Mediator at home. Guitar pick

Sooner or later, many beginning guitarists are faced with such an important question: how to choose a guitar pick? Today, there are enough big choice mediators for every taste and color, that when you look at the box with these plastic things, your eyes run in different directions.

Therefore, it will be difficult for a beginner to do it himself the first time right choice, well, maybe take a pick with some cool picture. But it’s not all that simple; there are many different criteria by which you should make the right choice of a future mediator. This article will be dedicated precisely to such people.

From my own experience, I will say that for the first time I myself chose a pick based on the picture and, moreover, I chose the thinnest one, in the end it was inconvenient to play. Today, in literally a couple of minutes, I can choose what I really need and what I have become accustomed to over all the years of playing the guitar. Therefore, I always buy several mediators I need at once, so that I don’t have to get used to others. In fact, you also develop a habit with a mediator, over time, and you will understand this when you find the optimal one for yourself. To begin, take yourself one of each type of mediator. Now we’ll figure out what types these are.

Mediator(also known as a plectrum) is a thin plate, most often made of plastic, with a pointed end, which is designed to bring the string into an oscillating state or, more simply put, to produce sound.

Manufacturer

There are quite a lot of different companies that make mediators. There is no need to find fault with the quality of the product, because... its design couldn't be simpler. Many guitarists most often choose these famous brands How: Dunlop, Fender, Gibson, Ibanez and others. And this choice is due to the fact that working with such mediators is already inspiring.

Materials

The following materials can be used in the production of mediators:

Tortex (Tortex) / Derlex (Derlex) – has a smooth silky coating that does not wear out for a long time. A pick made of this material is very comfortable and has a warm sound when playing.
Derlin (Derlin) – the coating of a mediator made from this material is smoother and the sound is brighter. Suitable for fast play.
Celluloid– surface polished and smooth to the touch. This material has proven itself well, because... Best suited for rhythmic melodies and solo parts.
Nylon– mediators made on the basis of this material have an advantage over others, which lies in their softness and flexibility. The surface is flat and smooth.
Polycarbonate- a material with properties of both derlin and celluloid. It can even give off a glassy sound at a certain thickness of the plectrum.
Lexan (Lexan) – the material is similar to glass, very hard and almost does not bend. Mainly used in mediators with a thickness of over 1 mm. It has a glassy sound effect and wears out quickly.
Metal– has its own additional sound when playing, and picks made from it are most suitable for strong attacks.

Form

Standard– the most popular and widely used type of mediator. A standard mediator is characterized by soft sound when playing.
Teardrop & Jazz– these picks are usually thicker than standard ones. They are loved for their brightness.
Triangle– has a shape equilateral triangle. This type of pick is practical because you can play either side of it. Most the best option for those who like to experiment.
Sharkfin is a universal pick that allows you to use two sides for playing. You can play with either the ribbed part or the regular side like a standard pick.

Thickness

Perhaps this is the most important thing when choosing a future mediator and you should pay attention to this first, because The sound of your guitar will depend mainly on its thickness. The thickness of the mediator ranges from 0.38 to 3 mm. When choosing the thickness of a pick, you need to consider what you will play and how.

Thin mediators are suitable for those who want to get a soft and at the same time chordal sound.
Fat provide the ability to control the force of impact and attack and at the same time allow you to play at different volumes.

Now let's look at the mediators by thickness:

0.38 – 0.65 mm– thin mediators.
0.65 – 0.73 mm– medium-sized mediators.
0.73 – 088 mm– thicker than average.
0.88 – 1.0 mm– thick mediators.
1.14 – 3.0 mm– very thick mediators.

Typically, the thickness is indicated on the front side of the mediator and is expressed in millimeters, and if there are no numbers, then most likely a scale of this type will be used:

Thin(thin)
Medium(average)
Heavy(thick)
Extra Heavy(very fat)

Surface

I recommend using picks with a rougher surface than a smooth one, because if your fingers quickly become wet while playing, then such a plectrum may simply fly out of your hand at the wrong moment.

Size

IN in this case In order to decide what size mediator in terms of area is best for you, then start from your own preferences. The most important thing is that it is convenient and comfortable to hold. If you are going to play something fast, then take a small pick.

Color

Assortment different manufacturers wide enough and therefore everyone will find a pick that suits their color. For example, you can take it to match the color of your guitar or clothes.

