An Important Acoustic Guitar Lesson: Use A Pick Or Not?

Learning to play the acoustic guitar is a wonderful idea and one that everyone should at least consider. Whether you want to join a band or just play the guitar when you're alone and want to express yourself, it's a fantastic skill to learn. There are a few steps you'll have to take if you want to be an expert acoustic guitar playing. One is to figure out whether or not you want to use a guitar pick for playing.

This is a decision that most people are not sure about and find difficult to make. It all depends on what type of guitar playing you're interested in. There are different styles of guitar playing and the sound of a guitar will change depending on the pick used. If you want to play flamenco music for instance, you should avoid using a pick as it will create a deeper sound that is not suitable for this style of music.

In almost all cases for fast leads and scales a pick must be used, as this fast of playing can be harsh on the fingertips and possibly even cause them to bleed. Even if you've had experience playing the guitar and have toughened up your fingers as a result, trying to play fast leads and scales could be so hard it may even cause your fingers to bleed. Most acoustic guitar lessons are taught with a pick so that students can always take up the fingerpicking guitar style afterwards if they like, but at least they have the most options by using a pick. The sound is much sharper when using a pick and again more than anything it depends on the speed you'll be playing the guitar at.

Strumming slow acoustic songs is fine without a pick. Choose the right songs when you're not using a pick and you should be fine. Picks come in a variety of sizes and styles. Common materials for picks include plastic, nylon and tortex.

The size of your pick will have a great impact on how it sounds. The smaller pick you use the lighter a sound you will get. If you want to get more of a mandolin sound then stick to smaller sized picks like Carlos Santana. Taking an acoustic guitar lesson will teach you all of these basics as well as more complex instructions on playing the guitar.