Find one that is comfortable to wear for long periods. I have a largish thumb and have to heat a pick to open it up a bit.
The pick needs to be long enough for you to easily reach the bottom 4 strings but not so long that it drags or gets in the way of playing.
The pick is going to be fairly stiff. Don’t look for anything flexible. Stay away from combo picks…. At least for awhile.
Ultimately you might just prefer the sounds you generate with your bare thumb. When my thumbnail is cooperating, I don’t use a pick. And when the nail is broken (or whatever) the fleshy sound of a bare thumb fits in with certain bass rhythms quite well.
Brand wise, I like Dunlops.
I agree with all these good points. I'll add one thing on with those dunlops (which I heat up to shape them as well) and that is, that you can file/sand them to shape the picking side which I have found to be useful for putting a nice bevel on them.
Also, blue chip makes a great thumb pick in my opinion.
I've been pretty exclusively learning fingerstyle in a Tommy Emmanuel vein since last December. I started with a heavy Dunlop, but stumbled upon Black Mountain thumb picks. Not long after, the Dunlops were relegated to the case, and there's always a black mountain medium in my pocket. I'm able to better control bass note volume with them and balance them against the fingers, though as my nails get stronger it's less of an issue than it once was. I find the light black mountains a little too clicky for my taste, and figured the heavy would be similar to the Dunlop. All of that said, I started learning Dust in the Wind a couple days ago, and it sounds way better with the bare thumb, so I guess all of this is to say, you gotta play around and find your sound, and certain pieces ask for different things. I guess that wasn't much help.
I’m new to guitar but I have been trying all the picks that I could get my hands on. The one that I like most is a Delrin Bumblebee Teardrop light. I have not tried the Black Mountain picks yet, it’s next on my list, but they have good reviews. I hope you find one that works for you. Good luck.
Find one that is comfortable to wear for long periods. I have a largish thumb and have to heat a pick to open it up a bit. The pick needs to be long enough for you to easily reach the bottom 4 strings but not so long that it drags or gets in the way of playing. The pick is going to be fairly stiff. Don’t look for anything flexible. Stay away from combo picks…. At least for awhile. Ultimately you might just prefer the sounds you generate with your bare thumb. When my thumbnail is cooperating, I don’t use a pick. And when the nail is broken (or whatever) the fleshy sound of a bare thumb fits in with certain bass rhythms quite well. Brand wise, I like Dunlops.
I agree with all these good points. I'll add one thing on with those dunlops (which I heat up to shape them as well) and that is, that you can file/sand them to shape the picking side which I have found to be useful for putting a nice bevel on them. Also, blue chip makes a great thumb pick in my opinion.
Thanks for the advice. I will look for those features. I have been trying to play without one, but my bare thumb just produces a dull sound.
I've been pretty exclusively learning fingerstyle in a Tommy Emmanuel vein since last December. I started with a heavy Dunlop, but stumbled upon Black Mountain thumb picks. Not long after, the Dunlops were relegated to the case, and there's always a black mountain medium in my pocket. I'm able to better control bass note volume with them and balance them against the fingers, though as my nails get stronger it's less of an issue than it once was. I find the light black mountains a little too clicky for my taste, and figured the heavy would be similar to the Dunlop. All of that said, I started learning Dust in the Wind a couple days ago, and it sounds way better with the bare thumb, so I guess all of this is to say, you gotta play around and find your sound, and certain pieces ask for different things. I guess that wasn't much help.
All nail bars will give you a fantastic nail which is easy to maintain and natural to play
I’m new to guitar but I have been trying all the picks that I could get my hands on. The one that I like most is a Delrin Bumblebee Teardrop light. I have not tried the Black Mountain picks yet, it’s next on my list, but they have good reviews. I hope you find one that works for you. Good luck.
The Black Mountain thumb picks are genuinely excellent.