A plectrum is a device for plucking or strumming a stringed instrument. In guitars, banjos, and similar instruments, the plectrum is a separate tool held in the player's hand. In harpsichords, the plectra form part of the mechanism of the instrument. A string instrument (or stringed instrument) is a musical instrument that produces sound by means of vibrating strings. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... Old 6-string zither banjo For other uses, see Banjo (disambiguation) The banjo is a stringed instrument of African American origin, early or original examples sometimes being called the gourd banjo. Its name is commonly thought to be derived from the Kimbundu term mbanza. ... Harpsichord in Flemish style; for more info, click the image. ...

Plectra for guitars, etc.

Various guitar picks

Main article: Guitar pick 3 guitar picks File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... 3 guitar picks File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... Various guitar picks. ...

A plectrum for guitars typically takes the form of a narrow isosceles triangle with rounded corners; the acutest angle is the one commonly used to pluck the string. Such a plectrum can also be called a pick (or a flatpick to distinguish it from fingerpicks). They are made of a variety of materials, including tortoise shell and celluloid, but today plastic is the most common. The size, shape and thickness may vary considerably. Items such as small coins may successfully be used as a substitute plectrum if the need arises, and in fact Brian May (guitarist from the band Queen) has made the use of an old coin [a silver sixpence]a part of his signature sound. For alternate meanings, such as the musical instrument, see triangle (disambiguation). ... Celluloid is the name of a class of compounds created from nitrocellulose and camphor, plus dyes and other agents, generally regarded to be the first thermoplastic. ... Plastic covers a range of synthetic or semisynthetic polymerization products. ... A coin is usually a piece of hard material, generally metal and usually in the shape of a disc, which is issued by a government to be used as a form of money. ... Brian Harold May CBE (Born July 19, 1947) is the guitarist for the English rock band Queen. ... This article is becoming very long. ...

Banjo and guitar players may wear a metal or plastic thumb pick mounted on a ring, and bluegrass banjo players almost always wear metal or plastic fingerpicks on their fingertips, which guitarists may also occasionally use. A fingerpick is a type of plectrum used most commonly for playing bluegrass style banjo music. ...

The plectra for the Japanese biwa and shamisen can be quite large, and those used for the Arabic oud are longer and narrower, replacing the formerly used eagle feather. Plectra used for Chinese instruments such as the sanxian were formerly made of animal horn, though many players today use plastic. See Lake Biwa for the lake in Shiga Prefecture, Japan. ... Kitagawa Utamaro, Flowers of Edo: Young Womans Narrative Chanting to the Samisen, ca. ... Front and rear views of an oud. ... Chinese postage stamp depicting a sanxian The sanxian (Chinese: 三弦, pinyin sānxián, Wade-Giles san1-hsien2, lit. ...

In general, guitarists from the classical, flamenco and "fingerpicking" musical traditions do not use a pick, but rather use the fingertips or fingernails on the right hand. This affords many more possibilities in the number of strings plucked simultaneously, and in the case of the Flamenco guitarist, a wide variety of strumming and percussive effects. These musicians also use nylon or gut strings on their guitars, which have a mellower sound and are more gentle on the hands. Guitarists in the rock, blues, jazz and bluegrass world tend to use a plectrum, partly because the use of steel strings tends to wear out the fingernails quickly, and also because a more focused and aggressive sound may be achieved. Many guitarists also develop the use of the plectrum and remaining right-hand fingers simultaneously, affording most of the advantages of both techniques. This technique is called "hybrid picking". To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... Flamenco dancer Belén Maya, photograph taken by Gilles Larrain at his studio, 2001 Flamenco is a song, music and dance style which is strongly influenced by the Gitanos, but which has its deeper roots in Moorish and Jewish musical traditions. ... Fingerpicking, or playing fingerstyle, is a technique for playing the guitar, or some other stringed instrument using the fingertips and/or fingernails, rather than with a plectrum (or pick). It is used for classical guitar, and some other acoustic styles, but it has found its way into other genres as... Rock and roll (also spelled Rock n Roll, especially in its first decade), also called rock, is a form of popular music, usually featuring vocals (often with vocal harmony), electric guitars and a strong back beat; other instruments, such as the saxophone, are common in some styles. ... Blues music redirects here. ... Jazz is an original American musical art form originating around the start of the 20th century in New Orleans. ... Bluegrass music is considered a form of American roots music with its own roots in the English, Irish and Scottish traditional music of immigrants from the British Isles (particularly the Scots-Irish immigrants of Appalachia), as well as the music of rural African-Americans, jazz, and blues. ... Hybrid picking is a guitar-playing technique that involves picking with a pick and fingers at the same time. ...

