Guitar Pick

Guitar Pick

In this third lesson, you will learn how to get your strings to sound just right. The guitar pick is used with the strumming hand to either pick the strings individually or strum them all at once to play chords. Picks come in many shapes and sizes. The thickness of the pick is usually marked on the pick. Thickness ranges from thin to heavy. Medium is a good thickness to start with, but you should try a few different gauges and see what thickness you like.


Not all guitarists use a pick. Mark Knopfler, the guitarist from Dire Straits is perhaps the most famous lead guitarist in the pop music world to use his fingers, rather than a pick, when soloing. Classical, folk, and flamenco guitarists also use fingerstyle rather than a pick to play the guitar. For the most part, it is easier for beginners to produce a nice smooth sound with the pick, so we suggest that you learn how to play with a pick first and then venture off into the world of fingerstyle once you are more advanced

The guitar pick is held with the thumb and index finger of the strumming hand. Grip the fat end of the pick between your thumb and index finger. The pointed part of the pick should be facing in towards the strings. See figure 11. Striking the strings with the pick

Now that you understand how to hold the pick, you should practice striking individual strings on the guitar. Make sure that you have a firm grip, and then strike the 6th string, making sure that you strike the string with the very tip of the pick (about 1/4 of the pick’s surface area). In general, if you strike the strings with the same intensity, the more tip you have exposed the louder the chord will be. Try striking the 6th string lightly and then more firm to notice the different tones you can generate. Avoid striking the string so hard that it buzzes. This is a sure sign that you’re picking too hard.