{"id":42085,"date":"2017-04-18T18:30:41","date_gmt":"2017-04-18T16:30:41","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.thomann.de\/blog\/?p=42085"},"modified":"2025-03-27T11:04:39","modified_gmt":"2025-03-27T10:04:39","slug":"pick-your-pick-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.thomann.de\/blog\/en\/learn\/pick-your-pick-2\/","title":{"rendered":"Pick your pick!"},"content":{"rendered":"

This small, inconspicuous but indispensable\u00a0tool<\/strong>\u00a0used for playing\u00a0stringed instruments<\/strong><\/a>, is found usually in the form of a drop-shaped platelet. You guessed it, we are talking about the pick<\/strong><\/a> or plectrum, and we\u2019ll be discussing their various shapes<\/strong>, colors<\/strong>,\u00a0thicknesses<\/strong>,\u00a0sizes<\/strong>\u00a0and\u00a0materials<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
Dunlop Nylon Max Grip 1.0 Player Pack<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The pick<\/strong><\/a>\u00a0is at the beginning of our signal chain, and thus saying that the\u00a0tone is<\/strong>\u00a0made with the fingers is only partly true.\u00a0After all, a pick is responsible for generating the signal<\/strong>\u00a0and thus largely determines character in the sound.\u00a0Of course, the\u00a0fingers<\/strong>\u00a0on the fret hand, also contribute to shaping the sound <\/strong>with a touch of vibrato and various other techniques.<\/p>\n

Even the way we strike the string with the pick<\/strong><\/a>\u00a0i.e. the angle and force, is critical to obtaining our personal sound.\u00a0This in turn relates to the\u00a0shape<\/strong>\u00a0and\u00a0material<\/strong>\u00a0of the pick because different picks played with the same assertion will produce very different sounds.<\/p>\n

\n

Materials<\/strong><\/h3>\n

There are countless myths surrounding the material of which picks are made from.\u00a0One of which involved a pick that was carved straight from the devil\u2019s canine and along with it alleged miraculous powers.\u00a0More research on this can be found in the highly entertaining movie “Tenacious D in The Pick of Destiny<\/em><\/strong>“<\/em>\u00a0starring Jack Black.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
Tenacious D The Pick of Destiny<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Ok, let\u2019s stick to the facts.\u00a0The most common material used in picks today is definitely plastic, with hundreds, if not thousands, of variations.\u00a0I<\/strong>n ancient times<\/strong> of Greece, materials such as wood<\/strong>, metal<\/strong>, stone<\/strong> and ivory<\/strong>\u00a0were already used to pluck the strings of an instrument, and were then known as a Plektron<\/strong>. The use of a feather\u2019s quill was also not all too uncommon in the 19th century. Although quite impressive, over time a more convenient and better choice was found to be small sized buttons. These consisted of bones<\/strong>, wood<\/strong>, horn<\/strong>, or similar materials such as turtle shells<\/strong>. The latter being particularly popular for their elasticity and strong sounding qualities and were later prohibited by law in 1973. Luigi D’Andrea had already made guitar picks with celluloid as early as 1922, and is to this day one of the most frequently used plastics.<\/p>\n\n\t\t