Picking A Guitar Pick

Picking a guitar pick is a very personal thing. Guitar picks (also know as plectrums) come in many different shapes, sizes, thickness and material. How do you know which one to use?

I have been through hundreds, if not thousands of picks in my guitar playing life! Finding the right pick for you playing style is a journey. And you may go through many different picks before you find “the one” that feels right for you.

When you do find the right pick, hang on to it, as those pesky things just disappear, sometimes from right before your eyes it seems! They do also seem to enjoy hanging out inside acoustic guitars for some reason…

In this video I show you, and describe, the most common types of pick and the advantages of each one. From standard style, tri-tip, jazz, thumb pick and some very oddly shaped ones as well.

You will probably find that you end up using a different style, material or gauge (thickness) of pick on electric and acoustic. In general, thinner picks work better for acoustic and thicker picks work best on electric guitar. But, as always, rules are made to be broken ;).

So take this video as a guide and a starting point for working out what pick is best for you. Remember, it’s the only thing that separates you from the guitar, so it needs to be the best fit for that job for you.

Go out and get a variety of picks, different materials, different thickness, different shapes, and see what is the most comfortable for your guitar playing style.

And if you do happen to find an old, rounded off, purple Dunlop pick that I dropped in the 90’s, please tell it to come home….!