“What kind of guitar pick should I use?” As a guitar teacher, I hear this question a lot.
There are quite a few choices available so beginners and intermediate players alike often
wonder which pick they should be using.

Choosing the right pick depends largely on personal taste so you may need to experiment a
little. But there are some guidelines that you can follow to make the choice easier for you.

For example, if you usually strum chords when you play guitar then a thinner pick might work
better for you. Thin picks have less resistance so they tend to glide across the strings a
little easier. You can play strumming patterns more quickly and without the feeling of
“fighting” the guitar if you use a thin pick.

A thin pick however does have a thinner tone with more bite to it. If you want a bigger,
warmer sound you may prefer a thicker pick. I usually use a thick pick when playing a lot of
single string lines (ie. a guitar lead). I love the full, rich tone that I get when using this
sort of pick. Usually I play a 2.0 mm Adamas pick for lead work.

The main drawback to a thicker pick is that it may slow you down a bit. You have to work a
tiny bit harder to play each note and this can make it feel like it’s more difficult to play
with a bigger pick. For this reason, if I need to play very fast, single string music (flatpicking bluegrass guitar for example) then I’ll usually choose a medium pick since that seems to be a good compromise between speed and tone.

Next time you’re at the music store consider buying a whole assortment of different picks and
experimenting with them. Picks are cheap so it’s probably a good idea to take the time to learn what works best for you.