Guitar Lesson 4 - Guitar pick or finger picking?

This one isn't so much of a lesson, but rather an article. Still yet its a very important one indeed in order to learn and master guitar. There can be some common mistakes at this crucial stage when trying to make good use of the tools that are at hand, the flat pick or the fingers.

A guitar pick just in case you don't know is a simple piece of plastic sometimes referred to as the plectrum. Its triangular in shape, having a rounded top and coming to a sharp point at the bottom. The point or "tip" rather is what you would normally use to pick out notes or strum chords on the guitar.

You can also use your fingers to pick out the notes, or the thumb and hand to strum chords, but its advised that if you go this route to grow the finger nails on your right hand, or strumming hand at least just a bit in order to produce a more clearer sound.

Both have their pros and cons. A guitar pick can't pick out several strings at once in order to create an elaborate melody (at least in some cases). This is why for more advanced players, using a combination of flat pick and fingers in unison is desired, especially for country picking or Rockabilly.

At the same time the fingers can take years to train to a sufficient level, and if you get too carried away you can definitely do some long time damage by pushing your hand too much. This is why most guitarist choose using a pick over the fingers, but its mainly because of the feel that it has.

I highly recommend starting out this way, but I want to give you some things to think about first. For one, the way you hold the guitar pick can really effect your playing, so make sure to experiment accordingly. Try tilting it at different angles, and adjust the pressure and tension that you are holding it with. Not to mention you should also experiment with how hard or light you are picking. You will notice different results.

The biggest obstacle that you may encounter in the beginning however is the thickness of the pick itself. Yes, these little plastic guys come in all shapes and sizes. A thin size is sometimes preferred by beginning guitarists who are using an acoustic. It can produce a nice sound in that scenario.

A medium to thick size is more suitable for electric playing, and can make picking out single notes at fast speeds a lot easier. On an electric it can also mean sounding chords better or getting certain accentuated tricks to ring clearer.

The best thing under this category taht will help you to learn and master guitar, is to go to a store and pick up all sorts of picks and try them all out. Picks can be very cheap, costing as little as a few cents per piece, so don't worry about spending any money.

You may even find that you will go through phases in your playing where you want to switch it up. One day you may want to use a thick plectrum, the next a medium, and the next a thin pick. As mentioned before, play around with different sizes, holds, tensions and angles and you will be well on your way.