Award Sounds

My standard guitar plectrum for the last 5 years has been Jim Dunlop Jazz III. Even down to the colour, I use the red ones so I can still find them on the floor. Black ones are more awkward to find and harder. I like the fact that I can grip it easily and there's just enough pick to use and not too much to get in the way. Despite it being called a Jazz pick, it's great for a lot of other styles. I find them the easiest picks to achieve pinch-harmonics with.

If I want a different sound or want to practice a different style, then a different pick can sometimes do just the job, even turning the pick upside and playing with the flatter part against the strings produces a different sound. The latter technique is great for strumming and reducing the harshness created by some picks.

Apart from the obvious thickness of the picks, different materials have their uses. I used an Ice-Pix copper pick (quite a thin one actually) to bring out the treble on a recent recording. I had tried a steel pick (a bit thicker) but the sound of the pick plucking the strings was too audible. The copper pick was a nice balance of brightness and articulation. Importantly for me from a composition perspective, it gave me the best feel for playing that particular part. I believe in getting the sound right at source and although I could have boosted the higher frequencies with eq to get the brighter sound, there was no guarantee I could get the sound I wanted. Using the copper pick gave me the sound and the playability.

For another recording, I used a rubber pick. The idea behind them is that they give you a similar sound to fingers. I don't fully agree with that; if I wanted it to sound like fingers, then I'd use my fingers. But then again, I'm happy with finger-picking and strumming. It did sound different to normal picks and provides a useful quality that I still try every so often.

A very thin plastic pick on an acoustic gives a really lightweight effect, great for background strumming, but not good for me for picking out prominent melodies. For quick, funky strumming, I've never really found the Jazz IIIs that easy to work with. for those times I revert back to what I used to use before: Dunlop Tortex .88mm. Depending on the part, I may opt for a Delrin EX which has an odd indentation for the thumb. Sometimes I get on with, sometimes I don't.

A useful effect I've found is to play the same part using different picks, in much the same way that tracking a part with multiple instruments. By varying the relative levels between the tracks enables me to change the timbre of the instrument, bringing it more to the foreground or pushing to the background.

Got a guitar part that doesn't sound quite right? Try using a different pick and re-record it. Does it sound any better? It can be as effective as a new guitar amp.

There are enough online shops out there that will sell you picks cheaper than the high street so use them. My favourite for a few years has been Stringbusters. It's a great site and over time, I must have purchased at least one of every major pick, just to try out the differences. Some didn't really do much for me. Some have been added to my standard kit bag, just in case.

If you're still stuck, there are a few other approaches you can take with picks:

- put a plectrum in the strings on the headstock behind the nut

- rather than plucking or strumming, stroke the strings parallel to the strings rather than perpendicular. (i.e. move the pick along the string for a centimetre or so)

- alternate with pick and fingers (I have to do this for some songs anyway) 

Part of a series by Award Sounds offering a selection of creative ideas to kick-start or rejuvenate a composition.