Experimenting with different guitar picks is one of the best and simplest ways to completely change the sound and feel of your playing. It’s often an overlooked accessory, especially if you’re new to playing, but the difference it can make is surprisingly vast.
A lot of beginners sort of “end up” with a particular pick (also called a “plectrum”), and as veteran players, they might just stick with what they’ve known for years if they’ve never considered trying a new one. Usually a new player will choose based on looks, or possibly feel or thickness, without much consideration for how it might affect their playing.
The truth is, different picks have wildly different feels and even sounds (based on thickness and material). The major takeaway is that you don’t have to settle for a traditional shape, a traditional material, or “light, ” “medium, ” or “heavy” thicknesses. There’s a whole world of options out there, and picks are a cheap enough accessory to be able to try everything until you settle on a favorite!
Why Do Some Guitarists Not Use Picks?
It’s true that certain picks excel at different things. Shape is one of the most important factors. A larger pick, with greater surface area, is going to be good for an acoustic player or someone who does a lot of strumming. They can more easily strike all the strings in a strum thanks to the plectrum’s increased size. On the other hand, smaller picks with sharper points offer greater precision for lead players, jazz guitarists, and metal guitarists who have to be more concerned about string separation and accuracy.
Plectrums used to be made of natural materials, though by and large, your current “everyday” pick will be synthetic. Common materials include all sorts of durable plastics, like celluloid, Ultex, Delrin, acrylic, and nylon. Each material will have its own texture in the hand, with some being grippier and others more slick. Material also plays a role in sound, with celluloid/nylon tending to be darker, and something like acrylic being brighter and more aggressive.
Hardness, or thickness, is important to nail down. Thinner picks are snappy, with a bright sound but a somewhat mellow overall attack. Usually thin picks are good for strumming since they tend to glide more easily across the strings. For lead playing, they require more strength to wield.
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Thicker plectrums offer a more pronounced attack and ultimately work harder for precision players wanting to build up speed and accuracy — the pick does most of the work. The sound is generally rounder and more mellow than a thin pick, and they’re somewhat more difficult to strum chords with.
While these provide a general guideline, it all comes down to personal preference. There’s no reason a metal player can’t use a thin pick and an acoustic player who strums can’t use a thick one. Individual dexterity plays a big role, and you might find an “unconventional” plectrum given your style is actually the most comfortable and usable.
Finally, we come to shape/size. In my opinion, this is the most important differentiator between plectrums since the feel can change drastically. Something like the Jazz III shape is small in the hand, designed for precise movement. A standard Dunlop Tortex, on the other hand, offers one of the most traditional shapes for a wide variety of players. Then you have everything from Jazz III XLs, to Dunlop Flows, to Dunlop Sharps, and everything in between. Plectrums are one of the most fun accessories to experiment with!
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Dunlop Tortex Standards have been at the forefront for over four decades. The shape, size, durability, balanced tone, and variety of thicknesses all contribute to it being one of the most popular picks ever. Its shape lends itself to virtually any style of playing, and while there are a dozens of highly specialized plectrums out there, you can always fall back on Dunlop standard and feel right at home.
Celluloid was introduced in the early 1900s as an alternative to real tortoise shell. So, it’s been a go-to plectrum material for ages. The D’Addario Pearl collection has a very natural feel and sound — great for acoustic players and beginners seeking a balanced pick. Of course, it comes in different thicknesses to help you find just the right sound and feel for your taste and comfort.
Dunlop has been an innovator in guitar picks for decades, introducing a host of new materials and shapes over the years. However, the original Jazz III is a simple nylon structure with a unique, small shape with a sharper tip. Nylon tends to produce a mellower sound, which jazz players seek, and the precision shape lends itself to intricate playing. Originally a jazz pick, metal players have adopted the Jazz III shape, favored for its controllability.
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The Fender 351 is one of the most popular standard shapes around. It’s an extremely common starter pick, sold at virtually every guitar shop the world over. The celluloid construction sounds warm and balanced, and you’re actually able to play it on its tip or on its sounds to change the sound and feel. For another classic, you can’t go wrong with a Fender 351.
Everlast plectrums by Ernie Ball are made of Delrin. Delrin is a widely used material noted for its remarkable durability (not unique to Ernie Ball, by that doesn’t change the fact that this is a quality pick). The Everest features a more or less traditional rounded triangle shape for an overall balanced playing experience.
Here’s a highly specialized finger pick designed for use with folk instruments like banjo, guitar, lap steel, and others. Made of stainless steel, these finger picks offer an ultra-bright and powerful sound to coax the character out of a twangy instrument. These are perfect for folk and bluegrass, where the proper fingerstyle tone is as important as the instrument itself.
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Guitar picks seem mundane, but they’re one of the best ways to completely change the way your instrument feels and sounds. It’s always nice to have a variety at your fingertips, so you can experiment with different shapes and thicknesses in real-time. No one says you need to settle on one type anyway, so feel free to play around with one of the most affordable and most impactful accessories there is.There isn’t a sweeter sound in the history of the universe than some beautiful fingerpicking songs played well. Audiences, no matter how small or large, love to hear a simple piece of music played on a lovely-sounding acoustic guitar.
People love to hear a pretty fingerpicking piece and believe me, it is a very cool sight, watching someone play one of the following pieces.
These songs (or instrumental pieces in the case of “Spanish Romance” and “Andantino”) are, in my teaching experience, the best to learn if you want to mesmerise and stun your audience while the songs are still relatively simple to play.
The Most Beautiful Fingerpicking Songs Ever
Yes, I know, I know, not all of them are easy to learn guitar songs, so remember, nothing really is easy with guitar playing, BUT these sound so good they are worth persevering with.
If you are an experienced fingerpicker, these ten fingerpicking songs won’t pose too many problems for you but if you like some of them and come from an electric rock background, you will need to start off slowly and work your way up (especially if your chord changes are a little slower than you would like).
There aren’t really any easy songs on guitar, but this list is as good as it gets, especially when you’re looking for good acoustic guitar songs.
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If you enjoy this post, then you can check out this free acoustic mini-course of mine specifically created for acoustic guitarists age 40+ who need clear and concise lessons, and fast results. That free course will help you play all your songs better.
When you do learn these songs, you will be irresistible to your partner, a better guitarist for it, and have some of the most beautiful songs and pieces of music in your repertoire to call upon at any time.
As a bonus, these pieces of music are some of the most popular to be played at weddings, so once you master them, you may even find work as a live wedding guitarist or you can just romance your other half!
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Before we tackle the list of songs, it is worth pointing out, especially for beginners, that most guitar teachers get it wrong with teaching songs.
When you are learning fingerpicking on the guitar, you should have a list to refer to. I hope this is that list. Here we go. Enjoy!
This is definitely one of the best songs for beginner guitar out there. It has a beautiful intro and a very slick and stylish sound throughout. It is also short and doesn’t feature huge sections.
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That being said, you have to break up the verse into smaller chunks or it can get a bit overwhelming. In terms of difficulty, it is not too hard.
What a beautiful song this is. Here, you will learn it as a solo fingerstyle arrangement. This is where we combine the melody, chords, and bass to create something
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