Guitarists often swear by their plectrums. It is the holy grail of the guitar musician, a little helper, a tiny guitar accessory which for some means the world.
At the same time it is strictly speaking just a small triangular-looking thing the size of a thumb. Mostly made of plastic or synthetic material, there are also other variations made of glass, metal, wood, bone and other materials.
The right guitar pick - question of faith, habit or more?
There are hardly any limits to the design, from simple monochrome to squeaky colorful printed everything is included, depending on the personal taste of the guitar player. The shape is mostly the same, but the picks differ not only in design and material but also in the thickness of the respective material. Question of faith, habit or personal preference, a pick can not only produce a different sound through its thickness, but can also make a guitar better or worse playable for those who want to play on it.
Personally, I haven't been playing guitar for too long (almost 1.5 years / 2020) and I prefered to play music on an acoustic (nylon strings) or western guitar (steel strings), if you can call that music what came around in the first months. But then I started practicing relatively early on the electric guitar with pick / plectrum.
Anyway, I hardly ever use a pick on the acoustic guitar, because it gets too loud very quickly and I don't want to annoy my neighbors too much. But on the electric guitar a pick is an absolute essential. Connect the electric guitar to the amplifier, headphones, and off you go. 😉
Note: Guitar holder for the wall from the 3D printer
Try out guitar picks in different strengths
The picks that came with the guitar felt quite okay, but playing with them was definitely a challenge until someone told me that the little helpers are also available in other strengths. So I ordered a whole set with 20 picks (Plektren Set ) in different designs and 4 different strengths for about 7,- EUR (maybe 9,- USD) (0.46mm, 0.71mm, 0.96mm and 1.20mm).
So I was able to try out how different the individual plastic picks sound and how they can be played on the guitar. Currently I have to say that although the difference is enormous, I still don't have a real favourite in terms of the thickness of the pick.
I can say that I find 0.46mm much too soft, because it bends a lot when playing the guitar and I feel 1.20mm a little bit too stiff, so I use the two strengths right in between. I don't seem to play guitar long enough to commit myself to one variant, but I can recommend everyone to try it out and play through all plectrum sizes and thicknesses. In this sense, happy playing! 🙂
A final link to the topic music and playing guitar:
Early musical education of children
This might also be interesting for you
Kids MP3 Player / Build your own RadioLooking for a beautiful and individually configurable MP3 player for my little daughter, I quickly came across the children's MP3 player called Hörbert (available at German Amazon-Store). A very nice device, well made and actually exactly what I was looking for - but a bit too expensive (about 200,- EUR / 230,- USD) for my … Continue reading "Kids MP3 Player / Build your own Radio"
Guitar holder for the wall from the 3D printer
Guitar holders for the wall or guitar stands are a nice thing, especially if the collection of musical instruments grows over the years. Personally, I like wall mounts quite well, because they not only create elegant storage space, but are also a real eye-catcher. Acoustic guitar, electric guitar, bass, banjo or ukulele give the room … Continue reading "Guitar holder for the wall from the 3D printer"
Early musical education of children
Most people like listening to music, everyone has their own preferences. It is not surprising that babies and toddlers can already benefit from music. Music influences many cognitive areas and enriches the mental well-being. In which way and which methods there are to integrate music into the everyday life of the child, you can find … Continue reading "Early musical education of children"