually is supposed to sound like. The tone was much more articulated and after I began to get used to the thicker pick was able to play faster than I thought that I ever had before. I felt a sort of power coming from the neck and felt happy with this whole new experience. I will probably use a thinner pick for 2nd part strumming parts, but I think I am sticking with the new thing as it helps me feel really satisfied and quite empowered. Interesting, eh?

The other quantum change is that I am growing the nails of my right hand, all but the little pinky finger to better facilitate my finger picking. Just the extra length in this early stage is making a huge difference in my right hand tecnique which is enabling me to play things the way I never could before. You can teach an old dog new tricks!

 

Cool! For guitar, I use a myriad of sizes. From the clear white xtra this .38mm all the way up to 3.0mm; a few gravity picks for guitar and bass; for bass guitar, I'll use a myriad of felt picks as well as tortex. Butterfly finger picks for guitar too. I haven't tried a cople of Lee Press-On nails filed down for classical yet, but that's an idea too.

Bottom line, doesn't hurt to keep all of the pick flavors on hand even if it's just a couple of picks of each size. Use a small plastic hardware container from home depot.

 

hello fine sir,

I use a 1.5 mm dunlop full size white
and hybrid with my middle ring and pinky

https://www.ebay.com/itm/DUNLOP-GUI...992497?hash=item4679f7c831:g:l0wAAOSwdsFUNl4D

for bass just fingers

 

On acoustic guitar, I only do strumming, for which I use a pick. I like Fender Heavy picks. I guess they are 1mm. However, sometimes I use the thinnest pick I can grab for more forceful strums. On electric guitar, I do rhythm and I use a heavy pick. On bass, I mostly play with two fingers, three fingers for 16th notes in rock music, or a heavy pick if the song calls for it, usually when playing covers and the original tune is played with a pick. I don’t do slap. I keep practicing but never get convinced by my progress to test it out in public.

 

After watching Jeff Beck use nothing but his fingers, I've tried to incorporate both pick and fingers. I practiced tucking the pick in between the last joint of the index and middle fingers, so I still have good mobility with all fingers of my right hand.

This triangle shape allows for quick switching. The thickness also allows for ' give ' when strumming. While soloing, I'm holding the pick at the tip where the .63mm doesn't bother me at all.

The triangle also gives you three surfaces to carve up, instead of the traditional one.

 

Well, it's really a matter of preference and what works for you IMO. That being said I believe it's best to be well rounded in technique and as such try to practice with and without a pick.
Generally I use a small heavy pick, like the Jazz III, for guitar, or a thin one for rhythm or acoustic stuff BUT ever since watching quite a few Pro-Guitar Shop videos with Andy playing (he doesn't use a pick at all), I do try to use my fingers more.
For bass I used to be a fingers-only purist but the reality is sometimes you need the pick to cut through the mix - again it depends on the context and what you're trying to achieve.

 

Cool you bring up the subject , i have to order a pack and did not remember the name of the picks i use since i found them more than10 years
ago : "Dunlop Jazztone 205 SM" Small hard picks .Before "JD jazz3" than "Stubby" but now satified with Dunlop Jazztone 205 SM can't play without it .
Only dislike is that i need to change them often .
Perfect for a nice round thick tone . To comp the sound of the thumb is great . To strum they are too rigid so must use less rigid .

Fingerstyle is off course the great choice for some more "polyphonic" playing , as opposed to strumming or plucking .
But it my case it will take years (if ever) to get the speed i can reach with a pick .

There is a incredible young sicilian player that plays electric guitar single lines with fingers , he is such a virtuoso and a great
musician , absolutely overgifted kid , a virtuoso playing with great musicality , we will hear about him for sure !

Just to mention that it is not "one rigth way to do " in modern guitar music ! For classical guitar yes you need a specific technique , position
and instrument , the music requires it .
With jazz , fusion , virtuoso rock players have different techniques , Django with his two fingers or Allan Holdsworth with his huge hands do not
play the same way, obvious !
I love the beautiful gorgeous tone Wes has in his beautiful interpretattion of roun'd midnight

 

A matter or taste, of course. When recording, I stick to classic plastic picks, usually .80. When playing for fun, I like to experiment with crazy Timber Tones picks, and the difference is huge. They are fun, but I can't handle them very well -most of them are on the extra-heavy range- so I never use them during recordings, to avoid unwanted artifacts and distortion. Finally, when using the guitar as a synth (with Midi Guitar 2), a thin plastic pick and a very soft playing style is a must.

 

Last edited: Apr 9, 2018

Nothing changes the sound more of a responsive acoustic than the picking tool imo.