Mediators for different types of guitars

For an acoustic guitar, I can advise you to take a soft pick. Thickness ranges from thin to medium. I'll explain why. It is convenient to play with such a pick, and its sound is more pleasant and gentle, which is not typical for a hard pick. The strings on an acoustic guitar are tighter than on an electric guitar. When playing with a hard pick on an electric guitar, you won’t feel any difficulty, but on an acoustic you will notice it right away.
Of course, an electric guitar requires a hard pick, due to the fact that the strings are not as tight as on an acoustic. You can safely take the thickness from medium to the hardest.

Always have several mediators of different thicknesses (believe me, they will definitely come in handy), and also have several spare ones, because they, as a rule, often get lost.
Just so as not to lose picks and not buy new ones every time, purchase at the same time a special case for them, which can be attached to the guitar. Mediators will always be at hand, and you won’t have to look for them in your pockets.

That's all about mediators! I hope this article helped you. And now you already know how to choose a guitar pick. So you can share with your friends on in social networks, and also leave your comments below. I will be only glad of this. Good luck to you!

This post will kill all the factories that produce mediators!) Because, with a minimum of tools and an hour of time, you will have a dozen or two mediators of whatever shape and caliber you want.

As you probably guessed from the photo, we will make mediators from old plastic credit (debit) cards, SIM cards of mobile operators, or other similar plastic products.

All the tools needed for this operation are shown in the photo:

Namely:

Bag (a must, because a lot of picks lying around everywhere after the manufacturing process will become a problem for you, which can be solved by putting them directly in a bag and taking them out as needed (lost))
Scissors. Cards are made from soft plastic, can be cut with ordinary manicure nail scissors.
File. For straightening the ends after cutting with scissors.
Sandpaper to remove burrs.
Pen. For marking picks on a card.
Plastic cards.

So, you have all of the above, and you are ready to compete with the monsters of the guitar industry. We take a card and, applying the template, trace the outline with a pen. You can use a ready-made mediator as a template. As you can see from the figure, there are 6 doctors. From Sim card - 4 pcs.

Soft, thin mediators are made from old Megafon payment cards. They are good for strumming on an acoustic guitar. From bank cards and Sim-ok turn out to be tough doctors, for playing rhythm parts on the electric guitar.

It will not be possible to cut evenly, so the next step is to take 4-5 picks together and file them, giving them an average, even shape.

We ensure that the entire batch has the same smooth contours.

Abstract: A pick is a thing that looks like socks. It often gets lost, so it’s best to have several picks, and even better, to be able to make them yourself. This article will teach you this!

Guitar pick- This is something like a bow that is used to play the guitar. When playing with a pick, the sound extracted from the guitar becomes much cleaner and more pleasant. BUT! Mediators have one bad property - they really like to get lost... They crawl everywhere, under an armchair, sofa, table, they hide in everything possible places and cause a lot of trouble when they are absolutely necessary. In such situations, you have to buy another (or better, of course, several) mediators.

It is precisely because of the cost of picks (they don’t cost much, but we spend time going out and buying a pick) that we will describe to you how you can make a pick yourself!

How to make a guitar pick: necessary knowledge.

To make a mediator with our own hands, we don’t need a lot of information about it, namely:

The standard size of the mediator that we will focus on: 2.5x1.5 cm
The material that works best is plastic.
The shape of the pick should resemble an almond (optional).
The thickness of the material we use to create the pick will determine the sound (if the material is thin, the sound will be higher, if the material is thick, the sound will be lower).

Have you mastered the information? Great! Now let's try to make a pick.

Making a mediator with your own hands

And so, to begin with, we will select the material from which we will make the mediator. There are several options:

Plastic cards (the most suitable option).
Packaging of SIM cards (not a very good option, but still not a very bad option).
Any plastic (not too thick).

Now, using a pen or pencil, we draw a pick on our material (if you have a pick on hand, just outline it). Next, using scissors (the ends of which should be rounded) we cut out the pick.

These days there are a huge number of different accessories for playing the guitar. Some of them are carried by almost every guitarist, others are in less demand due to the fact that not all musicians need their presence. One of the most popular accessories for playing the guitar is guitar pick.

Mediator or, as it is also called, plectrum is a thin drop-shaped plate made of various materials and intended for playing on some plucked string instruments.

As a rule, experienced musicians use picks to extract a higher sound from the strings, as well as for some “tricky” picking (such, for example, are quite common in American music).

