How to Do Pick Scrapes on the Guitar

Pick scrapes are a staple of '80s guitar playing. However, you can use pick scrapes in new and exciting ways when making your own music today. Once you get the technique down, you can use your new trick in your own music. This article will walk you through how to do a pick scrape and some common ways to incorporate a pick scrape into a song.

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

1. Place your pick in your right hand (left hand if you are a left-handed player).

2. Turn the pick on its side. When doing a pick scrape you will not be holding the pick in the traditional manner you are used to. You will use the side of the pick instead of the pointed tip of the pick to produce the slide effect.

3. Slide the pick slowly down the sixth string of the guitar (low E string.) As you slide you will hear a gravelly and harsh sound. The sound will probably be quite familiar to you if you are a fan of rock music.

4. Increase the speed. Now try to slide the pick in the same manner as you did in Step 3, however this time increase the speed. Quick pick scrapes are very common in rock music.

5. Play a pick scrape in between parts of a guitar riff. The most difficult pick scrape is one where you fit a scrape in between one or more parts of a riff. Find a riff you know from another artist or one you have written yourself. Play the riff and look for a pause in the riff. During the pause play a pick scrape to lead into the next part of the riff. This is the classic pick scrape sound.

6. Add effects to the pick scrape. If you have a delay pedal you can add repeats to the scrape to create some very interesting sounds. Delayed pick scrapes are very common, but you don't have to stop there. Try reverb or any other effects you have at your disposal to make some creative and unusual sounds! That's it. You now know how to make and utilize pick scrapes in the rock and roll style!

Tips & Warnings

• Listen to rock music from the '80s and try to emulate the pick scrapes you hear in the recordings. This will give you a foundation that you can build on. You can then add your own unique style when using pick scrapes in your own music.
• Doing pick scrapes very often will quickly wear down your guitar picks. So, if you plan to make scrapes a staple of your playing, make sure to have a lot of extra picks handy!