Plectrums
One of the first things you will learn along side your finger technique is how you use a plectrum or “picks” as they are known.
They come in all shapes and sizes and thickness depending on your playing style.
A lot will come down to trying out different picks based on thickness and shape.
The main rules for choosing a pick are;
1. Light plectrums are for playing chords and speed picking and flexibility , but no good for metal.
2. Medium plectrums work for most styles and demands
3. Hard plectrums are great for articulate playing and speed as well as for tone and hard metal .
Pick sizes and shapes vary from shark fin , stubby and thumb shaped plectrums.
If that doesn't suit you , create your own or improvise like Brian May from Queen who uses a shiny british 6pence coin to play with !
(you get some free with the new Brian May digitech pedal!)
Picking techniques
Picking technique varies depending on your style of playing and the way you hold it can alter your sound with dramatic effect!
The standard way to hold a pic is as seen here between the thumb and for finger.
After watching the Steve Morse DVD it really opened my eye's on how you approach & use a pick to maximise your speed and playing technique.
I found his advice and visual teaching method on using a pick great , and my playing has improved and became less sloppy!
Tone
Tone is the Holy grail to guitarists and there are many different ways of achieving tone .
We can categorize these into 3 areas;
1. Using effect’s (Eddie VanHalen, Jennifer Batten, Tom Morello)
2. Technique (Zakk Wylde, Yngwie Malmsteen, Nuno Bettencourt)
3. Or both (Steve Morse, Eric Johnson, Steve Vai, Joe Satriani,).
Like the great
My best Advice is to be patience as finding your sound can take years to achieve and there are no number of effects pedals or units that will cover up for poor playing and technique.
Like most guitarists, when I started, I tended to cover up my poor technique by using effects pedal and processors to make my sound improve eg, flange, phase, Chorus & reverb etc.
However, after years of playing I realised that if I limited myself to one effects sound I would struggle to be creative and get bored!
You will find that like me , when my playing improved I found that I relied less and less on effects units (believe me I tried them all!) and went more on the basic set up of a good guitar (Ibanez)& amplifier (Marshall ).
Like most hobbies you only get out what you put in and this also means that if you want to play seriously or at least be a competent player you will need the right gear to do the right job.
Would you expect a brilliant race driver like Michael Schumacher to drive a F3 car in an F1 race? No, then neither should you.
Thanks to improvements at manufacturers in Asia (
A tip is to make sure you buy the right guitar for the right job, if you play metal there’s no point buying a George Benson as one it won’t look cool and two it won’t sound right!
A guide to match your sound with the right guitar!
Metal-Ibanez Jackson flying v Schecter omen 7 Gibson flying v/Les Paul Zakk Wylde Washburn
Rock –Ibanez Schecter 006, Fender strat Washburn Gibson Les Paul
Grunge/indie- Fender Jagstang Gibson Les Paul
Country-Fender start/tele any semi hollow body
Blues-Fender SRV/ strat/tele any semi hollow body, Gibson Les Paul
Phrasing
What is phrasing?
Well to put it simply , phrasing is how your playing technique & style effects the way a sound is heard and how it's expressed .
The next time you pick up your guitar , try playing 3 notes and then change the speed and feel each time you hit the notes and then you will realise that how you attack the notes changes the style and tone.
Phrasing can be heard alot in improvisations and in funk & rock.
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