Among guitar players the plectrum is sometimes referred to by the slang version of the term, plec.

Plectra for harpsichords

Upper portion of a harpsichord jack holding a plectrum

In a harpsichord, the plectra (one for each string) are very small, often only about a centimeter long, about 1.5 millimeters wide, and perhaps half a millimeter thick. The plectrum is gently tapered, being narrowest at the plucking end. The top surface of the plectrum is flat and horizontal, and is held in the tongue of the jack, which permits it to pluck moving upward and pass almost silently past the string moving downward. Lahir di Kampung terpencil tepatnya di Desa Timeepa Kecamatan Mapia Kabupaten Nabire Propinsi Papua. ... Lahir di Kampung terpencil tepatnya di Desa Timeepa Kecamatan Mapia Kabupaten Nabire Propinsi Papua. ... Harpsichord in Flemish style; for more info, click the image. ...

Historically, plectra were made of sturdy quills (that is, large feathers). Crow quills were considered best, followed by raven quills. In some Italian harpsichords, leather plectra were used. In late French harpsichords by the great builder Pascal Taskin, peau de buffle, a chamois-like material from the hide of the European bison, was used for plectra that produced a delicate pianissimo. Of these materials, quill was by far the most common. Species See text. ... Species See text. ... Modern leather-working tools Leather is a material created through the tanning of hides, pelts and skins of animals, primarily cows. ... Binomial name Rupicapra rupicapra (Linnaeus, 1758) The chamois (Rupicapra rupicapra) is a large, goat-like animal that lives in the European Alps and Carpathians. ... Binomial name Bison bonasus (Linnaeus, 1758) The Wisent (pronounced vE-zent) is the European bison, species Bison bonasus. ... In music, dynamics refers to the volume or loudness of the sound or note, in particular to the range from soft (quiet) to loud. ...

Modern harpsichords often substitute a more durable plastic, such as delrin or celcon, for quill; thus modern harpsichordists need not spend much of their time, as J. S. Bach did, requilling their instruments. It has been suggested that this article or section be merged into polyoxymethylene. ... Polyoxymethylene, also known as acetal resin, polytrioxane and polyformaldehyde, is an engineering plastic used to make gears, bushings and other mechanical parts. ... Bach redirects here. ...

Usage note

"Plectrum" has both a Latin-based plural, plectra, and a native English plural, plectrums. Plectra is used in formal writing, particularly in discussing the harpsichord as an instrument of classical music. Plectrums is more common in ordinary speech, and yields more hits in a Web search. Latin was the language originally spoken in the region around Rome called Latium. ... Classical music is a broad, somewhat imprecise term, referring to music produced in, or rooted in the traditions of, European art, ecclesiastical and concert music, encompassing a broad period from roughly 1000 to the present day. ...

English speakers should exercise caution in choosing a plural appropriate to the context. Used in scholarly writing, plectrums would sound ignorant to many readers. In vernacular contexts, plectra risks sounding pedantic.

In fully vernacular speech the abbreviation pleck (plural: plecks) is sometimes used.

See also

• Guitar pick
• Fingerpick
• Mezrab
• Flatpicking
• Crosspicking
• String instrument