Often, beginners and inexperienced guitarists use this kind of accessory to avoid chafing the fingertips of those unprepared for playing.

Thus, mediators are quite a popular accessory among musicians with different orientations and levels of professionalism.

Types and types of mediators

An accessory can be classified in several ways:

The appearance of the plectrum (classic teardrop-shaped, goose feather, ring with a “claw”, mizrabs, etc.);
Material of manufacture (bone, ebonite, plastic, nylon, metal, etc.);
Design, design, and themes used;
Thickness and angle of the working edge.

I propose to dwell on the last point in more detail. Based on thickness as a measure of classification, the following can be distinguished: types of mediators:

thin;
average;
thick;
very thick.

Thin picks

Plectrums, the thickness of which varies within 0.38-0.65 millimeters, are considered thin. They usually bend easily, and the sound they produce is quite pronounced.

Medium picks

Medium picks are thick from 0.65 to 0.88 millimeters. When using such an accessory, a certain middle of the sound, as well as bass, begins to be visible in the game.

Thick picks

In the case of thick plectrums (their thickness is from 0.88 to 3 millimeters) the full sound spectrum appears in the game. It is noteworthy that with such picks it is easiest to control the direction of the blow.

How to play the guitar with a pick?

First of all, you need to figure out how to properly hold the plectrum in your hand.

According to the rules, it is taken with the thumb and forefinger right hand. The mediator should be located in the hand, as shown in the picture below:

Note: If you hold the accessory correctly, only a small tip of the plectrum will protrude from under your fingers. Please note that the mediator is like a continuation index finger. This position is the only correct one..

Another point that should not be overlooked is the position of the hand. It should be visually parallel to the stand, but not to the strings.

Let's see how the hand with the pick is positioned on the guitar:

How to play a fight with a pick?

Almost anyone can be adjusted to fit a mediator. The game is played in the same way as without using the accessory.

The hand must be relaxed, otherwise both the strings and the plectrum will wear each other out very quickly.

Strikes on the strings should not be sweeping, but should be economical: the pick should not hit, but “scratch” the strings.

When playing with a plectrum, only the muscles of the hand should work. Otherwise, you simply won’t be able to produce sound correctly.

How to play fingerpicking with a pick?

This is where things get a little more complicated. The fact is that if you simply pull the required string with a pick, the sound will have an intermittent, unfinished character and not everyone will be pleasant to listen to.

There are some principles when using a plectrum.

So, for example, the upper three strings, which are considered bass, are usually played from above (that is, moving down), and the lower ones - from below. You can also use a variable stroke.

Note: Variable stroke is more common. So, no matter what strings you play, always hit one string with a pick. top down, and the next one – down up and so on.

How to make a pick with your own hands?

Many musicians prefer to do DIY mediators, thus emphasizing your individuality and uniqueness.

For example, the famous guitarist Billy Gibbons uses coin plectrums to play.

Most often, mediators are cut out of old unnecessary plastic cards. However, this option is not very acceptable, because this kind of plastic wears off quite quickly. Although for a beginning guitarist this should be enough for the first time until you buy a pick.

To make a guitar pick from old plastic card, first draw out a template with a pen or pencil.

Dimensions of a homemade mediator:

Length– 3 cm;
Width– 2.5 cm;
Thickness– the same as the thickness of a plastic card.

Dimensions are approximate. The main thing here is that you then feel comfortable holding the pick in your hands and playing with it.

In the picture above you can see the approximate size of the mediator you should get.

Thus, the pick should be in the shape of an egg or triangle with rounded edges.

Another way make a pick with your own hands – vinyl records. Vinyl plectrums serve guitarists for a long time. But not every person whose activities are related to music will be able to raise their hand to a rarity.

In general, any elastic material that will not quickly become unusable is suitable for making a mediator.

Special devices for making mediators

In addition, there are special devices for making mediators:

You just need to acquire the material, then you can even set up a whole business and sell mediators :)

Prices for different types of mediators

The cost of an accessory usually depends on the material being made, as well as the brand. guitar pick. Price A good plectrum costs, on average, 100-200 rubles.

Some reach up to 1000 rubles.

Also, some sellers and craftsmen make custom-made picks. Here the price will vary depending on the customer’s preferences, the material of the mediator, etc.

Interesting: the most expensive guitar pick in the world costs 4674 US dollars. Such a pick is made from a meteorite that once fell to earth.

As a rule, sales are carried out in sets. But you can also buy a mediator individually.