If you've just purchased your first guitar, you may have realized that that buying guitar picks can be overwhelming. There are many different shapes, sizes, colors, and materials to choose from.
In this article, we will cover a few of the main types of guitar picks that you can choose from depending on what style or type of guitar you are grooving with.
GUITAR PICKS FOR CHILDREN
If you are a parent and are wondering what kind of pick to start with, a felt pick is the way to go.
Typically this type of pick is used for creating a very mellow sound on the ukulele, but it is an amazing first guitar pick for children.
They are very soft and kids love them. They are also perfect for small fingers. Along with that, I would also purchase a couple of thin or medium picks as well. Different pick types produce different sounds, and as your child progresses they can notice the difference in the sounds they make depending on which pick they use.
ELECTRIC VS. ACOUSTIC GUITARS
Acoustic and electric guitars have the same number of strings, but the sounds they produce are very different.
If you are starting with an electric or acoustic guitar, the best purchase would be a pick sampler pack. Most sampler packs include anywhere from 6-12 guitar picks and be easily purchased from any local music store, although you can find larger packs online like this 24 Pick Sampler Pack and this 48 Pick Sampler Pack.
Fender and Dunlop are two great brands that produce these variety packs. They usually include thin, medium, and heavy guitar picks. For acoustic guitars, you can use the thin or medium picks. The heavy picks are better suited for electric guitars.
CLASSICAL GUITARS
It is rare that you will ever see a classical guitarist playing with a guitar pick. This type of guitar playing is very different because traditionally it requires you to play with your finger nails.
Yes, that is not a joke. Musicians who play classical guitar typically have long fingernails on one hand that can be used as a way of playing the guitar strings without an actual guitar pick. So, for a right handed guitarist, you would pick the strings with your right hand while your left hand holds the neck (with trimmed nails).
Often, classical guitarists use sandpaper to shape their nails and use buffers to polish the edges for smoothness.
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Regardless of your age or style, stay encouraged in the beginning of your guitar journey and have fun! If you need some extra help picking out or playing with guitar picks, come sign up for lessons with one of our guitar teachers!