Over the years guitar picks have been made from metal, tortex, wood, bone, plastic, rubber, felt, and even stone. It has been suggested, although some guitarists may disagree, that light flimsy picks simply don't sound very good. When learning how to play the guitar pick choice is something not to be ignored.
Probably the most famous and easily recognizable name on a pick is the logo of Fender Guitars. Steve Clayton was the first pick manufacture to create multi-colored imprinting for guitar picks. The company that made the first plastic pick in 1922, D'Andrea Picks, created most of today's classic guitar picks shapes.
Bass players tend to prefer thick picks because their strings are far thicker than those of guitarists. Jazz guitar players tend to use quite heavy picks, as they also tend to favor heavy gauge flat-wound strings.
However, nylon loses its flexibility after 1-2 months of extensive use, becomes fragile and breaks, so guitarists that use thin nylon picks should have several spare picks just in case. Many players will often have spare picks attached to a microphone stand or slotted in the guitar's pick guard.
A guitarist can easily adjust the pick tip's flexibility by applying various pressure to this central section .A hard grip yields hard pick (thicker one) to play lead, a soft grip yields soft pick (thinner one) to play rhythm. Picks wear out with use, and many guitarists prefer the playing "feel" of new picks. Usually, a guitar pick is hidden within a player's hand, so a casual viewer may think that a guitarist plays with bare hands. This is something to practice when learning how to play the guitar.
We all know that picks come in all shapes, sizes, colors, materials and thickness but is there that much difference between them all. Genuine tortoiseshell picks used to be quite common but since an international ban on their manufacture and distribution in the mid-70 they are virtually impossible to locate.
Some players prefer the brash, bright sound that metal picks offer. Most nylon or plastic guitar picks are brittle and cause a clicking sound off of the strings when played. Thinner picks are recommended for electric guitar playing where artificial amplification is present.
Grip Picks have specially designed grooves to help them stay in your fingers. Thick picks offer greater mass and therefore greater tone and volume, and with the sharp bevel they can be as snappy and crisp sounding as a 1mm pick. Although there are many special or custom shapes, the majority of picks come in three different styles: standard, triangular, and the tear drop shape. The type of material you choose will affect the picks durability. Those who play with picks protect their fingers from becoming calloused from strumming on the guitar for hours at a time.
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