Like most of you here I've tried loads of ways, but for me skin (not nails) on string works best for fingerstyle........the only problem being that skin does seems to accentuate that deadness that exists in virtually every acoustic at or around F# (which seems to be generally speaking an acoustic guitars resonant frequency) I guess its because by using skin there's a higher ratio of fundamental to harmonic compared to using a pick or nails and on some guitars to me at least that particular note sounds more like a crap drum than a guitar when played with skin..
It took me a long time and thousands of miles to find an acoustic I could live with........finally did in Boston 15 years or so ago

If I'm strumming and I want bright I use a homemade tortoise shell bottom right.......its well worth the effort to find an old broken hair clasp or comb at a vintage auction and make one, for regular strumming work Jim Dunlops cheaps work best for me.

If I want rich individually picked notes then I go for a heavy duty New Tortis, zero flex, hard to use but worth the effort.

On electric I tend to use Gibson picks at times but again mostly a heavier duty (0.7 - 1.0mm) homemade toroise shell pick similar to the one top right

On bass at times finger, but I do like scrathin' with a brass pick, bottom left.

 

Last edited: Apr 10, 2018

It's just a tool. Depends on what sound I'm going for. Fingers, DAVA (Control) pick, thumb pick or coin.
https://www.davapick.com/picks/dava_control

 

I have used a lot of different picks. Usually chosen from the feel and the grip. Most commonly the Dunlop or Tortex type. I usually gravitate towards the .073 thickness, especially for live playing. Recently, I've been experimenting with different thickness depending on the playing situation. For acoustic strumming, I'll go towards a thinner gauge. I really like these Cool picks. They are "Juratex". Good tone and excellent feel, and the sandpaper grip is nice too.

I've also taken brass stencils (the kind you spray paint letters with) and cut them to use as picks. I really like the bright sound they give you. I've also tried stone picks, but they are expensive, and with the way I lose picks, can't really justify the cost. But playing-wise, they are fantastic.
If you are into experimenting with different sounds, try a set of these Tusq picks. It's a synthetic version of ivory. I've tried several different ones, and each gives a unique tone to an acoustic. I like the beige ones. They really opened up the sound. More low end as well as brightness. It was almost like scooping the mids with an EQ.

 

perfect for metal:

 

Scissors and Amex Black Card

 

@dragonhill .. what are those two made of, the photo is a little small and a bit blurry?

 

The next I am at the music store I am going to try out a couple different of these...

Also, I would like to try before I buy a BlueChip pick as people say that they almost play themselves. Anybody ever go there?

 

I think it really depends on the playing, genre and style.

EG Gypsy Jazz players and bluegrass flatpickers tend to use a fairly thick pick. This is due to their technique. Rest strokes for the former and fairly strict alternate picking for the latter. Rhythm and dynamics plays a large part of their technique.

Strumming 'campfire' style songs seem to prefer picks that have more give. I think thinner picks tend to have less beefy low ends and less pronounced attacks.

I used to play a lot of pre-war blues on a resonator guitar. These IMO require finger-picks and thumb-picks. I tried the plastic finger ones but could never quite get them. I settled with metal finger picks.

I used pro-piks. This enabled me to mute strings with the picking hand. Good luck doing that with plastic picks. Maybe there are some on the market out there. Let me know if you come across any!




I definitely prefer plastic thumb picks.

When I used to play live I didn't ever grow nails due to being a prolific biter. I used to get crazy blood blisters, my fingers ended up looking more akin to some sort of amazonian tree frog.

After I stopped playing live I started to take up classical guitar and started growing my nails. I still bite the fretting hand ones though.

I don't mean to sound patronising to more experienced players but I wish I had found this out earlier...

You want to file your nails properly. It makes a hell of a different. The following advice is for fingers only. Not thumb.

The fingers of the picking hand should be filed so the nail slopes at an angle from the direction they hit the string.

Un-filed nails will have a flat plane parallel to the fingers. This will catch and break if it is not filed down.

Personally I find that it is best for me to file the nail so the 'point' is beyond the center of the finger away from the direction it is striking the string. Maybe 55% to 60%.

A little like this guys photo.

https://goo.gl/images/S1zmST

It really depends on the individual but for me I like don't like my nails too long. When they're at their optimum I feel that I can get a nice skin tone or a heavy nail transient. Getting the best of the both worlds.

 

Jazz III the tiny king

 

whoa .. new one on me... have a clip of your coin riffing?

those are quite nice.. got some recently... a little on the stiff side for me..
so I'd suggest trying a pack of the smallest thickness when you get them...

I use these for electric... like the slightly slick crisp feel



this for acoustic 12...


usually fingers/fingernails for picking and acoustic strumming/picking .. it just has much less added click on the strings..
unless you want that bright crisp attack. I usually want a warmer, more organic sound from acoustics..

am curious about tortise shell tho... currently unavailable virtually everywhere
( and probably for the best )

@Seedz 's suggestion sounds totally cool.. and one to keep in mind, what did you use to fashion the tortoise shell to size?

 

those are felt picks.