How Does
How Does a Guitar Pick Work?
Why Use a Pick?
-
While classical guitarists typically use their fingers to play individual strings, guitarists who play rock, jazz or blues will likely prefer a pick.
The guitar pick's ability to pluck notes in rapid succession make it ideal for lead guitarists, and it is simply more comfortable to strum chords with a pick than with bare fingers. Additionally, picking gives the guitar a brighter tone, accompanied by a "clicking" sound that lends distinction to each note.
How it Works
-
Technically, a pick works in similar fashion to one's fingers. Guitar strings are pulled so tight, they vibrate very rapidly when plucked. The change in air pressure, caused by the string moving back and forth, creates a sound wave.
Acoustic guitars then project the sound outward using a hole in the body, in the same way someone's voice projects when they cup their hands over their mouths. Electric guitars capture the sound using pickups--small magnetic devices on the body of the guitar that convert the analog wave into an electric signal--and send it to an amplifier.
Holding the Pick
-
Most guitarists hold the pick between their thumb and the side of their index finger, pointing it down toward the strings when they hold their hands over the guitar. When playing lead, the remaining fingers are used to stabilize the hand against the guitar, and the guitarist plucks each note with a combination of wrist and finger movements. When playing rhythm, the guitarist may strum all the strings with a twist of the wrist or a rocking of the forearm (see Resources below).
eHow Article: How Does a Guitar Pick Work?
