Wednesday, 16 October 2024

Plectrum

A plectrum is a small flat tool used to pluck or strum a stringed instrument. For hand-held instruments such as guitars and mandolins, the plectrum is often called a pick, and is a separate tool held in the player's hand. In harpsichords, the plectra are attached to the jack mechanism.

Plectra wielded by hand

Guitars and similar instruments

A plectrum (pick) for electric guitars, acoustic guitars, bass guitars and mandolins is typically a thin piece of plastic or other material shaped like a pointed teardrop or triangle. The size, shape and width may vary considerably. Thin items such as small coins, bread clips or broken compact discs and credit cards can be used as substitute plectra. Banjo and guitar players may wear a metal or plastic thumb pick mounted on a ring, and bluegrass banjo players often wear metal or plastic fingerpicks on their fingertips. Guitarists also use fingerpicks.

Guitar picks are made of a variety of materials, including celluloid, metal, and rarely other exotic materials such as turtle shell, but today delrin is the most common . For other instruments in the modern day most players use plastic plectra but a variety of other materials, including wood and felt (for use with the ukulele) are common. Guitarists in the rock, blues, jazz and bluegrass genres tend to use a plectrum, partly because the use of steel strings tends to wear out the fingernails quickly, and also because a plectrum provides a more 'focused' and 'aggressive' sound. Many guitarists also use the pick and the remaining right-hand fingers simultaneously to combine some advantages of flat picking and finger picking. This technique is called hybrid picking.

This page contains text from Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia - https://wn.com/Plectrum

Latest News for: plectrum

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Jaw-dropping plan for $80million ‘flying’ foil superyacht Plectrum with garage for toys, cars and a ...

The Sun 13 Dec 2023

The Italian designer Lazzarini has finally unveiled Plectrum, a towering 243ft beast equipped with giant wings that allow it to “fly” across the seas at staggering speeds.

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Metallica star visits shop, part-pays in plectrums

BBC News 15 Jun 2023

Robert Trujillo part-paid for an Ian Dury album with four plectrums the band had used at Download ... .

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Avoiding ivory, companies make plant-based koto plectrums

Asahi News 15 Nov 2022

and its partners have developed plant-based plectrums for the koto Japanese harp. The companies said the picks, made from cellulose nanofiber (CNF), can create harp sounds as beautiful as those produced with traditional ivory plectrums.

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Crickets carry own plectrum, harp to make & amplify sound

The Times of India 21 May 2022

BENGALURU ... ” ... Crickets produce sounds by rubbing their wings together — the specialised structures that enable this are a ‘plectrum’ on the margin of one forewing, and a file of pegs on the other, across which the plectrum scrapes ... Start a Conversation.

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Crickets carry their own 'plectrum and harp' to make, amplify sound

The Times of India 20 May 2022

BENGALURU ... Crickets produce sounds by rubbing their wings together — the specialised structures that enable this are a ‘plectrum’ on the margin of one forewing, and a file of pegs on the other, across which the plectrum scrapes ... Download ... Top Videos ... .