What is the best guitar for beginners?

The greatest beginning guitar picks (and for most other guitarists out there)

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In my course Rockstar 101 – Essential Guitar Skills For Beginners, I go through pick selection and technique in depth, but today I'm going to offer you some particular tips on picking the greatest guitar pick.

I just ended a session with a student who has been playing for about 9 months and is doing well. We had a really fruitful session, and it's one I love teaching since it's one of those situations where a minor modification may make a significant difference for the student.

It is during this class that I go through which guitar picks I believe are the best for beginners. I show the student a variety of guitar picks and we discuss which ones are appropriate for different songs, guitars, and musical genres.

By the conclusion of the class, my student knew precisely which three picks he preferred for each song, instrument, and genre, and we both noted significant changes in his guitar tone.

I urge that you choose three options as well.

How many different choices are you currently using? And, more significantly, do you select a pick to play with because you know it will sound well for that particular song or because it is the closest one to you?

What I tell my pupils and what I tell you is to choose one of the following options:

1 recommendation for strumming tunes

1 pick for chord picking songs (like Green Day's "Time of Your Life").

1 choice for rock, metal, jazz, and music based on single strings (riffs or solos).

Many guitarists just take the pick that is closest to them. Things like those cheap, ugly Tiger picks, for example. If you use them, I suggest leaving this page and going to YouTube to watch videos of cats playing guitar or anything similar.

Yuck!

Of course, I'm joking; I simply want you to recognize the mistake of your ways.

Tiger selections are terrible, albeit not as bad as Will Smith's wife's metal band. You're looking for some high-quality selections. A good selection may make a tremendous impact.

The Dunlop Nylon Series of picks are the finest guitar picks I suggest.

Pick #1 – Guitar Songs

If you like to strum an acoustic guitar, choose the lighter one - 0.46 is the most popular among the beginners I teach. They offer a deep tone, a nice zip across the strings, and are thin, making them simple to handle.

the finest beginning guitar picks 0.46mm

Pick #2 – Songs with Chord

Try something a bit thicker, like the 0.55 or 0.73, for songs where you select chords rather than strum them — they're two of the finest guitar picks for beginners

Because chord picking sounds quieter than strumming (because to the fact that only one string is struck at a time vs six when strumming), having something somewhat thicker helps maintain the loudness perceptible.

When picking chords, a little thicker pick will help you strike the proper string more frequently. This is due to the fact that thinner picks are wonderful for strumming but flex too much while chord picking, resulting in a loss of control and the incorrect string being struck.

the finest beginning guitar picks

Electric (Rock, Jazz, Metal) Type Songs (#3)

Thicker is better for single string riffs (think Led Zeppelin or Metallica type riffs), lead guitar (any of those widdly 80's virtuosos or douchebags as they are commonly referred to - not by me), or quick jazz performers.

But not too thick. A decent range is between 0.9 and 1.1.

Metal's greatest guitar pick 1mm

If you've been playing for a while and can handle a thicker pick, the Dunlop Jazz iii XL is the pick for you. They're fantastic. I can't believe they weren't mentioned to me until around 5 years ago.

I used to use a variety of various picks before that, never settling on one since they would fly out of my hand and vanish someplace in the crowd when I got hot on stage. I'm sure I've 'flicked' one into someone's drink before, or maybe I simply wish I was as cool as that.

I used to be the world's worst offender when it came to making the incorrect decision. When I was a goofy teenager, I would often lose all of my picks or be too lazy to go get one, instead using a 2 penny coin (thinking it was hip and anti-capitalist or something) instead.

I'd be sitting there composing tunes and playing a lot of great, basic chords.

The 2p sounded awful and made everything more difficult.

We didn't have a guitar store near by, and Amazon hadn't been established yet in 1999, as far as I knew, so it was either seek for my favorite picks, use the 2p, or use the corner of a cut off butter container (that's another story).

Anyway, the Dunlop Jazz iii XL is 1.38mm thick, sounds fantastic, and has an excellent grip. There will be no more squandering them in someone's Gin & Tonic.

Many students like to use a wood guitar pick, which is becoming more popular these days, so that's an option for you if you don't like nylon, tortex, or the other traditional materials.

The greatest beginning guitar picks (as chosen by my students)

My kids have picked the following three choices as their favorites. Try these three options for these three kinds of playing if you're having trouble getting a decent, solid sound from your pick:

0.46mm strumming

0.75mm chord picking

1.0mm electric riffs/solo

If you're a fussy player (forgive me, I had to do it), you could always go to Pick World and get some custom-made customized picks, and you'll be the coolest player in town.

You can even purchase engraved guitar picks and a guitar pick necklace if you're a genuine guitar nerd — I adore the guitar, but that's a little too much for me.

I've probably gone through this process with hundreds of kids, and each time they remark something along the lines of "wow, I can't believe how big of a difference a choice makes," and notice immediate changes in their play.

They not only feel better when they play, but they also sound better, which makes them feel better.

Try out these options right now, and then expand your horizons. This is coming from someone who was too lazy to stroll past this 2p coin to get his favorite option.

Enjoy the significant benefits of selecting the best option!