As a school providing Melbourne guitar lessons, we are often asked our opinion on how to choose a good guitar pick (plectrum).

Now don’t laugh, choosing the correct guitar pick is VERY important, both from a playability aspect and also from a tonal aspect. All professional players know this and all beginners …..don’t!

There are literally thousands of different picks out there. They come from hundreds of different suppliers and each supplier produces dozens and dozens of different picks. Picks come in a bewildering variety of  different colours, shapes, sizes, tip shapes, thicknesses and type of plastic used. There are even some wooden picks and some metal picks out there!…..why? I don’t know.

The colour and the printed design of the pick are not important, but ALL the other aspects of a pick are very important. Personally, I have been using Jim Dunlop Tortex Jazz III picks for probably the last 25 years. I have tried (and played with) dozens of different picks in my life, but these picks for me are just perfect. Obviously different players will have different preferences.

As a beginner, or an intermediate player, you should try different picks and listen to how they each produce a different sound from your guitar and how they feel and play differently. As you develop as a musician your opinion about what is the correct pick for you will change.

If you are a beginner, I would recommend starting off with a pick that is not too rigid but not too floppy either. Try one that is about 0.73mm. I would also not recommend a pick where the tip is very sharp or one where the tip is rounded. As for size, I would suggest an intermediate size like the Jim Dunlop Torex III Jazz picks.

Finally, the type of plastic used in different picks makes a huge difference to the tone produced. Not all of Jim Dunlop’s picks are made from the same material. In Jim Dunlop’s budget range of picks the plastic used is….rubbish!

The picks that I use are the ones in the second line of the photo in this blog. The last two picks in the picture are perfect…..as ice cream scoops, but should not be seriously considered as guitar picks!

For more information about our program if Melbourne guitar lessons, please visit this page and get in touch at your convenience: https://www.melbourneschoolofmusic.com.au/melbourne-guitar-lessons/