Should You Play with a Plectrum?

For my last post, I decided to figure out whether it was really best for me to play guitar using a plectrum (guitar pick). Up until this point, I had been going back and forth between playing guitar using just my thumb and using a plectrum. "Lead and Rhythm Guitar styles (electric and acoustic) are normally played with a plectrum. So, if you play a steel-strung guitar and want to joining a group or and at some stage, you should learn to use one" (Evans 49). The guitar that I own has a mixture of nylon and steel strings, so I made sure to take this tip into account. I also plan on playing guitar at large family gatherings that my family often has because many of my cousins and I are really interested in music and play various instruments. Currently, I am using a plectrum that I got at the EMP in Seattle way back when I was in elementary school and it seems to be doing the job just fine. "Hold the plectrum fairly firmly between the right thumb and 1st finger, as shown below" (Evans 49). I had never really researched how to properly hold a plectrum, so before reading this part of the book, I realized my grip was kind of wrong.

How to properly hold a plectrum

I have found that from now on, I will most likely use a plectrum because I find it easier to strum all the strings and I also feel that when I strum using my thumb, the sound is not very loud and a bit muffled.

With this being my last blog post, I just wanted to say that I genuinely enjoyed bettering my skills at guitar. I feel as if this book has greatly guided me in how to properly do things like strumming and playing chords. In the future, I will definitely continue to play guitar and be the best I can at it.

If you could play any instrument, what would you play and why?

Thank you all for following along with all of my blog posts!